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Vol. 2 No: 44 |

STUDENT AGE
JKENG/2012/41612 | Jammu, Saturday, February 16 (Feb 10 - Feb 16 ), 2013 | Pages: 32 | `5

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News Inbox
NHRC notice to Assam on panchayat polls violence
NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Friday sought from the home secretary and the director general of police (DGP) of Assam within four weeks a report on the deaths in violence over panchayat polls in contd on page 2

Govt moves to scrap chopper deal, to send CBI team to Italy

NEW DELHI: As it braces for an opposition onslaught in Parliament next week, government on Friday cracked the whip by moving to scrap the 12 helicopter deal with AgustaWestland and decided to send a CBI team to Italy to probe the charges that kickbacks to the tune of Rs. 362 crore were paid to bag The Defence Ministry also threatened to take other actions as per terms of the contract, an apparent reference to invoking a clause in the contract for recovery of money already paid in the Rs. 3,600 crore deal. India has paid more than 30 per cent of the sum. "The defence ministry issued a formal show cause notice to AgustaWestland seeking cancellation of the contract and aking other actions as per terms of the contract," ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said. The company was asked to explain the bribery allegations within seven days and reply why the contract of 2010 should not be cancelled. The action came after the ministry received "some report" from Italy, sources said. The external affairs ministry has also written to the contd on page 2

Italian PM assures 'correct governance' in chopper deal

UPA factsheet draws Pranab into the row

HC rejects Gujarat govt's plea against minority scholarship

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Friday directed the Narendra Modi-led government to implement Centre's pre-matriculation scholarship scheme for students belonging to minority communities in the state. The High Court's order is in response to a PIL seeking contd on page 2

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has said that his government would "guarantee the correct governance" of Italian defence and aerospace company Finmeccanica, after its Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Orsi was contd on page 2

HYDERABAD: The UPA government's factsheet could prove to be more embarrassing for itself and President Pranab Mukherjee during whose stint as the defence minister the AgustaWestland deal was cleared. The Defence Ministry's contd on page 2

Prof. Sudhir K. Jain takes over as Vice Chancellor, SMVDU

JAMMU: Prof. Sudhir K. Jain, the new Vice Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, today met Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor of J&K, who is also the Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. The Governor discussed with Prof. Jain various matters relating to the University which call for early resolution, to ensure that this institution gains national and international recognition. Prof. Jain informed the Chancellor of his commitment to make use of all available

MEGHALAYA POLLS PM promises to empower tribal bodies

SHILLONG: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on February 15 promised to empower tribal governing bodies and improve women's representation in decision-making bodies in poll-bound Meghalaya. "We will empower self-governing bodies and work for greater say of women in administrative decision making as we believe that this will help Meghalaya get more benefits from Central contd on page 2

Rahul Gandhi interacting with state unit chiefs ahead of LS elections 2014
NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandh on Friday began his interaction with chief ministers of party-ruled states and PCC chiefs in a bid to strengthen state units of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. This is the second such consultation by Gandhi after he was appointed the vice president of the party at Congress 'chintan shivir' at Jaipur in January. contd on page 2

Terrorist can be from any section of society, says Harish Rawat

NEW DELHI: Voicing concern over "innocent" Muslim youths lodged in prisons without a trial, Union minister Harish Rawat on Friday said "law cannot have different yardsticks". Observing that terrorism has no religion, Rawat said all organisations, including right-wing outfits, which indulge in terror contd on page 2

resources to take the University speedily forward to achieve its goals. Mr. Navin K. Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Governor, who contd on page 2

Petrol prices hiked by Rs 1.50/L, diesel by 45 paise/L

NEW DELHI: Petrol price was on Friday hiked by Rs 1.50 per litre and diesel by 45 paise as stateowned oil companies exercised newly bestowed pricing freedom. The first hike in petrol price in over three-and-a-half months and the second rise in diesel rates in one month exclude local sales tax or VAT and the increase for consumers at petrol pumps would be higher. Petrol price in Delhi will go up by Rs 1.80 to Rs 69.06 per litre with effect from midnight tonight after including 19 percent VAT. Diesel rates would go up by 51 paise to Rs 48.16 a litre. The increase in auto fuel prices, which come contd on page 2

Curfew Continues in the Valley

SRINAGAR: Amid strict and stringent curfew, people all across Kashmir offered funeral prayers in absentia for Kahmiri youth Mohammad Afzal Guroo. People defied curfew at dozens of places and resorted to stone pelting soon after Friday prayers. Anti-India processions were taken out in which old, young and children participated. According to CNS, Authorities on Friday imposed strict curfew in Kashmir Valley to foil Eidgah chalo March call that was given by Hurriyat Conference (G). Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary troops were seen patrolling the streets. Metal barricades and razor wire had been used to close off all the main roads in Kashmir while as old city was put under siege and no one was

"No Curfew on Saturday" DGP Ashok Prasad

SRINAGAR: Declaring that there will be no curfew on Saturday, Director General Police, Ashok Prasad Friday said that over all the situation in Valley is under control. "Barring few incidents, the situation is valley remained peaceful and keeping this factor in view we have decided not to impose curfew on Saturday," DGP told CNS and added that during today's clashes one policeman in North Kashmir's Bandipora District got injured. DGP Ashok Prasad said that there will be no curfew on Saturday and people can resume their contd on page 2

Omar defends curfew in Kashmir Valley

SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has defended imposition of curfew in the Valley saying restrictions would not have been needed if no one tried to create trouble after the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. "Even these restrictions would not have been necessary if we didn't have amongst us those determined to create trouble out of this situation," Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter. Curfew was re-imposed across Kashmir Valley last night as a precautionary measure to foil the plans contd on page 2

Tell Iran to respect nuclear non-proliferation norms: France to India

NEW DELHI: France, a key player in the P5+1 talks with Iran on its contentious nuclear programme, on February 15 asked India to "convince" its "close friend" Tehran to enter into serious negotiations and respect international obligations with regard to nuclear non-proliferation. French President Francois Hollande also extended an olive branch to Iran during a public lecture in Delhi, saying the people of France also consider them as "friends" and urged the oil-rich nation to fulfil its obligations. Calling India a "power of peace", Hollande strongly pitched for the country getting a fullfledged contd on page 2

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

CONTD
ty under the constitutional rules. The Congress in its factsheet has also put the blame on NDA. The Congress has alleged that in 2003, the then National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra wrote to the then defence secretary that the existing rules were unfair as it allowed only single bidding and that the qualifying height of the choppers should be reduced from 18,000 feet to at least 14,000 feet.

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firms to raise prices in small dozes every month till over Rs 10 a litre loss on sale of India's most consumed fuel is totally eliminated. Even after today's increase and a similar hike effected on January 18, oil firms will continue to lose Rs 10.27 a litre on diesel as cost of raw material (crude oil) has risen by 4 percent to USD 113.24 per barrel. Rates will vary by a few paise on petrol pumps owned by Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) as state-owned firms maintain differential rates to avoid being accused of acting as a cartel. Petrol price was last revised on January 18 when the rate was cut by 25 paise a litre. After including VAT, this translated into a reduction of 30 paise to Rs 67.26 a litre in Delhi. The reduction in rates on that day coincided with the government decision to give oil firms freedom to raise diesel prices in small monthly doses to eliminate all of the losses on the fuel. Oil firms hiked diesel price on that day by 45 paise, which after including VAT led to a 50-paise increase to Rs 47.65 a litre in Delhi. The price of petrol was last hiked on October 27 when rates went up by 29 paise after government raised commission paid to petrol pump dealers. IOC said crude oil price has increased from USD 109.08 per barrel at the time of last revision on January 18 to USD 113.24, while international gasoline or petrol prices have risen from USD 119.59 a barrel to USD 128.57. State-owned companies have been "compelled to pass on the increase in petrol prices to consumers as the they have already suffered losses on sale of petrol so far and trends in international oil market as well as rupeeUS dollar exchange rate indicate continued strength." In fact, currently petrol prices are hovering around USD 132.80 per barrel. "The trends of international oil prices and INRUSD exchange rate shall be closely monitored and the same shall be reflected in future price changes," IOC said in statement. The company said diesel prices were last revised upward by Rs 0.45 per litre (excluding VAT) on January 18, which resulted in losses on sale of nation's most consumed fuel reducing to Rs 9.15 per litre.

Continued from Page 1

Omar defends ....
of separatist groups to hold a rally in memory of Guru at Eidgah graveyard. The restrictions are strictly being imposed and there were apprehensions that people will not be allowed to offer Friday congregational prayers. Omar, however, clarified that there are no restrictions on offering prayers at local mosques. "There will be no restriction on people offering Friday prayers in their local Mosques," the Chief Minister said. urfew was imposed across the Valley on Saturday following the hanging of Guru in Tihar Jail in Delhi and relaxed in phased on Thursday and Friday but restrictions were reimposed last night.

Curfew Continues ....

allowed to venture out from his house. Even Hospital ambulances were not allowed to ply free in downtown area of Srinagar. Pertinently, Hurriyat (G) had asked people to gather at Eidgah to offer funeral prayers in absentia for Muhammad Afzal Guru, who had been executed at Tihar Jail in New Delhi last week. Authorities had to re-impose the curfew across Kashmir as a precautionary measure, a police spokesman said. Police vehicles fitted with public address systems announced the imposition of curfew and asked people not to venture out of their homes. Police and paramilitary CRPF were deployed in large numbers across the city and all roads leading to Eidgah in old city were sealed off.

activities should be condemned in the same spirit. Addressing a conference on 'India and Muslim World in the 21st century,' the Water Resources minister sought to take a dig at Opposition BJP, saying people do not entertain slogans of "building a temple". "The slogan of building a temple...People are not entertaining such slogans. More Indians are speaking against communal forces. They know it is an impediment to development," he said. Talking about findings of the Sachar Committee report, Rawat said it was the collective responsibility of citizens to find a solution to problems facing the society. "We should do our part to find the reasons why the Muslim community is lagging behind. The government has taken steps to address the situation but more needs to be done," he added.

Prof. Sudhir....
has been officiating as Vice Chancellor of SMVDU since the departure of the former VC, Prof. R. N. K. Bamezai about three weeks ago, also participated in the discussions. Earlier in the day, the Officiating Vice Chancellor, Mr. Navin K. Choudhary, handed over the charge of VC to Prof. Sudhir K. Jain at Raj Bhavan. He also briefed the incoming VC about various issues related to University functioning and assured him full support on the part of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in augmenting infrastructure and other facilities in the University. Ms. Roop Avtar Kaur, Registrar of the University, was present on the occasion.

Govt moves to....

Italian government, seeking information on the issue. A CBI team is also being sent to Italy where the CEOs of AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica have been arrested on charges of bribery. The defence ministry's notice comes a day after the ministry warned of legal action, including invoking integrity pact which provides for cancellation of the contract if bribes are paid and recovery of the money already paid.

PM promises to ...
schemes being implemented in the state," the Prime Minister told an election meeting at the Polo grounds here. Highlighting the achievements of the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government in Meghalaya and the UPA government at the Centre, Singh said, "The UPA has been able to achieve faster reduction in poverty than ever before.

Italian PM assures....
arrested on suspicion of corruption. Mr Monti said he was sure that prosecution would "do their duty" in Orsi's case. He said that following Orsi's arrest on Tuesday, it was important that the government was "able to intervene with some measures to guarantee the correct governance of the company and the whole group." Mr Monti referred to a statement made by his economy minister Vittorio Grilli on Tuesday, which said the ministry was working to make sure that Finmeccanica adopts a system of governance that provides management continuity, protects shareholders' interests and guarantees transparent decisionmaking.

NHRC notice to ....

the state. The NHRC in a statement read: "Notice has been sent to home secretary, government of Assam, and DGP, who have been asked to submit a report on the matter within four weeks." The NHRC issued notice on a complaint after a media report appeared, alleging that 11 persons died in violent clashes over panchayat polls in Assam. The commission observed that the contents of the media report, if true, would raise a serious concern over violation of human rights.

Rahul Gandhi...
Gandhi had earlier held free-wheeling discussions with the AICC office bearer about the challenges confronting the party and the way ahead. The two-day meeting with the PCC chiefs and CLP leaders comes as part of Gandhi's well thought out strategy to receive inputs from all levels in the party. The deliberations assume significance as Assembly elections in nine states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, are scheduled this year while the Lok Sabha polls are just 15 months away.

HC rejects Gujarat...
implementation of a pre-matriculation scholarship scheme for the minority students that was floated by the Centre in 2008. The PIL claimed that though the Centre allocated fund, the state is not giving benefit to the minority students by not implementing the scheme. Article 15(1) states that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. The state was of the view that the Centre cannot discriminate students based upon religion, race and caste. The state had also submitted that an identical scheme was floated by them many years ago, which is benefitting the minorities.

UPA factsheet draws....

factsheet categorically states that the tender was finalised in 2005 - a time when President Pranab was the defence minister, SP Tyagi was Air Force Chief, BV Wanchoo was SPG Chief and MK Narayanan was the national security advisor. But the CBI seeking to question President Pranab and the two governors seems highly unlikely as they enjoy Constitutional immunity. Apart from the President, the other two decision-makers continue to enjoy high office. The SPG chief at the time Bharat Vir Wanchoo is now the Governor of Goa. MK Narayanan, who was the NSA at the time, is now the Governor of West Bengal. Both by virtue of their governor-status enjoy immuni-

Tell Iran to respect ....

membership at the United Nations Security Council while observing that the security of the world needs India's presence.

"No Curfew on ....

normal work. "Tomorrow there will be no restrictions or curfew. Overall the situation in Valley remained peaceful," he said and added that he is content that Srinagar remained completely peaceful today. "Barring few incidents that occurred in Handwara, Bandipora and Budgam, overall situation remained peaceful and no restrictions or curfew will be in vogue tomorrow," Prasad said and appealed people to contact police if they face any problems. He said that police is always there to help people.

Petrol prices....
on back of a small hike in diesel price last month, is expected to fuel inflation that stood at three-year low of 6.2 percent in January. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation's largest fuel retailer, announced an increase of Rs 1.50 per litre in petrol price as international benchmark oil prices climbed 7.5 percent. The diesel rate was raised in line with last month's government decision to allow oil

Terrorist can be...

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

NATIONAL

PEOPLE IN NEWS
SUBODH KUMAR AGRAWAL & K. RAGHU: Institute of

After stampede, another tragedy at Maha Kumbh as fire leaves 1 dead, 5 injured
ALLAHABAD, FEB 14: A fire at the Maha Kumbh Mela left one dead and injured five others, hours before pilgrims gathered for the last Shahi Snan on Basant Panchami on Friday, just five days after the Allahabad railway station stampede. The holy city of Allahabad is gearing up for another major Shahi Snan - the third and last of the Maha Kumbh saw this second tragedy in less than a week. Police and other officials have confirmed that the fire is under control now which was a result of a short circuit. Security has been tightened and special arrangements made for Friday's dip especially after last Sunday's tragedy. Around 31 special trains and 1500 additional buses are plying to manage the huge number of people gathering at Allahabad. Three permanent and seven temporary bus stands have also been put into place. 36 people had died and several others were injured in the stampede at the Allahabad railway station on February 10. "An unidentified person was killed in the fire that broke out in Sector 4 of the Kumbh Mela area early this morning. Two persons sustained minor injuries while the fire was brought under control quickly, though about 10 tents were gutted by the time", SSP (Kumbh) RKS Rathore said. He said prima facie the fire was caused by a short circuit and the person, who got killed, "probably was fast asleep and could not run out of his tent before getting engulfed in flames". The Maha Kumbh congregation, which commenced on January 14, has so far witnessed a number of firerelated incidents, most notable of these being the one on January 25 which had left 19 people seriously injured out of whom as many at least five have succumbed to their injuries so far. Meanwhile, the Shahi Snan on the occasion of Basant Panchami is going on peacefully and quietly as "Akharas" had taken a decision to take out their processions without the usual fanfare in view of the February 10 stampede at the Allahabad Junction Railway Station which had claimed 36 lives. In a major tragedy on the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh on Sunday, at least 37 pilgrims were killed and over 39 people were injured in a stampede at the Allahabad railway station. Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal visited Allahabad and monitored the situation. The Railway Minister admitted that there was lack of arrangements due to huge turn up of people. "It was not possible to accommodate a large numbers of devotees, who had reached railway station," he said. "Apart from the compensation announced by the Prime minister, we are giving a lakh each to the kin of the dead, Rs.50,000 to the critically injured and Rs.25,000 to victims with minor injuries," he said. Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav said that those injured in Allahabad railway station stampede would be given a financial assistance of Rs two lakhs.

Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) appointed Subodh Kumar Agrawal as its new President and K. Raghu as its new VicePresident. KALYAN KUMAR CHAKRAVARTY: The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee appointed Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty as the chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi. PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR: Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar legend was honoured with the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy award. C R NASEER AHMED: The Central Government has nominated Mr. C R Naseer Ahmed as parttime non-official director on the Board of Directors of the Bank for a period of three years.

Afzal Guru - Parl convict hanged, buried inside Tihar Jail

NEW DELHI, FEB 9: Twelve years after a terror attack on its parliament brought it to the brink of war with Pakistan, India Saturday executed Kashmiri militant Afzal Guru in a meticulously mounted operation kept completely under wraps. He was hanged to death at 8 a.m. outside his cell in Delhi's Tihar Jail and buried quietly soon after for his role in plotting the audacious Dec 13, 2001 attack in which 10 people were killed when five armed terrorists stormed into the parliament complex when 100 MPs were inside. Afzal Guru's end came just six days after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition on Feb 3. "The President rejected the mercy petition of Afzal Guru on Feb 3 and after that I gave my approval on Feb 4 and the date and timing was confirmed by a judicial official. He was hanged at 8 o'clock," Sushilkumar Shinde said at a press conference. Shinde said mercy petition of Guru was first recommended for rejection by the Home Ministry in 2011 and after Pranab Mukherjee took over as President last year, he had returned all pending mercy petitions for reconsideration sent by him (Shinde) after he took charge of the Home Ministry in Aug 2012. "The new President sent back all mercy petitions for reconsideration... I examined the file carefully and recommended to the President on Jan 21 for rejection of Afzal Guru's petition," he said. The Home Secretary said, "The decision on Afzal Guru's body will be taken as per the jail manual. Afzal Guru was buried with full religious rites inside the jail. We are not apprehending any law and order problem in Kashmir. The J&K CM was kept in the loop". He was buried quietly soon after, close to the cell he had spent so many years in solitary confinement.

NAC recommendations on strengthening SC/ST Act

NEW DELHI: Imposing social boycott on Dalits and tribals, obstructing use of common property resources and preventing their entry into temple should attract legal penalty, the National Advisory Council (NAC) has suggested. In its recommendations on strengthening the SC&STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the NAC working group on Dalit and tribal issues, also demanded a new chapter in the act detailing the rights of victims and witnesses. The NAC, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, also sought enhanced compensation to victims of atrocities. It suggested that the compensation should not be a fixed amount but adjusted annually to inflation. The advisory panel also wanted establishment of dedicated courts with powers to take cognisance of offences under the act to hear case of atrocities against Dalits and tribals. It also wanted the government to make provisions in the Act to ensure that the cases are disposed of within three months from filing of the chargesheet. It also recommended that relevant IPC offences attracting punishment of less than 10 years committed against SCs and STs should be defined as offences under this act.

Guv slams Mamata for transferring Kolkata police chief

KOLKATA, FEB 15: Three days after campus violence rocked Kolkata's Garden Reach area and left a police sub-inspector dead, the State Governor himself has stepped into what is turning to be West Bengal's latest political row after CM Mamata Banerjee transferred police commissioner Ranjit Kumar Pachnanda. WB Governor Narayanan has slammed Banerjee for removing Police Commissioner. Reports, Friday, said that Governor has even questioned the rationale behind the sacking of Kolkata Police Commissioner RK Pachanda by the CM. It is believed that the Kolkata police chief was sacked by the CM since he visited the family of the Sub-Inspector, who was killed during the clashes between the TMC and Congress workers at the Hari Mohan Ghosh College, ahead of her. Several other students were also injured in the incident, which later triggered a blame game between the ruling TMC and the opposition parties including, Left front and Congress.

Delhi HC denies bail to Chautala in JBT scam

NEW DELHI: In a big blow to former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, the Delhi High Court on Friday denied bail to him in connection with the JBT teachers' recruitment scam. According to reports, the veteran Haryana leader had challenging his conviction and 10 years sentence for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers 12 years ago and sought bail on health grounds. He was seeking an interim relief from the state high court on medical grounds. Meanwhile, the high court fixed April 4 as the next date for hearing in the case. Chautala, 78unwell and suffering from various ailments". While seeking urgent hearing of his appeal, he contended that the order of the trial court is liable to be set aside as "it was against the tenets of law as well as contrary to the evidence." Chautala further said, "The present case is false, fictitious and subsumed with political overtones" and he ought not to be put to such great prejudice and hardship due to his conviction and incarceration during the pendency of the accompanying appeal, which is unlikely to be disposed of expeditiously. "The trial court has failed to appreciate that in a democratic set up and under the principles of collective responsibility, it is the entire Council of Ministers which is responsible for a Cabinet decision and not any one Minister," his counsel said. The INLD chief, his MLA son Ajay Chautala and 53 others including two IAS officers were convicted on Jan 16 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in Haryana in 2000.

year-old chief of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), who was sent to Tihar Jail after his conviction, had on February 7 sought suspension of his jail term on the ground that "he is

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

NATIONAL

NEWS IN BOX
Centre can't intervene if states restrict media: Manish Tewari
NEW DELHI: With the four-day gag on newspapers in Kashmir Valley coming under criticism, union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari Thursday said the centre could not intervene when a state government imposed curbs on media."Freedom of expression is a constitutional right. It is the responsibility of the central and state governments to protect this right. However, states have the exclusive powers to maintain law and order. The question plays out within these two remits, and it is difficult territory," Manish Tewari said "In states affected with insurgency, left wing extremism, or separatist movements, there is a law and order problem. The state government has to decide on imposing restrictions, how far can the centre step in? The states have to handle the situation on the ground," he said. Newspapers in Kashmir Valley remained shut for four days after parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in New Delhi Feb 9. Newspapers in the Valley resumed operations. J&K CM had asserted, however, that the state government had not imposed any curbs on newspapers. He had tweeted that the authorities had imposed curbs on the Internet to prevent rumours from spreading, but newspapers were allowed to print news and circulate copies freely.

Tripura records highest ever polling of 93% in India

AGARTALA, FEB 14: Tripura has recorded the highest ever polling of 93 per cent in the country. This was disclosed by Chief Electoral Officer of the State in Agartala on Thursday night. The State went to polls on Thursday to elect a new 60-member Assembly. During the last Assembly elections in 2008, Tripura had recorded a polling of 91.22 per cent which was highest in the country till date. The counting of votes will be taken up on the 28th of this month. The Left Front is hoping to return for a record fifth straight time with the main contest between the LF and the Congress. The fates of chief minister Manik Sarkar, finance minister Badal Chowdhury, Higher Education minister Anil Sarkar, TPCC president Sudip Ray Barman, former chief minister Samir Ranjan of the state, officials said. The chief minister cast his vote at a booth in Umakanta School in Ramnagar constituency. TPCC president and INPT chief Bijoy Hrankhawl exercised their franchise at Agartala and Kulai in Dhalai district respectively. Polling stopped at Sonamura in West Tripura district and Dharmanagar in South Tripura district following technical problems in EVMs. However, the EVMs were replaced and the voting resumed after 10 minutes, the officials said.

K'taka leaders to meet Prime Minister on Feb 18 over Cauvery row

BANGALORE: An all-party delegation from Karnataka would meet PM Manmohan Singh on Monday to apprise him of the state's position on the Cauvery issue. The announcement to take a delegation of floor leaders of both Houses of the state legislature to New Delhi was made by CM Jagadish Shettar in the Assembly. The BJP govt. has been facing fire from opposition Congress and JD-S for releasing Cauvery water in compliance with the Feb 7 order of the SC. The Supreme Court had directed Karnataka to immediately release 2.44 TMC feet of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu whose plea for 12 TMC ft was refused. A bench headed by Justice RM Lodha increased by 0.44 TMC the amount of water to be provided to Tamil Nadu on the recommendation of the Central Water Commission (CWC). The bench also comprising justices J. Chelameswar and Madan B. Lokur directed Karnataka to release the water immediately. The court passed the order after going through the report submitted by an expert committee of CWC which said that only 10% of cultivated land in Tamil Nadu needs water.

Burman and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) president Bijay Hrankhwal among 249 candidates of 16 political parties were sealed in the EVMs. Police said five crude bombs hidden in a bush were recovered from Bodhjungnagar area of Khayerpur constituency by a CRPF patrol team. No untoward incident was reported from any part

Dhule riots: SC issues notice to Maha govt seeking independent probe

NEW DELHI: The SC has issued a notice to the Maharashtra govt. on a plea seeking an independent probe into the Dhule riots of Jan 6. The court's response came to a petition filed by Naseer Ahmad, who is the father of a victim who had died in the Dhule riots. This came after the Maharashtra Police report indicated excess police firing during the riots. In the report, the police had admitted that the police firing which occurred was excessive but necessary. The report said the police action was necessary to retrieve additional superintendent Akhilesh Kumar and Deputy SP Monica Raut. It said they had gone deep inside the riot zone, and were in danger of being lynched by the mob. The report, though, admitted that some policemen did indulge in vandalism during the police action. The Maharashtra govt. had ordered a judicial enquiry into the Dhule riots. Six policemen were arrested in Dhule last week after they were caught on video vandalising and assaulting civilians during the riots in the city. Police drew sharp criticism after the visuals of the video were shown on news channels. The incident had raised serious questions over the police's handling of the riot. Riots had broken out in Dhule on Jan 6. Six people lost their lives in the violence.

BJP asks Cong to rap Vayalar Ravi over his remarks

New Delhi: There is outrage in Kerala after Union Minister Vayalar Ravi was caught on video making a personal swipe at a female reporter who wanted his reaction to PJ Kurien's alleged involvement in the Suryanelli gangrape case. I&B Minister said that his colleague and Vayalar Ravi has apologised for his sexist comments, and the matter should rest there. Tewari said the remark was unbecoming for someone working in the public sphere, but since Ravi had apologised and withdrawn his remarks, the matter should now be put to rest. Women journalists in Kerala expressed outrage and staged protests, following which Vayalar Ravi apologised to the reporter. The BJP demanded action.

SC directs state govts to disclose money spent on security of VIPs

NEW DELHI: The SC directed state governments and union territories to disclose the amount of money being spent on providing security to VIPs. The court has also asked for clarification on how many people with criminal records are being provided security and how many relatives and family members of VIPs are being provided security. This comes a week after the apex court questioned the Delhi police on providing security personnel to VIP instead of deploying them for safety of women. The SC's observation came after amicus curiae Harish Salve told the court that thousand of crores of rupees were being spent on VIP security. Taking a tough stand on the issue, the apex court had directed all the state governments to file affidavits on police force engaged in providing VIP security. "What kind of money is being spent on this and who are the people who are being provided this security?" questioned the SC.

Allegations against CBI's prosecutor are correct: JPC chief

NEW DELHI: The massive telecom or 2G scam has delivered a new and powerful installment of controversy audio tapes have mysteriously surfaced of purported conversations between the CBI's prosecutor and one of the main suspects in the case, Sanjay Chandra, Managing Director of real estate major Unitech. The CBI director has appeared before the JPC. Sources said that DMK has demanded A Raja and corporate leaders be called for the JPC meet. CBI sources, meanwhile, said that accused Shahid Balwa is also likely to be questioned along with AK Singh and Unitech's Sanjay Chandra. JPC chief PC Chacko has said that according to the CBI chief, the reports regarding allegations of collusion between its former prosecutor AK Singh and United MD Sanjay Chandra are correct, and the recording has been sent for forensic examination. The BJP attacked the UPA govt. over the revelations that the chief prosecutor of the CBI in the 2G spectrum case had allegedly discussed prosecution strategy with one of the accused. The party demanded a probe. The CBI removed A.K. Singh, its chief prosecutor in the 2G spectrum case, after he was allegedly found to have discussed the prosecution strategy with one of the accused. The 2G case is currently under trial before a special CBI court here.

Govt open to suggestions on anti-rape ordinance

NEW DELHI: I&B Minister said the govt. was open to suggestions on the ordinance amending anti-rape laws. "The ordinance is an attempt to address those issues which are important. When the bill comes in Parl, there will be a debate. Govt. is open to all suggestions," Tewari said, while interacting with women journalists at the Indian WPC. An ordinance has been brought by the govt. based on the suggestions of the Justice JS Verma Committee, formed after the brutal rape of a 23yrs woman in Delhi. A bill to amend anti-rape laws is scheduled to be brought before Parl in the budget session, set to begin on Feb 21.

Delhi first in country to introduce e-court fee in all district courts

NEW DELHI: With an aim to ensuring hassle-free transactions and preventing fraudulent practices, the Delhi govt. has introduced electronic-stamping facility in all the district courts in the city. Delhi has become the first state in the country to introduce e-court fee in all its district courts," CM Sheila Dikshit said in New Delhi today. The shifting to e-stamping had taken place in the Delhi HC last year. Describing it as a major step towards modernising the judicial system, the CM said, "The e-court fee system will go a long way in overcoming any possibility of stamp scam like the Telgi scam.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

INTER NATIONAL

PEOPLE IN NEWS
LYONCHHEN JIGMI Y. THINLEY: Prime Minister of B h u t a n , Ly o n c h h e n Jigmi Y. Thinley was on the home visit to India. GIUSEPPE ORSI: Giuseppe Orsi, head of an Italian defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica was arrested in Milan on the charges of his alleged involvement in the bribery activity to secure an Indian defence helicopter deal of 3600 crore rupees. POPE BENEDICT XVI: Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would resign at the end of the February. He is the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. JOSEPH DUNFORD: US Marine General Joseph Dunford took over the command of the N AT O - l e d International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan at a change over ceremony in Kabul.

N Korea conducts third n-test, S Korea put on high alert

SEOULM, FEB 12: North Korea said that it had successfully conducted a third nuclear test to safeguard its national security against hostile US policy, a move that prompted South Korea to put its military on high alert. The nuclear test was carried out at 11.57 a.m. in North Korea's Kilju county, North Hamkyung province. The world learnt of the nuclear test when an artificial earthquake with 4.9 magnitude was detected from the town where the North Korean nuclear test facility is located. North Korea added that the test was carried out in a "safe and perfect manner" at a northeastern nuke site. The nuke test by Pyongyang is third since 2006, when the North had conducted its first ever nuclear test. The South Korean government condemned the nuclear test by North Korea, calling it a ''clear violation'' of UN resolutions. The South Korean military was put on high alert. "North Korea will not be able to avoid being held accountable for (the test)," national security adviser Chun Yung-Woo told reporters after an emergency security meeting presided over by President Lee Myung-bak. The second nuke test came in May 2009. The move has drawn condemnation from around the

Panetta describes n-test as real threat to US

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said that the combination of a recent missile test combined with nuclear explosions by North Korea represents a real threat to America. "There is no question that North Korea constitutes a threat to the US, to regional stability and to global security. The combination of a recent missile test combined with what apparently was this nuclear test, we believe, represents a real threat to the United States of America," Panetta told reporters at his last press conference. Panetta said the actions of the North Korea regime are undermining regional security. "The regime's actions are increasing the risks of proliferation and further isolating North Korea from the international community," he said. The US, he said, is continuing to try to evaluate and assess whether or not the North Korean tests was in fact a nuclear test. "They've conducted tests in the past. I think the combination of their continuing pursuit of not only a nuclear weapon but their continuing pursuit of developing intercontinental ballistic missile capability represents a real threat to the US. They continue to be engaged in provocative behaviour. They are isolating themselves from the rest of the world," he said. "Russia, China almost the whole world has condemned what they have done. And as a result of that, it should be of great concern to the international community that they are continuing to develop their capabilities to threaten the security not only of South Korea but of the rest of the world.

world with the UN dubbing the test as "deplorable" and a "clear and grave violation" of the Security Council resolutions. "It is deplorable that Pyongyang defied the strong and unequivocal call from the international community to refrain from any further provocative measures," said a UN statement issued by the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. US President Barack Obama , too, has come down heavily upon North, saying that the "provocative" nuclear test did not make North Korea more secure, reports said. Obama further said that the US would remain vigilant and steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies in Asia. He also called for "swift" and "credible" international action in response.

Pak SC dismisses Qadri's plea seeking reconstitution of EC

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. After three days of arguments that largely focussed on Qadri's dual nationality, a three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice said in a brief order that the cleric had failed to prove his eligibility to file such a petition. The court said Qadri had failed to prove his stance and "good intentions". He further failed to prove that his fundamental rights had been affected by the current composition of the Election Commission, the bench said. The bench said contempt proceedings could have been initiated against Qadri for using "derogatory language" against the judges but it was showing restraint and only issuing a warning to him. During the hearing, the Chief Justice observed that more than 100 registered political parties, 342 elected members of the National Assembly and political parties that are not part of assemblies had no reservations about the composition of the Election Commission. Qadri responded by asking the Chief Justice about the oath he had taken to endorse former military ruler Pervez Musharraf's regime.

US seeks Pakistan's support in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: As the US prepares to pull out from Afghanistan, it has sought Pakistan's support on "our shared interest in regional stability, including a secure and peaceful future for Afghanistan." The issue came up when the new US Secretary of State John Kerry called Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday, the State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters Wednesday. "Kerry has a longstanding relationship with many Pakistani leaders, and he used the opportunity of the phone call to underscore the continuing importance of an effective, strong, and mutually beneficial US-Pakistani relationship," she said. He emphasised that Pakistan and the United States have many shared interests, including fighting terrorism and extremism, supporting democratic civilian institutions, and supporting Pakistan's efforts to increase economic growth, Nuland said. Also discussed was "obviously our shared interest in regional stability, including a secure and peaceful future for Afghanistan." "Kerry, the spokesperson said, noted "our ongoing interest in finding a concrete way to act jointly in support of all of these goals, and he made clear that he looks forward to working with President Zardari going forward."

Indonesia passes anti-terrorism funding bill

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Parl has passed a bill aimed at cracking down on terrorism by Freezing suspicious financial transactions domestically and abroad. The bill was approved in a plenary session of the 550-seat house. Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, who presided over the session, noted the bill's importance in emphasizing Indonesia's position in the world's battle against terrorism. It obliges banks and other financial service operators to report any suspicious transactions to the government agency that fights money laundering. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center then has the power to freeze and confiscate bank accounts and assets. The bill will take effect after being signed by the president. Indonesia has been battling terrorists since the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that Killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. ISLAMABAD: A petition filed by fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri seeking reconstitution of the Pakistan's Election Commission was dismissed on Feb 13 by the Supreme Court following a heated exchange in the courtroom between him and

Pope Benedict XVI to resign on Feb 28 in Vatican City

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he will resign on Feb 28 because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties, an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," the 85-year old pope told a meeting of cardinals. Pope Benedict XVI has made his first public appearance since his shock resignation announcement earlier this week, asking thousands of cheering pilgrims at the Vatican to "keep praying for me". The 85-year-old pontiff was greeted by a standing ovation and chants of "Benedetto", his name in Italian, at his weekly audience in the Paul VI auditorium, with a prominent banner reading. Benedict said he had made his decision "for the good of the church" adding: "Keep praying for me, for the church and for the future pope." The pontiff, the first to resign voluntarily in centuries, said he could feel the Faithfull's love "almost physically in these difficult days".

C MY K

C MY K

C MY K

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EDITORIAL

UNEQUAL RACE
by successive governments in democracy are being undermined in India. Causing doubt Nowadays, Parliament is not being allowed to function, important bills remain pending for years, policies (like FDI in multi-brand retail or deregulation in diesel price) once initiated by a political party in power is being opposed by the same party when in opposition putting doubts in the minds of potential investors about the continuation of policies in future. Thus, even the supposed benefits of a democratic system are not guaranteed any more. On the other hand, the advantages of a single party authoritarian regime in acquiring land for industrialisation and urbanisation, suppressing the rights of individuals vis--vis the so-called 'social good', arousing the passion of national honour in completing the grandiose projects before the deadline, absence of compulsion to get elected every five years by popular vote and hence no need to submit to short-termism in policy making are all persisting. Consequently, the race is being increasingly difficult for India vis--vis China. Bahl's book, by contrast, focuses more on the longer term trends and prospects. As India's strengths, he emphasises its greater indigenous entrepreneurship (according to his reading of facts, much of 'Made in China' and exports of China are done by foreign companies from USA, Japan and Taiwan), the much larger fraction of young people in total population and the low dependency ratio (the so-called 'demographic dividend') in the decades to come, its legal system and English speaking population. For China, the biggest strength is its implementation power and its weakness is over-reliance on foreign demand for the ever rising productive capacity generated by the near 50 per cent investment ratio year after year. Bahl concludes that it is 'advantage China' on velocity and momentum, and 'odds on India' as the 'institutional favourite' at this point in the race between the Indian tortoise and the Chinese hare. In the proverbial story, the tortoise won because the hare became complacent and slept while much ahead in the race. According to Bahl, in the current fable, this may still happen - not for China falling asleep but being too arrogant and aggressive, a la' the Soviets in the Cold War. But this is less likely as China may have already learnt the lesson from the breakup of USSR which put military might ahead of economic superiority.

DEVELOPMENT AND POPULATION CONTROL

BY S. K. SINGH EVELOPMENT, according to many analysts, is "the best contraceptive". But if we look at India, there seems to be some doubt about the statement's truth. In India, planned development and family planning have been going on for over four decades now. But our population problem has only become more disturbing over the time. The fruits of development are seen on the food front where production has gone up three and a half times since 1951. Life expectancy has increased, so has the gross domestic product. We are among the first 15 countries in industrial production. Schools have proliferated. However, population growth has not slowed down much. The increase in population, in fact, dilutes every improvement in India's national development. The gap between GDP and per capita income indicates the adverse effect of a large population on standard of living. Another aspect of development in India is the skewed distribution of the GDP, which has denied any effective rise in the living standards of most Indians. Nearly 30 % of the people still live below the poverty line and many more just hover over the border. line. The benefits of develop-

he economic race between India and China is a favourite topic of discussion in academic seminars and the popular media. The latest additions to the growing literature are a recent article by columnist Steven Rattner in New York Times and a book: 'Super Power?: The Amazing Race between Chinese Hare and India's Tortoise?' by Raghav Bahl of CNBC, India. According to Rattner, India is losing the race, if it has not already lost it. As evidence he points to some standard metrics like per capita income ($9,000 for China vs $3,800 for India ), GDP growth rate (7.75 per cent vs 5.3 per cent ), fiscal deficit as percentage of GDP(1.1 per cent vs 7.2 per cent), investment to GDP ratio (48 per cent vs 36 per cent ) and the state of infrastructure (China's 16 subways vs India's 5, shiny Shanghai vs shabby Mumbai) - on all counts India's current performance is way below China's. He puts the blame on lack of governance in India and the associated corruption and inefficiency, policy deficiencies like antiquated labour laws which have made India miss the large-scale manufacturing bus, traditional social stratification which restricts inter-generational economic mobility and easier acceptance of vast inequalities in distribution of wealth. What he does not mention is the short-termism in political and economic decision making and the lack of focus on implementation of policies and projects. It has got embedded in the kind of democracy which is practiced in India, particularly due to the rising influence of small regional parties and the compulsion of coalition politics. That is why political parties and governments, both at the Centre and specially at the state levels, are more interested in giving freebies like free colour TV sets, laptops and electricity to voters and distributing all kinds of subsidies to an ever enlarging circle of beneficiaries, diverting resources from the much needed investment in infrastructure building and maintenance. It is more rewarding to announce a monthly stipend to Imams and swing the vote bank under their control than to improve the lot of the poor Muslims or to announce a large number of projects and lay foundation stones than to complete them on time. Even the generally accepted consensus building power of democracy (though the pace could be slow) and the irreversibility of policies pursued

ment have been mostly cornered by a small per-centage of people, with only some small portions 'trickling' down to the majority. The existing standard of living is just about maintained so that there is a low death rate but no appreciably high reduction in the birth rate. An economist would say there has been failure on the population front rather than in development. Then, surely, development cannot be 'the best contraception'. A popu-lation expert would say that if the development efforts have not led to any significant reduction in the population growth, it is because of the low rate of economic or production growth vis-a-vis the rapid population growth and the unequal distribution of the small benefits. The 25 or so per cent of our people who have benefited from the development process have generally shown a significant fall in birth rate to maintain a substantial rise in their living standards. For the remaining 75%, the rise in the living standards is so marginal that it has simply resulted in lowering of the death rate without a corresponding decline in the birth rate. Thus it is not development per se, but the rate of development and the distributive factor of its benefits that are critical for the development process to be effective in controlling the popula-

tion growth. Two ways are possible to overcome this problem. Either increase the economic growth rate to at least three or four times the present population growth rate even while ensuring equitable distribution, or reduce the population growth drastically to one-third or so of what exists now, again keeping in mind the distribution aspect. Raising the economic growth rate substantially poses some difficulties. Harnessing our natural resources further will take much effort and discipline. A high growth rate is also bound to cause serious damage to the ecological balance, for we are not technologically so advanced or so well endowed financially 'to buy environmental-friendly development processes. However, when we talk of development, we may enlarge the term's meaning to include human development. It is only through developing human beingsthrough literacy, education, better health facilities- that we can hope to have an impact on population growth. Mere economic development will not do. If the State concentrates on what is called the 'social sectors' and provides for development with a human face, only then can we have healthy and aware human beings who will have a stake in keeping the size of their families small.

Imagine A Future Free Of Genetically Modified Food

BY IGNATIUS JOSEPH: angalore witnessed 'Happy Brinjals' celebrating their status as free of any genetic modification (GM) on February 9. Greenpeace volunteers dressed in smiling Brinjal costumes were joined by Bangaloreans when they walked across M.G. Road in the epic Beatles' Abbey Road style, holding a banner, exhorting citizens to "Imagine A GM-Free Future." February 9 marks the third anniversary since Jairam Ramesh, the then Union Minister of Environment and Forests declared a moratorium on Bt brinjal, the first genetically modified food crop, which was considered for commercial cultivation in India. Following a series of public consultations and submissions made by academics, economists, environmentalists, farmers, civil society groups and citizens alike, the minister declared that the moratorium decision is "responsible to science and responsive to society." "We are here to celebrate the safety of our food and thank Mr. Ramesh for ensuring that our food is not contaminated with GMOs" said Bapi Mahanta , a software engineer and Greenpeace India volunteer in Bangalore , while engaging with the public. He further ascertained that availability of safe food free from GM or agrochemical contamination is the right of every Indian citizen. The last three years has seen growing scientific evidence and public outcry against GM crops, the latest being an independent review released by Greenpeace on the safety assessment of Monsanto's GM corn that leads the regulatory pipeline for commercial approvals. The central government seems to be pushing forward with GM crops. There were efforts from the government to bring in a weaker regulatory law, the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill, to circumvent all opposition and act as a single-

window clearance for genetically modified organisms across the board. This has been stalled due to opposition both inside and outside the Parliament. Last year saw the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture in a report, unanimously agreed to by all party members, asking the government to avoid any haste in embracing GM technology in agriculture. Besides pointing at the various risks that GM crops could pose to the health of our citizens, biodiversity and farmers livelihoods, it also asserted that there is a need for an all-encompassing Biosafety Authority through an Act of Parliament. The committee also recommended an immediate stopping of all open releases of GM food crops including those in the name of field trials. At the walk in Bangalore Neha Saigal, Campaigner for Sustainable Agriculture, Greenpeace India said "It is preposterous that despite recommendations by both the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and Supreme Court's TEC to adopt an extremely precautionary approach, and consider alternatives, the government seems keen to jump on the GM bandwagon. So even as we celebrate another year of GM-free food, we urge the government to look beyond such risky technologies like GM crops and go for real alternatives like ecological farming, which are socially, economically and ecologically sustainable." Diverse groups from across the country celebrated the day as National Safe Food Day and demanded that Jayanthi Natarajan ensure there are no more open releases of GMOs in the country, including open field trials. Greenpeace has also initiated an online poll to gather public opinion on what people think of GM food and if they believe that it can be a solution to food shortage in India.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EDITORIAL

SEX EDUCATION IN INDIA - NEED OF THE HOUR

BY GYANESH PANDEY he term 'Sex Education', also known as sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is widely used to depict education about reproductive system, sexual interaction and other facets of human sexual behavior. It is the procedure of gaining knowledge and developing mindset as well as ideas about sex, sexual identity, human relations, closeness, gender roles, contraception methods and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)1 and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)2. It is also an effective way to respect one's partner, wife, husband and also a means to admire sexual preferences. The misinterpretation of the people that are generally kept under the wraps should be cleared and they should be convinced about the need for sex education in this rapidly changing era. It is important that youth should be familiar with the purpose of providing education in order to develop an open and healthy approach towards sex and sexuality in order to assist them to make well-thought judgments. A parliamentary committee, with a varied political membership, recently recommended that there should be no sex education in schools. Sex even if done at the proper time, with a proper person, in a proper place, is a topic that makes many Indians uncomfortable. The committee itself refused a power point presentation on the question "after going through the hard copy because of its explicit contents. The Committee felt that it was not comfortable with it and could be embarrassing especially to the lady Members and other lady staff present." The committee has recommended that chapters like 'Physical and Mental Development in Adolescents' and 'HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases' be removed from the general curriculum. Instead, they want these topics to be included in biology syllabus for school leaving classes. This leaves the students of the non-Biology streams at sea. In school, two years before school leaving exams, I remember waiting expectantly as our Biology teacher reached the last page of a chapter on the Skin, which ended with a description of the anatomy of the female breast. The teacher, a female, was an old hand and proba-

Awareness of sex is the most significant factor necessary to lead a secure life. Usual educational practices are very simple to learn, but we cannot consider sex education on the same line. It comprises of physiological, psychological and social issues, especially when we think of including it as a part of academic syllabus. As these complications occur, a question may arise in the mind of people about the need for sex education providing to the children. While children reach teenage level, lack of sex education may lead the way to their unusual behavior. If not corrected at the exact time, it may generate problems of immature misbehaviors in these children's life.
bly sensed the collective eagerness. She promptly skipped the page and went on to the questions at the end of the chapter. A couple of years later as a Biology student in my school leaving year, the most dog eared pages in our Biology text book described the physiology of the female orgasm and the female reproductive system. These pages too were skipped on the plea of self study. At home, any discussion of 'these' was possible only in hushed tones with my brother. Involving your parents was out of question. Nice kids are not supposed to take any interest in 'these' things. It's a given. Jyoti Bajpai, a development professional working in the field of reproductive and sexual health, recalls her own experience on sex education. She and her female class mates at school were called away for a session on sex education on a pretext. "What information we were imparted was limited to menstruation and menstrual hygiene and little else. It's amazing that boys in my class were kept completely out of this. We were expressly warned against discussing any thing with them." When my mother was growing up her parents did their best to postpone the acknowledgement of the fact. She had to turn to her friends. Things were much the same for my parents and my generation, but are they finally going to change for the coming generation? But many Indians don't see it as reason to deny adolescents the right knowledge, especially with 2.47 million cases of HIV infected persons in the country and with sexual transmission being the predominant mode of HIV transmission. The NACO website says, "Most young people become sexually active during adolescence. In the absence of right guidance and information at this stage they are more likely to have multi-partner unprotected sex with high risk behaviour groups " With increasing exposure to television and internet sex education does not imply teaching kids about sex, which knowledge they will pick up anyways, but for many proponents of sex education it definitely means teaching them about what safe, healthy and acceptable sexual behaviour is. A whole political culture has been built upon sexual mores- ranging from the Congress-led government calling homosexuality a disease to Hindu fundamentalist groups equating women visiting pubs as 'loose'. With two phases of elections to go it remains to be seen if this is going to earn political dividends. Are our representatives in the parliament providing us leadership or abdicating it by following and mobilising their followers on their less informed instincts? Why India Should Go All The Way: The lesson that Indian leaders seem to take from sex education: Prevention is better than cure. But this may not be the best formula for a country with a high incidence of child marriages and teenage pregnancies. Experts say that the case for sex education in India is quite different from in the West because it is 'legitimate' here for young people to have sex. According to the National Family Health Survey conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International in 2005-06, 12% women aged between 15-19 years are mothers. The survey said that one in six Indian women aged 15-19 starts to have children. Dr Sunil Mehra, director of the MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, says, "Youth in India needs sex education more than in any other country since child marriage ensures that you not only have sex at a young age, you also have teenage pregnancy." Contrast this with the received wisdom of our politicians. The Committee on Petitions headed by the BJP's Venkaiah Naidu is a crossparty group up of nine Rajya Sabha members. The Committee has said there should be no sex education in schools because it promotes promiscuity and India's "social and cultural ethos are such that sex education has absolutely no place in it." The Committee directed its outrage at the human resource development ministry's (HRD) Adult Education Programme (AEP). Launched in 2005 and backed by the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), the AEP's focus is safer sex, as well as the physical and mental development of 14-18-year-olds. But the Committee said that it was "highly embarrassed" by the HRD ministry's curriculum and insisted that premarital sex, together with sex outside marriage, is "immoral, unethical and unhealthy". It also said that consensual sex before the age of 16 "amounts to rape". But Mehra is one of many who point to the facts. Child marriage means huge numbers of adolescent Indians indulge in "legal" sexual activity. The IIPS says that 47.4% of all

women aged 20 to 24 are married by the time they are 18. About 18% are married by the time they are 15. Mehra says politicians have long promoted regressive policy on the pretext of culture. "It is due to this so-called culture that many young girls are forced into marriage and sex and early pregnancy," he says. Sex education can also help with India's fight against Aids. Government statistics indicate that 40% of new sexually transmitted infections are in the 15-29 age group. More than 31% of all reported Aids cases occur in this age group, which indicates that young Indians are a high-risk demographic. But all is not lost. A four-year study by MAMTA underlines the difference good sex education classes can make. The study was conducted in four schools in Haryana from 2004. Two schools were in urban Rewari; the other two in rural Bawal. Fivehundred students participated. Sex education classes led 78% of the rural schoolgirls and 33% of the urban to declare they would decline sex without a condom. It was a startling rise in condom-awareness. Before the classes, just 5% of the rural schoolgirls and 10% of the urban knew about the need for a condom. Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research says sex education achieves many goals missed by a blinkered Parliamentary Committee. Not least sexual abuse. A nationwide study by the Department of Women and Child Development says that 53.2% children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse and at least half the perpetrators were known to the child. Awareness of sex is the most significant factor necessary to lead a secure life. Usual educational practices are very simple to learn, but we cannot consider sex education on the same line. It comprises of physiological, psychological and social issues, especially when we think of including it as a part of academic syllabus. As these complications occur, a question may arise in the mind of people about the need for sex education providing to the children. While children reach teenage level, lack of sex education may lead the way to their unusual behavior. If not corrected at the exact time, it may generate problems of immature misbehaviors in these children's life.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

STATE

NEWS IN BOX
Govt emphasizes regular salary deduction for poor cancer patients
JAMMU: As per a circular issued here today by the government, all the administrative secretaries have been asked to ensure that the drawing & disbursing officers make regular deduction of Rs. 20/- and Rs. 10/- per month respectively from gazetted and non-gazetted employees, as contribution towards the ' Cancer Treatment and management Fund for Poor'. In the event of default in deduction in earlier months, and also in the case there is no objection from the employees, the same should now be deducted Rs. 240/- and Rs. 120/- or the outstanding due amount, as the case may be, to account for the balance contribution in one go, from the salary for the month of February, 2013 as large amounts are required for the treatment of poor cancer patients.

Jora visits Nagrota, inspects proposed site for const of Flats, plots by JDA

Govt invites suggestions for draft J&K Police Bill, 2013

JAMMU: The Government has invited suggestions/ comments from general public, social organizations, NGOs, academicians and other stakeholders with regard to the draft Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill, 2013. The draft plan has been prepared in pursuance to the judgement of the Supreme Court passed relating to the Police reforms. The draft bill can be accessed by logging on to the website www.jkhome.nic.in. All concerned can send their comments/ suggestions to the Home Department either through post or through email( home-jk@nic.in) within 15 days commencing from 15th February, 2013.

Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora inspecting proposed site for const of Flats, plots by JDA at Jammu.

Governor appoints Khoda as CVC, Jerath VC

JAMMU: Governor N. N. Vohra has appointed Kuldeep Khoda IPS, (Retd) as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and R. K. Jerath IAS, (Retd) as Vigilance Commissioner in the State Vigilance Commission. These appointments shall take effect from the date the officers assume charge of the posts in the State Vigilance Commission.

Shutdown in Kishtwar-Doda belts over Afzal's hanging

JAMMU: Partial shutdown was observed in several mountainous belts of the Jammu region on Friday over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru. Shops and business establishments in Kishtwar, Bhaderwah and Doda belts of the Jammu region were partially closed, said police officials. However, there was a complete bandh in the Banihal belt of the Ramban district, they added. There were no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere, according to police. Guru was hanged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi on February 9.

JAMMU: The Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora here on Friday visited Migrant Gole Quarters colony, Negrota - the area proposed for development of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) colony offering flatted accommodation and plots. The project proposal already submitted to the Government envisages construction of 480 flats and development of 240 plots over an area of 200 kanals of land. The Minister was informed that the place is being developed to meet the increasing demand for Housing. He was told that the area owned by JDA, is presently idle after the shifting of majority of the Camp inmates to Jagti Township and other tene-

ment colonies constructed for the Migrants. The Minister was further informed that around 15 kanals of land near the colony has been retrieved from the encroachers. Earlier, Mr. Jora also inspected Interdistrict Negrota Bust Terminal at Khanpur. He was told that the new terminal have been constructed with all the necessary infrastructure and latest facilities with a capacity of parking 151 buses. The Bus terminal has also one night shelter, public toilet, besides provision for 37 workshops out of which 28 have already been constructed. Mr. Jora whiles expressing satisfaction over the available infrastructure at the Bus terminal, said that he will take up the matter of making it

functional with the Chief Minister very soon as it would greatly help to ease traffic congestion in the Jammu city. Earlier, the Minister also visited Kot Jaghir, where he inspected 175 kanal land of Jammu Development Authority. He asked the JDA to demarcate the land to prevent encroachment. He called for stern action against that attempt to encroach upon the land. He also directed Vice Chairperson to keep strict vigil internally and externally. The Minister was accompanied by Vice Chairperson JDA, Mrs Srita Chouhan, Commissioner, JMC, Mr. K.L.Khujaria, Director Land Management, Mr. Babu Ram, OSD to Minister, Mr. R.K. Bhat and other senior officers of JDA and JMC.

Secretary LA issues notice for LC polls

JAMMU: The Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly issued notification for election to 8 seats of J&K Legislative Council on Monday. As per the notification the forms of nomination paper shall be obtained from the offices of Returning officer/Assistant Returning officer(Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly, Deputy Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly) from February 11-2013 to February 18 -2013. Scrutiny of nomination papers shall be held on February 19 while as February 21 is the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers. Elections, if necessary, will be held on March 7 between 10 am and 2 pm.

International Rafting Cup 2013' on Chinab River from 22 Feb

SRINAGAR: To explore the adventure sports potential of the Chinab region, J&K Tourism Deptt is going to organize 'Jammu and Kashmir International Rafting Cup 2013' on Chinab River from 22nd of this month. In view of this forth coming event District Development Commissioner Doda convened a meeting of District and Sectoral Officers and reviewed the necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event. Nodal Officer of event AD Tourism Pahalgam Srinagar Tariq Hussain besides Executive Officer Municipality Doda, Thathri, Army Officers and other District and Sectoral Officers attended the meeting. During the meeting it was revealed that the championship starts from Thathri and culminate at Pul Doda and 11 teams are scheduled to take part during the Championship.Various arrangements were discussed in the meeting which include boarding and lodging of teams and their stay in District Doda, Security arrangements, uninterrupted power supply, Deployment of Chinab Rescue teams (Divers) at the venue, maintenance of normal water level during the event, deployment of Medical teams and ambulances, regulation of traffic, maintenance of sanctity of town , road and venue area besides various other arrangements were discussed in the meeting.

Pak infiltrator killed near LOC, body returned

JAMMU: A militant killed near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday while trying to infiltrate into India was identified as a Pakistani soldier, army officials said. The body was returned to the Pakistani side Friday. According to army sources Friday, the killed militant had been identified as Mohammad Ikhlaq, a soldier of Pakistan's 60 Punjab regiment. An army spokesman here said that at approx 3 p.m. Thursday, Indian troops at Laam post in Rajouri sector, about 170 km north of Jammu, "observed suspicious movement along the Indian side of LoC" and a patrol party challenged the infiltrator. The infiltrator, however, "opened indiscriminate fire" injuring two soldiers. Fire was returned, killing the infiltrator. "One AK-56 rifle along with some other warlike stores was recovered. The body of the deceased was later handed over to the state police," said the spokesman. The spokesman said that Friday morning, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) made an unscheduled call to his Indian counterpart requesting that the soldier's body be returned. "Acceding to this request, the body was returned to Pakistan Army personnel in the same sector in the evening with military respects," the spokesman said.

Afzal's family says no to Tihar visit, wants body back

SRINAGAR:Afzal Guru's family said Tuesday they would not visit his grave inside Tihar Jail, but would instead continue their struggle to get his mortal remains back to Kashmir. Commenting on the statement of union Home Secretary R.K. Singh that the jail authorities would shortly take a decision on allowing the family to offer funeral prayers at his grave, Afzal's brother Yaseen Guru said: "The family has made it clear that we want Afzal's body back so that we can perform the burial as per the Islamic rites. "So far as the question of offering funeral prayers at his grave is concerned, the entire Valley has been offering prayers for his soul for the last four days. "Afzal's wife, Tabassum has already written a letter to deputy commissioner Baramulla demanding her husband's body and we will continue to struggle for that."

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

STATE

SaMaPa Aalap Festival 2013 concludes

JAMMU: Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, has lauded the valuable contribution which the Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts has made in bringing music to the masses and showcasing J&K's rich cultural heritage across the country and abroad. The Governor, as Chief Guest, was speaking at the Valedictory Function of the SaMaPa Aalap Festivel 2013, organized by the Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts, at the Jodhamal Public School, here on Friday. The Governor observed that he has witnessed the performances of both Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Mr. Abhay Rustum Sopori in the past but today's participative musical performance by Pandit Bhajan Sopori was altogether outstanding and enchanting as a large number of young school children sang with him. Referring to today's concert, he added that the school children

Governor lauds Sopori Academy for bringing music to masses

Advisor to J&K Government and Mr. Navin K. Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor, by presenting to them shawls and mementos. Earlier, on arrival at the function, the Governor was received by the management, staff and students of the School. Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Chairman, Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts, presented a soulful Santoor recital on this occasion. Earlier, in his welcome address, Mr. T. S. Bisht, Principal, Jodhamal Public School, thanked the Governor for being the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Function of the SaMaPa Aalap Festival. Mr. Abhay Rustum Sopori, Secretary of the Academy, speaking on the occasion, said that during the 15-day Music Festival 35 concerts were organized at more than 20 venues.

N. N. Vohra, Governor along with others during SaMaPa Aalap Festival at Jammu.

got the opportunity of listening to the performance of the renowned Santoor player. The Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, said that he has known Pandit Bhajan Sopori ever since he was inducted as a Member of the Shrine Board, adding that the Board has benefited immensely from his views.

The Governor said that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has been supporting the Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts in its initiatives of taking music to the masses by organizing various music festivals. He said that the Shrine Board has decided that whenever SaMaPa Aalap Festival is to held in Jammu, the Board will organize one musical concert at its

Spiritual Growth Centre at Katra for the benefit of the pilgrims and people of Katra and its surrounding areas. The Governor was honoured on the occasion by presenting to him a memento. The Governor felicitated Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Mrs. Sopori, Mr. Abhay Rustum Sopori, Dr. S. P. Vaid, Additional Director General of Police, Mrs. Bharati Vaid, Media

Fish production in state touches 'J&K govt handled situation in Valley tactfully' 19850 tones: Manohar Lal
Inspects RFFDA, calls for promotion of aquaculture among farmers
JAMMU: Minister of State for Fisheries and Cooperative Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma today inspected Regional Fish Farm Development Agency (RFFDA)Ghomnahasan, Jammu and took stock of the fish production besides the facilities available in the farm. During his visit, the Minister interacted with Fish Farmers of Jammu District and said that the fish production of the State has touched new high of 19850 tones which include 258 tons of trout fish production. He said besides, 300 million of fish seed has been produced during the current year which has been stocked in various water bodies and private fish farms. The Minister asked the fish farmers to come forward and take advantage of various centrally sponsored schemes like Rahstriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and MGNREGA launched by the Centre and State Governments. He said Rs. 1.50 lakh is being provided as assistance to the farmers for establishment of Carp Unit and Rs. 2.40 lakh for establishment of Trout Rearing Unit. He assured the fish farmers that the government will provide quality fish seeds to the unit holders established in private sector, besides technical knowhow by the department of Fisheries. He said that government was committed to boost the fisheries production in the State adding that several measures have been taken in this regard but need was to tap the potential by adopting scientific techniques. Dr. Manohar appreciated the fish farmers for taking up fish culture and said that the fish farming will generate employment for the rural folk as it can bring huge returns for the product having huge demand in the market. He said having quality protein, fish has great demand in the state and proper boost to the aquaculture will help reduce the gap between the demand and supply of fish in the State. He further said that the State will be able to export the fish particularly the Trout even to the foreign countries. Earlier, the Minister convened a meeting of the district heads of the Jammu Division and reviewed the overall functioning of the department. The Director Fisheries Mr. R.K Dogra apprised the Minister about various development activities of the department through powerpoint presentation. He was informed that 752 carp and 197 trout rearing units have been established under various schemes in private sector in the State. He was also informed that 2485 fishermen have been provided assistance for construction of low cost houses and 212 insurance claims have been settled till date. Detailed discussion was held on revenue generation and the Minister was informed that the department has earned this year Rs. 70 lakh revenue from Bahufort Aquarium till date which is expected to go up to Rs. 85 lakh by ending March. The Minister stressed for giving wide publicity to the Aquarium through print and electronic media, besides publishing broachers to attract more and more visitors to ensure high revenue generation. Commissioner Secretary Forest, Sheikh Eijaz Iqbal and other concerned officers were present on the occasion. JAMMU: Asserting that there were sentiments attached to Parliament attacker Afzal Guru's hanging, Congress minister Taj Mohi-udin on Thursday said the state government has handled the situation "tactfully". "There were sentiments attached to Guru but the state government has handled the situation tactfully," Minister for Medical Education, Sports and Youth Services, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, told reporters here today. Taj was replying to a volley of questions about the handling of situation by the state government in the backdrop of Guru's hanging. "The Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) is in the Valley, several other ministers are also there. I have my self come to Jammu only yesterday," he said. The entire Valley was put under curbs on Saturday following hanging of Guru inside Tihar Jail in Delhi. However, curfew was relaxed from few areas of Kashmir today, which passed off peacefully. Three persons died and over 50 others were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces during protests against Guru's execution. Meanwhile, on the increasing threat of H1N1 influenza, the minister said that there was a standard drill in place across the country to tackle Swine Flu and it was also followed in the state. "There is a standard drill which is followed everywhere in India. Isolated wards, testing equipment, medicines...Every hospital has been instructed to follow the drill," he said. On the issue of recent theft of an infant from the SMGS Hospital here, Taj assured that no such incident will occur in future. "It is a security issue. There are CCTV's in place, hospital and police security was also present. Even then a child is stolen. We have suspended two security guards and have also told police to take action against their man (on duty). The matter is under investigation; such incident can take place anywhere but I assure you that it won't be repeated in future," he said. A day-old baby boy was stolen from the labour room of the SMGS Hospital earlier this month making it the second one in last three months.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

INDIA AND THE WORLD

10

Nasheed takes refuge in Indian High Commission

India tries to resolve 'unusual' situation in Maldives
approaching a situation, which is obviously a situation of an unusual nature". Terming Maldives as a "valuable friend" of India, Khurshid said "inaccurate reports" should not be allowed to come in the way of this "friendship". "There is a prevailing situation on which we had, as I said to you, a good conversation, a very useful conversation," he said. Noting that Nasheed was a candidate for the Presidential elections to be held in September, India had yesterday said in a statement that it is necessary that the Presidential nominees of recognised political parties be free to participate in the polls without any hindrance. Replying to it, Maldives in a late night statement had said, "It was unfortunate that the Government of India has decided to publicly comment on today's events instead of opting for bilateral discussions between the two governments". Meanwhile in Male, Nasheed NEW DELHI/MALE: India on Thursday sought to resolve the "unusual situation" arising from exMaldivian president Mohamed Nasheed taking refuge in the Indian High Commission in Male, with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid having a "good, very useful and long" conversation with his Maldivian counterpart. After talking for 40 minutes on phone with Abdul Samad Abdullah, Khurshid voiced the hope that a solution "to the satisfaction of everybody" would be found. But it was still an on-going process, he said. Meanwhile, 45-year-old Nasheed continued to remain holed up in the Indian Mission for the second day in a row. He has taken refuge in the Indian High Commission to evade arrest warrant issued by a local court in a case concerning the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court during his Presidency in January last year. "I have had a long conversademanded that President Mohammed Waheed must quit and an interim, caretaker government be set up to ensure free and fair elections. "The events of the past year, the mass arrests, the police brutality, the politically motivated trials, demonstrate that Dr Waheed cannot be trusted to hold a free and fair election," Nasheed said in a statement posted on the web site of his Maldivian Democratic Party. "Waheed should do the right thing and resign from office. An interim, caretaker government should be established that can lead the Maldives to genuinely free and fair elections, in which all candidates are freely able to compete," he said. Nasheed labelled his ongoing trial "a politically motivated sham" and said the Hulhumale Magistrates Court, established to hear his case, was illegal and created "with the sole purpose of disqualifying me from standing in the presidential elections".

tion.... We have discussed in detail the situation as it stands today. We are in the process, we are continuing our conversation. "May be I would speak to him again later in the day. We are working in the background. I hope we can come to a resolution of the present situation which is to the satisfaction of everybody. But it is still an ongoing process," Khurshid said.

The minister said both sides have understood the "totality of the circumstances". Replying to a query on Maldives Foreign Ministry's strongly worded statement accusing India of undermining its democratic institutions, Khurshid said: "We went through everything. Unfortunately, reports go out which are unauthenticated and which are not accurate reports of how both sides are

Afghan parliamentarians Myanmar, Indian parl delegations hold talks in Nay Pyi Taw on India visit NAY PYI TAW: Parliamentary delegations of
NEW DELHI: Over 90 members of the Afghan parliament are on a week-long visit to India during which they would attend a training programme on parliamentary procedures and practices. Ninety-four members of the upper house of the Afghan parliament are in the country from Feb 11-17 on the invitation of the Indian government, said a statement Wednesday. The team is led by the First Deputy Speaker of the Afghan upper house Mohammad Alam Izedyar. Rafiullah Gulafghan, second deputy speaker of the Afghan upper house, is also accompanying the delegation. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid hosted a lunch in their honour and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha and senior parliamentarians also interacted with them. The delegation is scheduled to visit the central hall, both houses of parliament and the parliament museum. They will also pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and visit places of cultural and historical importance, including the Red Fort and Taj Mahal, the statement said. The delegation has already visited the shrine of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya and the Bedil garden, named after Afghan poet Bedil Dehlavi, in the city. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Kabul in May 2011, had addressed a joint session of both the houses of the Afghan parliament. Myanmar and India held talks in Nay Pyi Taw and exchanged views over further bilateral cooperation between the two counties and the two parliaments, official media reported Friday. Myanmar delegation was led by Speaker of the House of Representatives (Lower House) Shwe Mann, while the visiting Indian delegation was headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Meira Kumar. Shwe Mann expressed Myanmar's commitment to economic reform after gaining achievement in the political reform and willingness to cooperate in economic, investment and trade and technology sectors. Kumar also expressed India's hope that the friendship between the two countries would be further strengthened due to exchange of visits at high level over the past year. She revealed Indian government's plan to send a delegation to Myanmar to conduct parliamentary courses to staff of the Office of the Parliament. She also pledged to give more assistance to reform in

India and Japan held talks to Strengthen Cooperation in Tourism

NEW DELHI: India and Japan decided to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector and explore the new areas and opportunities in the sector by working together in different fields like the field of human resource development, investment in the tourism sector, exchange of tour operators and exchange of information related to tourism. The decision was made during a meet of the Japanese Senior ViceMinister of Tourism, Hiroshi Kajiyama with the Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi in India. The two also discussed issues related to singing of an agreement/MoU. India and Japan had been an important tourism market for each other in the recent past and Japan accounts to be among the top ten inbound tourist generating market for India.

Myanmar. In her first ever visit to Myanmar, the Indian parliamentary speaker also met with speaker of the House of Nationalities (Upper House) U Khin Aung Myint and Chairperson of the Lower House's Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and they had discussions on exchange of experiences between the two parliaments and cooperation in flourishing and developing a culture of democratic practices.

India, US discuss training of UN peacekeepers

NEW DELHI: India and the United States have begun exploring an agreement in the area of training of United Nations peacekeepers. At a meeting of India-US Joint Working Group on UN Peacekeeping in Washington Wednesday, the two countries advanced a number of goals laid out in the Declaration of Principles the Joint Working Group agreed upon in 2011. The Joint Working Group continued indepth consultations on UN peacekeeping issues, and explored an agreement on a set of Principles of India-US Cooperation in the Area of Training UN Peacekeepers and institutional arrangements between their peacekeeping institutions, an official statement said. The Indian delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for United Nations Political Affairs Pavan Kapoor and comprised of officials from Ministries of External Affairs, Defence and Home Affairs. The US delegation was led by Assistant Secretary of State for International Organisation Affairs Esther Brimmer and had officials from the Departments of State and Defence. Both sides welcomed the open and comprehensive nature of the discussions and agreed the talks helped advance their shared commitment to supporting and strengthening UN peacekeeping operations, and their mutual interest in assuring the success of the missions. The 11th meeting of the Joint Working Group will be held in New Delhi next year.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

DEFENCE

11

India, France conclude $6 bn Pak successfully test fires deal on Surface to Air Missile nuclear-capable missile
NEW DELHI: India and France on Thursday concluded negotiations on the Short Range Surface to Air Missile nearly worth of USD six billion during the talks between French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also said talks on USD 10-billion deal for Rafale fighter aircraft are "progressing well". After comprehensive talks, the leaders said views were exchanged on a number of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest including defence ties, civil nuclear cooperation, counterterrorism and situation in Mali. Observing that India is Hollande's first Asian destination for a bilateral trip, Singh said this demonstrates the importance of this relationship between the two countries. "President Hollande and I exchanged views on a number of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest. We reviewed progress on the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project and reiterated our commitment to its early implementation as soon as the commercial and technical negotiations, which have made good progress, are completed," Singh said at a joint press event after the in India," while noting that the defence ties were poised to reach a qualitatively new level. The Rs 30,000 crore worth of SR-SAM project is a co- development joint venture between India and France and would be developed by MBDA of France and DRDO from the Indian side. The surface to air missile defence system would be deployed by the IAF and the Navy. Hollande is accompanied by a large contingent of French business leaders, including Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier, whose company is hoping to seal the deal to sell 126 Rafale warplanes to India in the world's biggest defence contract currently under negotiation. On his part, Hollande said he has come to take the Indo-French strategic partnership to "yet another level" while noting that the defence cooperation reflects India's trust for French technology and France's trust for use of technology by India. "India is a country of peace", the French President added.

talks. Expressing satisfaction with the progress in defence cooperation, Singh said, "Discussions on the MMRCA contract are progressing well. We have also concluded negotiations on the Short Range Surface to Air Missile, which, once approved by the Government, will be co-developed and co-produced

India to engage more with Middle East: National Security Advisor

NEW DELHI:India has always supported the democratic aspirations of people in West Asia but doesn't support externally enforced changes, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menonsaid Friday. Addressing the 15th Asian Security Conference on trends in West Asia, Menon said India had also called for restraint in use of coercive measures against the people of West Asia. "But we are clear that societies cannot be reordered from the outside through military force. As recent experience shows, external interventions have uncertain and unstable outcomes," he said. "We only have to look at the instability radiating out of Libya into the Sahel region and the prolonged conflict in Syria, with spillover effects in Mali and the wider region." Menon stressed that India's interest was in a "peaceful and balanced strategic environment in West Asia which is such an important part of our extended periphery. "It is in the quest for regional peace and security that India has sought to contribute to West Asian security within the limits of her capacities." India has encouraged solutions to the region's conflicts and differences through dialogue. Menon said India opposed the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the region. "For instance, we have recognized Iran's right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy while urging that the international community be convinced that she is fulfilling her international commitments, and arguing that the only effective way to do so is through dialogue and by using the IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency) expertise." India has also contributed to anti-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa and developed maritime cooperation with Gulf countries to protect the sea-lanes vital to trade and energy flows. Menon said India had worked to promote military cooperation with the countries of the region, bilaterally and through cooperation among Indian Ocean rim countries. India has also sought to build energy security through long-term arrangements and mutual investments in the area. The turbulence in the West Asia region posed shortterm challenges but opened up longterm opportunities in terms of security, Menon pointed out. The challenges include "the space that domestic changes in several countries have opened up for extremist groups to pursue their agendas, the possible regional instability and the sectarian divide that seems to be opening up, and the disruptions and dislocations that accompany processes of fundamental change in the way these societies and nations are run. "Frankly, we had all got comfortable dealing with West Asia in ways set by habit. That is no longer possible... "We are in a time when scholarship and increased engagement with the region is needed more than ever before," he said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60 km, designed to defeat all known anti-tactical missile defence systems. The test consisted of "successive launches of two missiles from a state-of-the-art multi-tube launcher", the military said in a statement on Monday describing the test of the short range surface-to-surface missile as successful. The Hatf-IX or Nasr, which has "inflight manoeuver capability", can carry "nuclear warheads of appropriate yield with high accuracy". "This quick response system, which can fire a four missile salvo, ensures deterrence against threats in view of evolving scenarios. Additionally Nasr has been specially designed to defeat all known anti-tactical missile defence systems," the statement said. The test was witnessed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, Strategic Plans Division chief Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Army Strategic Forces Command chief Lt Gen Triq Nadeem Gilani, senior officers

from the armed forces and scientists and engineers of strategic organisations. The statement did not say where the test was conducted. Addressing scientists and military officers of strategic organisations, Wynne congratulated them for a high standard of proficiency in operating the Nasr weapon system. He said the armed forces were "fully capable of safeguarding Pakistan's security against all kinds of aggression". The successful test was appreciated by the President and Prime Minister, who congratulated the scientists and engineers. The first test of the Hatf-IX was conducted in April 2011. At that time, experts and analysts said the short-range nuclearcapable missile was primarily aimed at deterring India's Cold Start military doctrine, which envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities. Experts said the Hatf-IX would be deployed with a mobile multibarrel launch system that has "shoot and scoot attributes", or the ability to fire at a target and immediately relocate to another position to avoid enemy counter-fire.

MiG-27 crashes, pilot bailed out safely

JAIPUR: A MiG-27 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed within two minutes of taking off in Rajasthan's Barmer district, but the pilot bailed out safely. The aircraft was on a routine training sortie when it crashed near Allawani Ki Dhani in the Western sector, defence spokesman S D Goswamy said. The MiG-27 took off at 3.55 pm and crashed at 3.57 pm, he said adding the pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry had been ordered into the crash, the spokesman said. No loss of life or damage to property in the village where the aircraft crashed had been reported, the spokesman said. The pilot had been admitted to a hospital, he said. Villagers, who saw the MiG coming down, informed police and district officials about the crash.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

DEFENCE

12

Indian troops kill Pak soldier who crossed LoC: Army

JAMMU:In yet another incident of ceasefire violation, a Pakistani soldier who intruded into the Indian territory was killed by the Army in the Naushera sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. This incident comes a month after Pakistani troops entered Indian territory and killed two Indian soldiers and beheaded one of them. The Pakistan Army DGMO confirmed the identity of the killed intruder as their soldier and his request for the body to be returned has been accepted by the Indian hours, some movement was seen along the LoC in Naushera. On being challenged, the intruder fired at the Indian patrol there. In the ensuing firefight, the intruder in combat uniform was killed and one AK-47 has been recovered from him." After the incident, Pakistani DGMO last evening requested for an unscheduled conversation with his Indian counterpart and made the call on Friday. "On Friday he made the unscheduled call to our DGMO Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia confirming that the intruder was a Pakistani soldier. On his request, the body would be returned to the Pakistani side with full military respects due to a soldier," the Army spokesman said. He said the body would be handed over to the Pakistani sector in the Naushera sector in the afternoon. Mr. Dahiya said there was another ceasefire violation in the Krishna Ghati sector today when Pakistani troops opened fire at Indian posts between 0800 to 0915 hours. "There were no casualties on our side. Our troops retaliated the fire in controlled measure with effective fix," he said.

side, Army spokesperson Col J Dahiya said here.

Giving details of the incident, he said, "On Thursday, around 1500

predicts Indian Coast Guard ship Russian military chiefwars natural resource Rajratan commissioned
NEW DELHI: Indian Coast Guard ship Rajratan, the fifth in a series of eight inshore patrol vessels (IPVs), was commissioned by Director General Indian Coast Guard Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan in Kolkata Monday. According to an official press release issued here, the vessel has been indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata. The 50m long IPV can achieve a maximum speed of 34 knots, with an endurance of 1,500 nautical miles at an economical speed of 16 knots. Equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced communication and navigational equipment, it makes an ideal platform for undertaking multifarious close-coast missions such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and medical evacuation. MOSCOW: The level of existing and potential military threats for Russia may increase significantly by 2030, and wars for natural resources should be expected, according to Russian General Staff chief Col. Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The level of military threats will be linked to the struggle among the world's leading powers for fuel and energy resources, markets and "living space", he said. He said military capability will be actively used to ensure access to those resources. Gerasimov, who presented his report to a conference titled "Russia's Military Security in the 21st Century", also said that all missile brigades will be equipped with Iskander theater ballistic missile systems by 2020 and that the Aerospace Defense Forces

will receive advanced S-400 and S-500 missile systems by 2020. Military experts, however, were unimpressed by Gerasimov's presentation, with some dismissing his remarks as repetitive and his ideas as banal. "Everything that we heard at this event has been said a million times before to different audiences. All the participants were shrugging their shoulders, as if to ask: Where have these reports been copied from?" Mikhail Nenashev, chairman of the All-Russia Movement to Promote the Navy, told RIA Novosti. "There is neither substance nor clarity of thought, only lecturing. It was a purely pro forma conference," Nenashev said.

Gulf wants India's proactive participation in regional security

NEW DELHI:India should proactively participate in the framework of Gulf security, panellists at the Asian Security Conference here said Friday. Perceived as a "morally correct power and acceptable to every one", india could also be included as a critical partner in dialogue with Iran on nuclear issues, or perhaps as a P5+2 Group, they said at the concluding day of the three-day international conference. Sanjay Singh, Secretary, East, in the external affairs ministry said the key element in the security arrangements in the Gulf over the last 40 years had been the US determination to ensure that no other external power could exert a dominant influence over the region so that it could have an unhindered access to Gulf oil. However, with the development of alternative sources of energy like shale oil and gas in its home territory, the US dependence on Gulf had been declining and could result in reduced American interest in the region. He was taking part at a Roundtable on the "Role of Asia in Evolving Security dynamics and architecture of the Gulf Region" which examined the possibilities of Asia's potential involvement in the changing security dynamics of the region. The panelists highlighted India and China's growing dependency on the Gulf and as leading trade partners of the Gulf countries. The most important dimension of the change in the balance of economic interest in the Gulf region, they said, was that the Gulf States were in a stronger position than before to lessen external strategic involvement in the region--whether from the West or East. The panellists also agreed that Arab Spring had effected deep rooted changes and the regional balance of power in West Asia is rapidly changing. Iran and Egypt seemed to be consolidating a fresh strategic partnership, while Israel was not throwing up any fresh ideas. There was a near consensus during the conference that the multilateral framework of Gulf security would have to encompass participation from Iraq, Iran and perhaps Egypt, besides the Gulf Cooperation Council. Such a framework will have to overcome mutual mistrusts and asymmetries, they added. The conference, hosted by the Indian Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), provided an opportunity for policy makers, scholars and security analysts, both from India and abroad, to share their views on the security challenges facing the continent. The conference had participants from most Middle Eastern countries.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

DEFENCE

13

Army gets its first indigenously India wants peace, but will firmly deal with threats: PM made Rudra attack chopper
BANGALORE: The first indigenously-developed weaponised helicopter 'Rudra' was on Friday handed over to the Army which has successfully raised an attack chopper fleet on its own. This is the first of the 60 armed helicopters provided to the Army by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the defence ministry handed over the control of all attack helicopters to the land force. "This is a very important system for us as it will be the first platform (of choppers) which is weaponized. In any battle, fire (power) and manoeuvrability should be closely integrated to support ground operations and provide immediate help if and when required. "This (Rudra) will help us to get that capability," Army deputy chief Lt Gen Narendra Singh told reporters here. "The first squadron of the helicopters would be operationalized soon. We will have 60 choppers and one squadron will have 10 of them," Army Aviation Corps' Maj Gen PK Bharali told here. He was talking on the sidelines of a function where HAL chairman RK Tyagi officially handed over development Light combat helicopter (LCH) being produced by the HAL. Recently, after a long tussle NEW DELHI: Signalling no thaw in relations with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said India wants peace with neighbours but incidents like the brutal killing of two soldiers on the LoC were simply unacceptable and the country would effectively deal with any threat. Speaking at the governors' conference here, the prime minister dwelled on an array of issues and said that the past year had seen improvement in improvement in internal security situation including that in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast and in the Maoist-affected areas. He said India was committed to working for good relations and peaceful existence with its neighbours but "are also firm in our resolve to deal effectively with any threat to our country". India had strongly protested the Jan 8 killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers near the Line of Control (LoC). Following the incident, India had said there cannot be business as usual with Pakistan. Referring to the Dec 16 gangrape that evoked nationwide outrage, the prime minister said real and effective change in the status of women can come only if there is a change in societal values. Urging collective work for the goal, he suggested induction of more women in police forces. He said the government was alive to the need to curb corruption in public life and hoped the parliament will pass the Lokpal bill in the coming days. The government was considering amending the anti-corruption Act to enable faster punishment of guilty public servants and provide more effective protection to honest ones, he added. The prime minister while there had been improvement in overall internal security situation, there is a lot which still needs to be done. He said the suggestions of J&K Governor N.N. Vohra for more coherent action on the part of security agencies were worth exploring. Manmohan Singh said the government has endeavoured to bridge the development and governance deficit in the left wing extremistaffected areas and the Integrated Action Plan for 82 backward districts was beginning to show encouraging results. PM said that due to government's efforts, the geographical spread of the menace had shown a shrinking trend and the number of Maoist incidents showed a perceptible decline over the previous year. "However, much more remains to be done and we will make all efforts to accomplish what we still have to do," he said. PM said that there was need to sensitize the police forces towards showing special care in dealing with crimes against the weaker sections and induction of more women in police forces.

the chopper to the Army. Bharali said a total of 60 Rudras would be inducted into the Army and the machines will be part of six squadrons. The chopper is armed with airto-air missiles such as the 'Mistral', rocket pods and heavy machine guns to help the ground forces with close air support. The Army is also planning to procure the under-

between the Army and the Air Force, the defence ministry decided to give control of all the future acquisitions of attack choppers to the land force. The Army has plans of having a squadron-each of weaponized choppers in each of the pivot corps and a full-fledged attack chopper squadron with each of the three Strike Corps.

Pakistan tests nuclear capable Hatf-II missile

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan on Friday successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-II ballistic missile with a range of 180 kms, marking the second test of a missile system in four days as part of measures to evaluate the capabilities of its Strategic Forces. The test of the Hatf-II or Abdali short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile was part of the "process of validation of land-based ballistic missile systems", the military said in a statement. It described the test as successful but did not say where it was conducted. The missile can carry nuclear or conventional warheads with "high accuracy", the statement said. "The weapon system with its varied manoeuvrability options provides an operational level capability to Pakistans Strategic Forces," it said. On February 11, Pakistan tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60 kms. The military had said the weapon system was specially designed to defeat anti-tactical misDirector General Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Army

DAC clears proposal concerning procurement of various warship items

NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry has cleared proposals worth over Rs 1,500 crore for procurement of various systems including Israeli anti-missile radars for the Navy's warships. The proposals cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister A K Antony include approval for the procurement of Anti-missile Doppler Radar (AMDR) from Israel for around Rs 300 crore, Navy sources said on Wednesday. The radar would be deployed with the weapon systems on-board naval ships to protect them from enemy missiles, they said. The apex decision-making body of the Ministry also cleared the proposal for establishing repair facilities in collaboration with Russian firms for armament of submarines of the Navy, they said. The submarines in the Indian fleet are of Russian-origin and the weapon systems fitted on them are also mainly from that country only. The DAC also approved a proposal worth over Rs 850 crore for setting up Mobile Communication System for the Army formations deployed in J&K. The system would enable the Corps operating there to communicate with each other through a dedicated network, the sources said. The communication system would be developed by public sector undertaking Bharat Electronics Limited.

sile defence systems. Analysts say the short-range Hatf-IX missile is primarily aimed at deterring India's Cold Start military doctrine, which envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities. Friday's test was witnessed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, Strategic Plans Division

Strategic Forces Command chief Lt Gen Tariq Nadeem Gilani, senior officers from the Strategic Forces and scientists and engineers of strategic organisations. The President and Prime Minister congratulated the scientists and engineers on the test "which consolidates Pakistans deterrence capability both at the operational and strategic levels", the statement said.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

ECONOMY

14

NEWS IN BOX RBI relaxes gold deposit scheme rules

NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed rules on gold deposit scheme offered by banks by allowing the lenders to offer the product with lesser maturity. The RBI said in a release on Feb 14 that banks can offer gold deposits maturing in 6 months to 7 years period compared with 3 years to 7 years earlier. The central bank also said the banks do not need to obtain its approval for floating such schemes. The RBI plans to mobilise the unused gold by lending it to importers and exporters of the yellow metal, in a move it hopes will bring down the demand for physical gold. It wants banks to encourage products linked to accepting physical gold as deposits and investing public money in gold related products.

SC orders unsuccessful bidders in 2G auction to cease operation

comprising justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan directed that those telecom companies which were allowed to continue operation after scrapping of their licences by Feb 2, 2012 judgment will have to pay the reserved price fixed for the licences in the first round of the auction held in Nov 2012. The apex court by its interim orders had extended the deadline for them to continue with the operation. The bench clarified that the apex court's Feb 2, 2012 judgement will not be applicable on telecom companies holding the spectrum with 900 MHz band. "The Feb 2, 2012 order will have no bearing on litigation relating to 900 MHz band," the bench said, adding that it (900 MHz band spectrum) was not the subject matter before it. The bench also directed to immediately put on fresh auction entire 2G spectrum for the licences cancelled by it.

Govt to give ` 25,000 cr additional fuel subsidy

NEW DELHI: The Government in second week of February 2013 decided to pay an additional cash subsidy of 25000 cr rupees for the state owned fuel retailers. The subsidy package is being given to help the retailers in making up of the revenue that they lost while selling cooking and auto fuel below cost in the current fiscal year of April to Dec 2012. A comfort letter was issued on 7 Feb 2013 by the Union Finance Ministry to the Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) that sanctioned sanctioning 25,000 cr rupees as the part of the revenue lost by them on selling diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below cost or at subsidized cost. The sanctioned subsidy meets about 44 percent of the revenue lost by the three firms of 124854 cr rupees together on the Sale of cooking and auto fuels in a period of April to Dec in 2012. As per the latest sanctions reveled IOC, BPCL and HPCL would get 13474.56 cr rupees, 5987.25 cr rupees and 5538.19 cr rupees respectively. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Feb 15 held that telecom companies which were unsuccessful in availing fresh 2G spectrum and those which did not participate in the auction process will cease to operate "forthwith." However, telecom companies which were successful in the fresh auction held on November 12 and 14, 2012 will be asked to start their services in the respective circles immediately, the court ruled. "The telecom companies which have been unsuccessful in the bidding and those after the cancellation of the licences did not participate in the fresh auction are directed to cease from continuing from operation forthwith and the successful bidders will immediately start in their respective circles," the court said. A bench

TCS overtakes RIL to become India's most valued company

NEW DELHI: TCS on Feb 14 surpassed Reliance Industries to become the country's most valued company as the IT major's market capitalisation soared to over Rs 2.83 lakh cr on the back of a spurt in its share price. At the end of trade, TCS commanded a market value of Rs 2,83,209 cr the highest for any listed company in the country. This is about Rs 6,523 cr more than RIL's market value of Rs 2,76,686 cr. A gain of 1.15 per cent at Rs 1,447 in TCS's share price pushed the company to the top slot. In comparison, RIL shares fell by 2.63 per cent to Rs 855.15 on the BSE. Market capitalisation of a listed company corresponds to the cumulative market price of all its shares. This figure changes daily with the change in the stock price. ONGC with a market value of Rs 2,75,187 cr was at third spot, while ITC (Rs 2,36,855 cr) was at fourth position and Coal India (Rs 2,21,704 cr) at fifth place.

No further advances loans to troubled Sahara companies: SBI

NEW DELHI: State Bank of India said it does not have any exposure to Sahara group companies but have deposits of Rs 700-800 cr from the firms. "I think some of our branches have their (Sahara companies) deposits ... so if they get pulled out it will be Rs 700-800 cr. But we don't have any advances to them," SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said. The bank has not yet received any notice or circular from the Sebi or other enforcement agencies for freezing Sahara accounts, another senior bank official said. "It (Sebi notice) will come. It takes two or three days for them to send the notice (after the order has been passed). The moment it comes we will take action," the official said. Sebi on 13 Feb 2013 ordered freezing of bank accounts of two Sahara Group companies and attaching all investments and properties of Sahara Housing Investment Corporation and Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and their top executives, including group chief Subrata Roy with regard to the investor refund case involving over Rs 24,000 cr. Passing separate orders against the Sahara Housing Investment Corp and Sahara India Real Estate Corp, Sebi said these companies had raised Rs 6,380 cr and Rs 19,400 cr respectively from bond holders and "various illegalities" were committed in raising of these funds.

Govt may take decision on sugar decontrol in next 15 days: Thomas

NEW DELHI: The Centre is likely to take a decision on giving freedom to the Rs 80,000-cr sugar industry to sell the sweetener in the open market in the next 15 days, Food Minister K.V. Thomas said on Feb 15. In Oct last year, the expert panel headed by PMEAC Chairman C. Rangarajan had recommended immediate removal of two major controls - regulated release mechanism and levy sugar obligation and other restrictions gradually. "Our sugar position is comfortable this year. The Rangarajan committee's recommendations are before the department. I believe in the next 15 days, we will be able to take a decision on the entire issues like levy sugar, release mechanism and others," Thomas said. The Minister assured that the recommendations will not see the plight of other panels' suggestions which have not yet been implemented. He also said the Food Ministry is seeking the views of various ministries on the panel's recommendations and a Cabinet note will be moved shortly. According to sources, about 10 States have given their views on the panel's suggestions on sugar decontrol. However, the two major sugar producing States: Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra - have not yet responded.

Inflation eases to 3-year low of 6.62% in Jan 2013

NEW DELHI: The inflation rate of India dropped down to the three year low in the chart to 6.62 percent in January 2013 from the 7.18 percent, measured in December 2012. The inflation was measured based upon monthly Wholesale Price Index. The official Wholesale Price Index for All Commodities (Base: 200405 = 100) in January, 2013 rose by 0.4 percent to 169.2 (Provisional) from 168.6 (Provisional) for the previous month. Slowing exports and decline in investments and low demand in the domestic market have been a major factor in slipping down the growth rate of India. The two factors have affected the manufatruing as well as service sectors of India. The growth forecast for the running fiscal year that would end on 31 March 2013 was lowered by the India's Statistical Office to 5 percent. The Reserve Bank of India also changed its forecast from 5.8 percent to 5.5 percent. To revive a fresh air in the slowing down economic conditions of India, the Reserve Bank took a major step of lowering the key interest rate from 8 percent to 7.75 percent; this was the first step in nine months. The Policy makers have also taken afresh steps to revive the slowing economic conditions of the nation

American Airlines, US Airways announce USD 11 billion merger, to form world's biggest airlines
DALLAS (US): American Airlines and US Airways have agreed to merge in an USD 11 billion deal to create the world's biggest airline. The combined carrier will be called American Airlines but run by US Airways CEO Doug Parker. The boards of the two airlines unanimously approved the deal and the companies announced the agreement on Feb 14. The merger would reduce the number of major US airlines to four: the new American, United, Delta and Southwest. The deal is a coup for smaller US Airways Group Inc, which pushed for a merger almost as soon as American parent AMR Corp filed for bankruptcy protection in Nov 2011. While Parker runs the company, AMR CEO Tom Horton will serve as chairman until its first shareholder meeting, likely in mid-2014.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

ECONOMY

15

France invites Indian investment

NEW DELHI: France wants to take "full part" in the economic development here and will also like the Indian business community to look at investment opportunities in that country, visiting French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday. "We would like both countries to cooperate. India is already the 13th largest investor in France and it can create more investment and employment there. India can also look to access the European Union market," Hollande said. Asked whether the visiting dignitary could assure India that no middlemen will be involved in the sale of French fighter jets to India, the President said there will be nothing contrary to principles of doing business in concluding the deal. "The common focus is that trade must be based on the rule of law," Hollande said. Meanwhile, India and France have agreed to promote an ambitious and balanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union based on reciprocity and mutual benefit to boost bilateral ties. This has been stated in a joint statement issued at the end of talks between Hollande, and Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The two countries also agreed to encourage closer people-to-people contact through easing mobility and human exchanges, promoting education, science and cultural cooperation as well as expanding trade and investment. To foster mobility of people, both sides noted the progress in negotiations of a bilateral agreement on people mobility and migration with a view to concluding it as soon as possible. In the area of space, both leaders agreed to move forward, after the success of Megha-Tropiques satellite launch in October 2011 and the upcoming SARAL satellite launch. Both satellites contribute significantly to environmental and maritime survey purposes, the joint statement added. Addressing the media after meeting Hollande, Singh said India and France had concluded negotiations on the short range surface-toair missile, which was approved by the Government, and will be codeveloped and co-produced here. "There is a welcome shift from defence trade to co-development and co-production of advanced defence items here, which will help expand our domestic production base and strengthen the IndiaFrance strategic partnership," the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said he and the visiting President agreed to the need to "reinvigorate" economic engagement by "harnessing the enormous synergies".

Coal India pushes deadline under coal supply MoU to March

NEW DELHI: Coal India (CIL) has extended the deadline for supply of coal to power producers under the MoU route till the end of March, even as companies, including NTPC, are yet to enter into fuel supply agreements (FSAs) with the coal PSU. The matter had also come up for discussion during Coal India's board meeting on Feb 13, sources said. "During the meeting a call was taken to extend the deadline to March-end," a government official said. The last deadline set by CIL for memorandum of understandingbased coal supply to power producers expired on January 31. Coal will be supplied under the MoU route to all those power plants, which have been commissioned as on April 1, 2009 up till now, sources in Coal India said. The government had in May directed coal companies to supply the fuel to power plants that have been commissioned till 2012 through the MoU route till FSA issues are resolved. "The Ministry of Coal has issued a directive to coal companies to supply coal to power plants commissioned till March 31, 2012 as well as those to be commissioned during 2012-13 through the MoU route as the FSAs are getting delayed," the Power Ministry had said. "With this directive, the commissioned plants would be able to generate power without facing disruption of coal supply," it had said. The power producers, including NTPC, is yet to sign fuel supply pacts with CIL even as the second deadline set by the Prime Minister's Office's (PMO) for the signing of FSAs expired last month. According to Coal India, so far 55 FSAs had been signed.

Govt mulls allowing private traders in export of FCI wheat

NEW DELHI: The government on Feb 15 said it is working on a proposal to allow private traders in additional wheat export from the central stocks as part of its efforts to create space for the new crop. So far, the government has allowed export of 4.5 million tonnes of wheat from the Central pool stocks mainly by State-run trading corporations. "We are thinking of allowing private traders in export of additional wheat from the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Discussions with various ministries are going on," Food Minister K V Thomas said at an Assocham event on commodity futures market. The Minister, however, did not divulge the quantity of additional wheat that will be allowed for export. But sources said that the Food Ministry has circulated a Cabinet note for inter-ministerial discussions on allowing exports of an additional 5 million tonnes. As on February 1, the FCI had a wheat stock of 30.8 million tonnes. The government is under pressure to create storage space for new wheat crop, which will be harvested from April onwards. The wheat output is pegged at 92.3 million tonnes in 2012-13. Meanwhile, private traders have so far exported about 2 million tonnes of wheat, which was sourced from the open market.

Petrol price up Rs 1.50/litre; diesel by 45 paise

NEW DELHI: Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have decided to hike petrol prices by Rs 1.50 a litre and diesel by 45 paise a litre effective from midnight Friday. Oil firms were losing Rs 9.22 a litre on diesel, Rs 31.60 a litre on kerosene and Rs 481.03 per 14.2-kg LPG cylinder. Petrol price was last revised on January 18 when the price was cut by 30 paise to Rs 67.26 a litre in Delhi. The reduction in rates coincided with government decision to give oil firms freedom to raise diesel prices in small monthly dozes to eliminate all of the losses on the fuel. Oil firms hiked diesel price on that day by 50 paise to Rs 47.65 a litre in Delhi.

Rupee closes at a month low of 54.22

MUMBAI: The rupee ended at 54.22 against the dollar as demand from oil importers weighed heavily on the Indian unit. Oil importers rushed to cover for their requirements as brent crude prices softened a little to $117.59 a barrel from the highs of $119 a barrel seen earlier in the week. Also, a weak euro amid recessionary trends in several euro-zone economies put downward pressure on the Indian unit. "The rupee's downward movement was sparked by oil-related demand. Currency markets are looking for signals from the budget and there is more risk aversion now globally," a dealer with a public sector bank informed. The local unit, which opened at 53.91, has depreciated 1.32 per cent since last Friday's close of 53.51. Some countries like Japan have initiated measures that have de-valued their currencies. This, according to leaders, will help making exports competitive while it has sparked fears in many emerging economies that such a move will erode their foreign exchange reserves. The currency market traders will also be looking at the ongoing G-20 meeting in Moscow to address the currency valuation impasse.

Mines Ministry seeks 50% cut in export duty on iron ores fines
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Budget, Mines Ministry has sought from the Finance Ministry reduction of export duty on low grade iron ore by 50 per cent to boost production to enhance export of the mineral. "We have sought reduction in the duty on fines to 15 per cent from the Finance Ministry. Now they have to decide it. Presently there is a uniform duty of 30 per cent on both, iron ore lumps and fines," Mines Minister Dinsha Patel said. Shipment of Fines, having low iron content and constituting around 92 per cent of the total iron ore exports, were at 60 million tonnes (MT)in 2011-12, data compiled by mining industry body, FIMI, showed. This is in contrast to about 120 MT exports achieved in 2009-10. Between April-November, 2012, total iron ore exports were at 15 MT, down over 62 per cent compared to the same period of previous year, the FIMI data says. According to the industrial production (IIP) data, mining sector has shown a negative growth of 2.6 per cent in the first nine months of the current fiscal and has widened from the previous year's level of ()1.9 per cent. In December, 2012 itself, mining sector had a negative growth of 3.3 per cent. Iron ore, a key raw material for steel production, is one of the major components in the mining index of IIP data. When asked about the demand of domestic steel industry for a complete ban on iron ore exports, Patel said, "Whatever is domestic demand should be made available, there should not be any shortage but lower grade iron ore, which cannot be utilized here, what do we do with them if we don't export." "Whoever is saying that iron ore is not available (for the domestic steel industry) is not correct. I am not willing to accept it," the Minister said. He said that in 2010-11, Indian iron ore production was about 210 million tonnes (MT), whereas steel industry's total production was 6570 MT. So their requirement was not more than 110 MT during that period, he added. "Last year, even after excluding Karnataka, iron ore production was at 167 MT.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

FASHION

16

Wine Facial Benefits and Skin Care Benifits of Hot Stone Pedicure

ine facial has commonly received a lot popularity since recent. Some wine facial benefits as well as easy wine mask recipes that can help to obtain a blemish free, glowing skin. Wine Facial Benefits and Skin Care 1 Wine facial helps in eliminating dead skin cells and improves blood circulation. 2 Another health benefit of wine facial is that frequent massaging of the alcoholic beverage can actually reverse anti aging. 3 Wine brings glow to skin, hydrates and rejuvenates. 4 According to beauticians, wine has many therapeutic values. The fortified drink can de-stress the skin. It is also said to bring relief to head aches, which has become a common ailment suffered by most women. 5 The magical drink can de-tan and prevent pigmentation which are all the common signs of aging. Wine facial is very beneficiary for health and face. The best solution for pigmentation, dull or dry & tanned

skin. Procedure: Before one starts massaging wine on face, one needs to know the procedure. At first, the face is steamed and cleased, then the wine facial is continued as part of the package. Wine facial isn't just massaging wine but the mixture consists of herbs, fruit extracts and essential oils that soothe the skin. For sensitive skin, it is said that wine diluted with rose water would be great for a mild massage. Wine Mask Recipes:

Wine And Aloe vera: Red Wine mixed with Aloe vera gel is an excellent wine facial recipe. The gel of Aloe vera cools the skin and the wine cleanses as well as repairs the skin cells. Honey, Port wine: The fermented grape spirit is mixed with 2-3 teaspoons of honey. Honey helps in toning the face while port wine repairs skin cells and works like anti-aging agent. Wine Facial Masks can be removed after 10 minutes and then the skin can be rinsed with luke warm water.

sing hot stones and massage oils can enhance a pedicure experience. Basalt stones are commonly used in the massage because of basalt's high iron content and its ability to hold heat. Used in combination with essential oils, a hot stone pedicure aids in relaxation. Instructions 1 Warm the stones. A crock pot or warming trays can be used. The heat should be no more than 125 degrees. 2 Soak your feet in warm water. Add Epsom salt to relieve stress and muscle aches. 3 Exfoliate the feet using a loofah sponge. Rub the heels, sides and feet and any rough areas. Wash your feet when finished. 4 Dip the feet in warm paraffin wax. The wax will moisturize and soften the skin. Keep the paraffin wax on the skin for 10 minutes before rinsing. 5 Dry hot stones with a clean towel. Place the hot stones between each toe and wrap the feet with a towel. Place a hot stone on each thigh and cover with a towel. Place a hot stone in each hand. Leave in place for 7 to 10 minutes.

6 Remove the stones and place them back into the water, leaving one stone out. Massage the feet and calves with essential oil. Using the remaining hot stone, rub the feet, arches and calves. 7 Clip the toenails, cutting straight across. A straight cut will prevent ingrown toenails. 8 Push the cuticles back. Use cuticle cream to soften, if necessary. 9 Massage the feet using lotion or essential oils. Lavender oil promotes relaxation and is commonly used in massage. Other oils include grape seed, olive and rose oils. 10 Choose a toenail polish and paint toes. A clear coat can be added to prevent chipping. Let dry using a toenail separator.

Homemade Fruit Hair Conditioners Makeup to Cover Your Hangover Look

yoghurt or lemon juice. Mashed banana with honey and milk is a popular hair conditioner. Apply it on your hair and scalp; leave it for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water to get soft and silky hair. Papaya: Mash a ripe papaya. Add yoghurt and 1-2 drops of glycerine. Mix well and apply on your hair. Leave for 30-45 minutes. Rinse with cold water to get soft, silk and shiny hair. Papaya hair packs also helps treat split ends. Avocado: It is another fruit that can help condition your hair. Boil and mash an avocado fruit. Add few drops of honey, unrefined shea butter, apple cider vinegar and yoghurt. Mix well and then apply on your hair. Leave for 25-30 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Pear: The pear fruit hair conditioner is very popular. Mix bear fruit with shea butter, coconut oil and honey. Apply it on damp hair and cover with a hair cap. Leave for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water to get soft and conditioned hair. Strawberry: For getting silky and glossy hair, try this homemade fruit hair conditioner. Mash strawberries and add mayonnaise or yoghurt. Apply on damp hair and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water to get conditioned hair. You can also mix strawberries with milk and apply it on your hair.

here are many benefits of hair conditioning. A hair conditioner keeps the hair manageable, smooth, silky and soft. Some natural and homemade hair packs and conditioners can help you get better results. Homemade hair conditioners are made with yoghurt, beer, vinegar or eggs. Easy to make homemade fruit hair conditioners and treat dry or frizzy hair. Banana: This fruit offers many benefits to the hair. It is a home remedy to treat dry, frizzy and dull hair. You can make a homemade banana hair pack by using milk or

hen you have to go to work in the morning after a night of relentless partying, it is the worst feeling in the world. The hungover look with bleary red eyes and heavy eyelids is much worse than the headaches and sluggishness. All you have to do is to use some nice eye makeup ideas and a proper shade of lip colour. Here are some cool morning makeup ideas to beat the hungover look. Cold Blast: Wash your face with cold water. That is the only way you will wake up and open your eyes. It will also soothe the tired muscles of your face and make your complexion look firm. Wash Your Hair: It is important that you wash your hair as a remedy to beat your hangover look. On top of being all rustled up, if you also have to deal with greasy hair, no amount of makeup can help you. Apply Foundation: Most women are in no mood to apply foundation when they are tired and hungover. But this is a mistake. When you have had very little sleep, your complexion is very uneven. This is when you need foundation to the maximum extent. Neutral Eye Makeup: The best eye makeup idea is to keep it neutral. Never highlight your eyes when you are hungover. Your eyes will

remain red and bleary even if you make them stark with kohl. Use brown, beige or ash grey colours to draw your eyes. As a base, you can used skin toned or nude coloured eyeshadow. A Bright Coloured Lipstick: Highlight your lips. Red or plum coloured lipsticks are really 'in' these days. You can draw all the attention to your lips by using a bright shade of lipstick. Blush A Little: When you are already looking worn out, there is no harm in pluming up your cheeks a little. Do not paint yourself with blush. But a slight hint of colour on your cheeks might just erase the 'pale' or 'ghostly' look that a hangover gives you.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

BOLLYWOOD

17

Sonam Kapoor bags the role in YRF's next

story telling has freshness in it and we are expecting nothing less than the same impeccable brilliance this time as well. Nupur Asthana is going to direct the romantic comedy. She earlier directed the film 'Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge'. In the movie the love birds (Sonam and Ayushmann) believes that the financial constraints cannot affect the love between themselves. However, a more practical father of the girl (Rishi Kapoor) begs to differ. He gets upset when he learns about his daughter's love affair and decides to put up challenges for the couple. .The shooting for the movie will commence from February this year and is supposed to release in 2013 itself.

t seems that the vetrnan actor Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam Kapoor is going places. The exceptionally stylish and beautiful actress Sonam Kapoor has got the lead role for Yash Raj Film's. It is to be shot entirely at Delhi. She was already shooting at Delhi for the film 'Ranjhana' and as the shooting for it got concluded she headed for the YRF set. The star cast of the movie is interesting as Rishi Kapoor is to play the role of Sonam's father on screen. Incidentally both of them share the same surname 'Kapoor' in the real world. Ayushmann Khurrana of the "Vicky Donor" donor fame will be the male lead actor of the film. The 28 year old

Amitabh Bachchan to shine as daily star

Ayushmann (Mohit Chadhdha) and 27 year old Sonam (Mayera Sehgal) are to be first time cast as an onscreen couple.

The story and script of the film is written by Habib Faisal, he has already proved his mettle in his earlier project of 'Do Dooni Chaar'. His

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns Salman to launch Shera's son in Bollywood

he Superstar who has given a break to many newcomers in Bollywood, now intends to launch his bodyguard Shera's son in the film world. Salman had launched Shera in films with a song-and-dance sequence in the title track of his film 'Bodyguard'. Shera appeared in the song alongside the 47-year-old actor and Katrina. Salman is likely to launch Shera's son in Bollywood. Recently Salman was seen praising Shera's 20-year-old son Tiger. "With his looks and personality we already have a winner. Shera has been by Salman's side for the last 15 years and they share a close bond

fter making a mark on big screen, Amitabh Bachchan embarked into TV serial. Big B will feature in a daily soap which will be produced by Amitabh Bachchan's company ABCL. It is going to be a mega budget serial and auditions of the actors will be held soon. The show will go on air at the end of this year. Amitabh Bachchan will not appear in every episode but he will be appearing on special episodes only to promote the serial. After hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh Bachchan became hot favorite among the TV goers.

aheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is an upcoming 2013 Bollywood romantic thriller drama film directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. It is the sequel to the 2011 film, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. The film stars Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill, who will all be seen reprising their roles from the previous film, while new additions to the cast include Irrfan Khan and Soha Ali Khan. The film is scheduled to release on March 8, 2013. The sequel was announced following the huge critical success of the first part, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. It was announced that from the first part, Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill will be seen reprising their roles. It was also announced

that the role of the Gangster and the second actress were to be finalized later. In Jan 2012, Neil Nitin Mukesh was signed on to play the gangster. However due to differences between Mukesh and the film's producers, Mukesh was dropped from the part and Irrfan Khan was cast. In the film, Khan will be seen playing royalty who has lost everything and is now out to kill Saheb. In March 2012, Soha Ali Khan was confirmed to play Irrfan Khan's oppressed and abused wife. Raj Babbar was soon cast to play the role of Soha Ali Khan's father. Actress Neha Dhupia was signed on in Sept 2012 to appear in an item number,however due to date issues she left the project and Mugdha Godse has replaced her.

aran Johar has completely ended up the old style of casting his friends in every next film. After launching three young faces in the industry, Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in his last release of 2012 Student of the Year, he is again in news for launching a new face in Bollywood. Karan has taken one more aspiring actor under his wings. And, the lucky lad is Mohit Marwah, the cousin brother of Arjun

Karan Johar takes in a new Aatma first trailer is very spooky 'student' under his wings

Kapoor. He is the son of Reena and Sandeep Marwah. Reena is Boney Kapoor's sister. He has done a short film titled Strangers In the Night with Karan's production house, which was directed by Shakun Batra. Both Karan Johar and Shakun were completely blown away by his performance."

ndian actor Suraj Sharma, who played the protagonist in Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi', lost out the EE Rising Star Award to British actress Juno Temple at the British Academy Film Awards. Delhi-based Suraj, 19, was the only male actor nominated in the category. Other nominees included Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth

'Life of Pi' star Suraj Sharma loses rising star BAFTA

Olsen, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander and Juno. "Life of Pi" is based on Canadian author Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. The film is about the journey of an Indian boy who loses his family in a shipwreck and is left to survive with a tiger on a life boat. It also featured Bollywood actors Irrfan and Tabu. It is the only award voted for by the public at the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2013. Though Suraj lost the rising star award, the film 'Life Of Pi' walked away with two trophies at the gala ceremony, organised by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The film won the award for best cinematography and best special visual effects.

atma is an upcoming 2013 Bollywood psychological thriller. It stars Bipasha Basu and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles. The film additionally stars Shernaz Pateland six year old Doyel Dhawan. Directed by Suparn Verma, the film is scheduled to release on March 22, 2013. Bipasha will be playing the mother of Doyel who is the whole world to her while the father who is dead (Nawaz) tries to take the daughter for himself away from Bipasha. The film has been directed by Suparn Verma and is slated to release on March 22, 2013.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

18

Scientists discover youngest black hole in our galaxy

WASHINGTON: Black holes are created when a supernova explosion destroys a massive star. Scientists have discovered dozens of black holes, but all of them are already formed. So, when scientists recently saw different distorted remains of a supernova, they knew it something special. What the scientists believe they observed was the infant phases of a black hole, or the youngest black hole ever recorded in the Milky Way galaxy. Caught on film by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the "remnant," or W49B, is seen as a vibrant swirl of blues, greens, yellows, and pinks. As seen from Earth, it is about 1,000-years-old and is located roughly 26,000 light years away. A typical black hole, like SS433, is thought to be between 17,000- and 21,000years-old, as seen from Earth. "W49B is the first of its kind to be discovered in the galaxy," said Laura Lopez, who led the study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It appears its parent star ended its life in a way that most others don't." However, in the W49B supernova, material near the poles of the doomed rotating star was ejected at a much higher speed than material emanating asymmetric explosion. "In addition to its unusual signature of elements, W49B also is much more elongated and elliptical than most other remnants," said coauthor Enrico RamirezRuiz of the University of California at Santa Cruz. "This is seen in X-rays and several other wavelengths and points to an unusual demise for this star." Because supernova explosions are not well understood, astronomers want to study extreme cases like the one that produced W49B. The relative proximity of W49B also makes it extremely useful for detailed study. The authors examined what sort of compact object the supernova explosion left behind. Most of the time, massive stars that collapse into supernovas leave a dense, spinning core called a neutron star. Astronomers often can detect neutron stars through their X-ray or radio pulses, although sometimes an X-ray source is seen without pulsations.

Deep brain stimulation may help ease neuropathic pain

LONDON: For many patients with difficult-totreat neuropathic pain, deep brain stimulation (DBS) can lead to long-term improvement in pain scores and other outcomes. About two-thirds of eligible patients who undergo DBS achieve significant and lasting benefits in terms of pain, quality of life, and overall health, according to Sandra G.J. Boccard, PhD, and colleagues of University of Oxford. Some outcomes show continued improvement after the first year, according to the new study, which is one of the largest studies of DBS for neuropathic pain performed to date. The researchers reviewed their 12-year experience with DBS for neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is a common and difficult-to-treat type of pain caused by nerve damage, seen in patients with trauma, diabetes, and other conditions. A mild electrical current is delivered to stimulate that area of the brain, with the goal of interrupting abnormal activity. Deep brain stimulation has become a standard and effective treatment for movement disorders such as Parkinson`s disease. Although DBS has also been used to treat various types of chronic pain, its role in patients with neuropathic pain remains unclear.

from its equator. Jets shooting away from the star's poles mainly shaped the supernova explosion and its aftermath. The remnant now glows brightly in X-rays and other wavelengths, offering the evidence for a peculiar explosion. By tracing the distribution and amounts of different elements in the stellar debris field, researchers were able to compare the Chandra data to theoretical models of how a star explodes. For example, they found iron in only half of the remnant while other elements such as sulfur and silicon were spread throughout. This matches predictions for an

esearchers have shown that part of Australia's rich plant diversity was wiped out by the ice ages, demonstrating that extinction, probably more than evolution, influences biodiversity. The research led by the University of Melbourne and University of Tasmania has shown that plant diversity in South East Australia was as rich as some of the most diverse places in the world, and that most of these species went extinct during the ice ages, probably about one million years ago. The team's work was recently published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Sniderman of the University of Melbourne's School of Earth Sciences said the findings show extinction is just as important to diversity of organisms as evolution. "Traditionally scientists

Ice age extinction shaped Australian plant diversity

believed some places have more species than others because species evolved more rapidly in these places. The study compared two regions of Southern Australia and South Africa. "The southern tip of South Africa is even richer, with astonishing numbers of similar kinds of plants like proteas and ericas." Scientists have long maintained that this diversity is somehow related to the poor soils and dry summers of these places. Researchers analysed plant fossils that accumulated in an ancient lake in South East Australia. They found the region had at least as many tough-leaved plants 1.5 mn yrs ago as Western Australia and South Africa do today. The results were entirely unexpected.The study was done in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa.

Next Private Spacecraft Launch to Space Station Set for March 1

ancer drugs should kill tumors, not encourage their spread. But new evidence suggests that an otherwise promising class of drugs may actually increase the risk of tumors spreading to bone, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine. The drugs, IAP antagonists, block survival signals that many cancer cells rely on to stay alive. Working in mice, the investigators found that targeting the same protein that makes tumors vulnerable to death also overactivates cells called osteoclasts, which are responsible for tearing down bone. "These investigational drugs are getting broad attention right now because they seem to be very effective against primary tumors," says senior author Deborah V. Novack, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine. "There is also excitement because until now, these drugs have not appeared to have major side effects." The research appears in the February issue of Cancer Discovery. In light of the study, Novack urges oncologists to think about protecting bone in patients

Emerging cancer drugs may drive bone tumors

taking IAP antagonists, including patients with cancers that don't typically spread to bone. Numerous IAP antagonists are in early clinical trials against breast, lung, pancreatic, ovarian, prostate, liver, skin and blood cancers. "For many of these cancers, doctors are not watching bone," Novack says. "Osteoporosis is not the biggest concern when treating cancer, but if they're not doing bone scans, they may miss a cancer spreading to bone." To maintain healthy bone, osteoclasts work in tandem with cells that build new bone. But IAP antagonists overactivate osteoclasts, destroying bone that is not replaced. In mice, the researchers showed that the drug led to osteoporosis, creating an environment that encouraged tumor growth in degrading bone, even while simultaneously killing breast cancer cells elsewhere. After showing that the problem with IAP antagonists is specific to bone, Novack and her colleagues tested long-established drugs called bisphosphonates that inhibit osteoclasts and are used to treat osteoporosis.

he next private cargo mission to the International Space Station is slated to blast off March 1. The unmanned Dragon capsule, built by California-based firm SpaceX, will launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:10 a.m. EST (1510 GMT) on March 1 and arrive at the orbiting lab a day later. Dragon will carry about 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of supplies and scientific experiments to the station, NASA officials said. It will return to Earth on March 25, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California with about 2,300 pounds (1,043 kg) of experiment samples and equipment onboard. The flight will be SpaceX's second contracted cargo mission to the station for NASA and third visit overall. Dragon first arrived at the orbiting lab on a historic test flight last May, and then made its initial bona fide supply run this past October. SpaceX holds a $1.6 billion deal with NASA to make 12 such flights with Dragon and its Falcon 9 rocket. The agency also signed a $1.9 billion contract with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. for eight cargo flights using the

company's Antares rocket and Cygnus capsule. Orbital plans to fly a demonstration mission to the station later this year. The contracts are part of a NASA effort to encourage American private spaceships to fill the cargo- and crewcarrying void left by the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in July 2011.Dragon is in the running to ferry astronauts as well. In its latest round of commercial crew awards, NASA granted SpaceX funding to continue developing a manned version of Dragon. Boeing also got money for its CST-100 capsule, as did Sierra Nevada Corp. for its Dream Chaser space plane. NASA hopes at least one of these vehicles is ready to fly astronauts to and from the space station by 2017. Until such homegrown private spaceships come online, the United States is dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to provide this orbital taxi service.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

YOUTH POLITICS

19

NSF Protest against Higher Education Department NSUI Kishtwar holds protest
JAMMU: National Secular Forum Bishnah College unit protest against concerned MLA for not taking serious interests in the construction of a permanent building for the college in Bishnah. The protesting activists raised slogans against the concerned MLA and Higher Education Department. Addressing the protesters, Narinder Singh District President NSF alleged the concerned MLA and Higher Education Department to ignore the construction of a permanent building for the college. He also said that Govt. Degree College Bishnah is operating in Higher Secondary School and lacks proper infrastructure because of which students suffer in their studies. Singh said that Bishnah Degree College has arts stream only and the students are forced to join this stream. He strongly opposed the concerned MLA that is not working for the people of constituencies. He said that all degree colleges of the Jammu provinces had Science/Commerce stream but Bishnah College was the only exception. This was to the detriment of the student community of Bishnah. but till date no initiative has been taken by the authorities to construct the College building.

over out of syllabus paper

Addressing on the occasion, Koshal Kumar College President demanded the construction of a permanent building for the college, at present housed on the premises of the Govt. Higher Secondary School (Boys). Apart from its negative impact, it disturbed normal functioning of the Higher Secondary School also. He stated that this degree college was opened four years ago but still it had no permanent building. The land for the college is already demarcated in the nearby village of Chak Avtara,

He said that he was disappointed with the concerned MLA for not taking serious interests in getting these two requirements fulfilled. He said absence of Science/ Commerce stream was a big loss to the local student community. He has said that if there will be no consider their demands there will be protest against Concerned authorities by the NSF activists. And, concerned MLA would be responsible for that. Among those who were present in the protest included Sandeep Singh, Parmjeet Singh Rajinder and others.

ABVP condemns assault on JU girl student

JAMMU: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) condemned the assault on a female student of bio-technology department at Jammu University Campus by a group of five unidentified youth over unknown reasons near Guest House. The victim has been identified as Shriya, a student of Bio Technology and a resident of Kishtwar presently staying at Girls Hostel, Jammu University. Sources said that the incident took place when the victim was moving towards her hostel. When Shriya reached near guest house she was intercepted by a group of five youth who thrashed her over some unknown reasons. After thrashing the victim, the assailants managed to escape from the spot. The victim girl reported the matter to the police and acting on the complaint, police registered a case against unidentified persons. State secretary of ABVP Raghav Sharma said that the incident which took place at the university campus in the broad daylight has exposed the scenario of Jammu University. "He said while the world has declared 2013 as women safety year, the female students in Jammu University are facing such situation, which is highly shameful " he said. He appealed to Vice Chancellor of Jammu University to personally intervene into the matter and take strict action against the culprits.

KISHTWAR: National Student Union of India (NSUI), district Kishtwar, held a protest demonstration against State Board of Technical Education over what they alleged that the questions in their paper were out of syllabus. Led by state general secretary NSUI, Wassim Saroori and district president Kishtwar, Saqib Lone, students from Government Polytechnic College Kishtwar held a strong protest demonstration at Kishtwar due to which traffic was disrupted for about one hour. Ravi Kumar, a student of civil engineering and joint co-coordinator Kishtwar, Prakash Singh said that 30% of Physics Paper was out of

syllabus. They demanded from board authorities to give grace marks in that paper. Later, college authority arrived to the spot and listened to the demand of students. They assured them that they will discuss this matter with board members and will resolve the issue. Following assurance from college administration, the students lifted their dharna after which traffic movement was restored. Dheeraj Prakash, Bikram Singh, Umar Butt, Sagar Chand, Shagun Sharma, Vickey Kumar, Mohit Parihar, Shravan shan, Zia Zargar, Sanjay, Arvind Shan and other activists were also present during the protest

Youth lead rallies across India to promote 'One Billion Rising' campaign
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of youth across India led and took part in rallies held as part of One Billion Rising campaign against women crimes in the national capital. Despite Valentine's Day celebrations in New Delhi, a significant number of locals equally comprising of men and women gathered at the historic Jantar Mantar and performed dances to spread awareness against gender discrimination and sexual abuse. Apart from raising slogans and displaying banners, the awareness was relayed to the society through dances and songs. The global campaign for women's rights and safety under the banner of 'One Billion Rising' received an overwhelming response in India's central and southern states too.

NSF constituted its team for Bishnah Tehsil

JAMMU: The National Secular Forum tehsil Unit Bishnah organized one-day convention for activists at Bishnah. Large number of activists attended the convention and discuses the various issues related to the students. NSF noticed that there are lot of problems that are being faced by the students and the people of this place and nothing has been done so far by the concerned MLAS to overcome with the problems that are being faced by the residents of that place. On the occasion Dr.Vikas Sharma State President NSF, was the chief guest, Sukdev Singh State VicePresident NSF was the guest of honhoped that they will work unitedly for the organization. Dr.Vikas Sharma stressed upon the govt. to apply a serious thought to strengthen the rural Education Infrastructure and support under privileged children besides, strengthening the education system. He said that all degree colleges of the Jammu provinces had science stream but Bishnah College was the only exception. This was to the detriment of the student community of Bishnah. He also demanded the construction of a permanent building for the college, at present housed on the premises of the Govt. Higher Secondary School (Boys).

ABVP wins Ambedkar University's student union elections

AGRA: All India Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has won eight out of 12 seats in the student union elections of Dr B R Ambedkar University on Friday, bagging the top two posts of president and vice-president. Navin Kumar and Tanya Paliwal of the ABVP were elected President and Vice President respectively, while Vineet Kushwaha of the Samajwadi Party Chhatra Sabha (SPCS) bagged the post of General Secretary in the elections .

ors, and District President Narinder Singh presided over the convention. In which convention framed a body for Bishnah Tehsil. Surjeet Singh Sidhu has been

appointed as President NSF Bishnah Unit. Parvinder Singh Puto was appointed as Chairman. Vikas Sharma President NSF, welcomed all the members in the organization and

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EDUCATION WATCH

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Nalanda University should be in UNESCO heritage list: Khurshid

RAJGIR: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid advocated for inclusion of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. "The university deserves a place in the world's heritage list," he said after a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting in Rajgir, about 80 km from Patna. Khurshid said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's proposal for inclusion of Nalanda University, the Buddhist seat of learning in ancient times, in the world heritage list has reached Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Khurshid said the Centre would extend all assistance, including special arrangements in the Budget, to of relations with other nations. "Trade and financial relationship are developed between two nations but cultural diplomacy has emerged as a more effective tool of establishing international relations as it establishes a chord between people of one country with another," he said. Besides Khurshid, eight members of Parliament participated in the meeting at the newly constructed International convention centre at Rajgir, the tourist hotspot in Nalanda district. The MPs who attended the meeting included Vijay Bahadur Singh, D Raja, Arjun Meghwal, Abdul Rahman, N K Raghvan, Ask Ali Tak, RCP Singh and Tarun Vijay.

Prof Narayanan to head IIIT-H

HYDERABAD: Prof. P J Narayanan, Dean (Research and Development) of International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Hyderabad) will take over as the Director of the institute from July 24, marking the commencement of the academic year. He will succeed Prof. Rajeev Sangal who served the institute as Director for over a decade. "The Governing Council of the institute has selected Narayanan for the top post," Sangal said. Talking to presspersons on the sidelines of annual R&D showcase here on Saturday, Sangal said he would continue to teach at the institute for some more time as Chaired Professor and Director Emeritus. At the two-day showcase, IIIT students of various streams have presented their projects and ideas in the areas of structural engineering, robotics, agriculture, solar technologies, machine translation and mobile applications. Some of the projects that attracted the attention of the visitors were a catch-catch game where toy cars played the cat-and-mouse and a call centre that gives voice-based answers for queries from farmers. The students also presented a case study that looked into the structural preparedness of buildings in Chandigarh and Nanded for tackling earthquakes. "The idea is to make students from other colleges aware of what kind of research is going on here. It will also help corporates to have a feel of the R&D work being done here," Sangal said.

accelerate the construction process of Nalanda University so that the academic session could be started at the earliest. He said cultural diplomacy today holds primacy in betterment

CBSE to train teachers on CCE implementation

NEW DELHI: Central Board for Secondary Education has launched a two- day training programme for teachers which compliment CBSE's efforts to implement Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) to bring awareness on the role of assessment. The Programme held in collaboration with CBSE and Centre for Assessment, Evaluation and Research (CAER) aims to facilitate smooth implementation of CCE. The sole thought behind setting up CAER was to ensure complete realization of CCE. The training will be conducted amongst groups of 25 teachers and over 600 trainings covering close to 15,000 teachers across India will be held. Teachers are expected to use their knowledge of assessment theory in this exercise to develop a range of assessment tasks that will help them reliably capture the image of what students know and can do, said Jim Tognolini, a board member at the Centre for Assessment, Evaluation and Research (CAER). CBSE has worked with the Pearson Foundation to establish CAER. The training programme comprises modules such as constructing quality multiple choice items and response items to access the scholastic skills of the curriculum and module based on classroom-based research. In the first phase, the Programme is to be held in Delhi, Chandigarh and Indore.

CBSE to make accreditation must from 2013

NEW DELHI: Accreditation will be mandatory for schools affiliated with Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) from session starting 2013, April. All the schools affiliated with CBSE will have to get themselves accredited within three years, failing which will lose their affiliation. CBSE is planning to roll out the School Quality Assessment and Accreditation (SQAA) process for its schools from the new academic year; it will be a mandatory process. Vineet Joshi Chairman, CBSE said "It is to encourage qualitative enhancement. The aim is to provide quality benchmarks in the concept, establishment and running of effective systems within an institution in accordance with changing socio-economic and cultural contexts and new research. It has also been made mandatory that the parameters. Schools will have to spend Rs 50,000 for the entire process; under this schools will get a window of three years to express their intent. SQAA will be a multidimensional process where school administration, teachers, students will be quizzed as well as inputs will be taken from alumni to give weight age. "It will be a comprehensive assessment. At the micro-level , schools will have to satisfy the trained external peer assessor team of maintaining standards in curriculum planning, student assessment and performance, sanitation, provisions for disabled and greenery," said Joshi

school get accredited once every three years." CBSE has around 11,500 schools in its fold, has authorized 12 agencies to conduct SQAA. After successful pilot run last year, CBSE has finalized the process based on seven board

Haryana to implement school nurture policy

CHANDIGARH: For creation of a pool of partners committed to strengthen the education sector, the Haryana Education Department intends to implement School Nurture Policy, Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said. Bhukkal said the state has 16,000 government primary and high schools catering to the educational needs of about 26 lakh children who are mostly from the low and middle strata of the society. compulsory and quality education for all children in the age group of 6-14 years, she said in a release. The Minister said that as a nurturer one needs to choose a school from the list. "In case one desires to donate any item one has to file an application. In case one wants to adopt a school for all round development or for any specific capacity building and training intervention within a school one has to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department," she said. She said there was ample scope for intervention based on the needs of schools, children, the kind of education required and local issues. "Quality education is the deciding factor in all aspects of this programme. However, as an entry point, the Department has listed various possible interventions like capacity building and trainings, teaching and learning related activities and supportive and construction activities for class rooms, drinking water facility, sanitation and play ground. Apart from this, vocational education and science education are other such interventions," she said. Bhukkal said that a donor can choose the school and the kind of donation that one wants to make.

ADMISSION BOOKING 2013

12th Pass or 12th Class studying students who are interested in Engg. / Medical fields are informed to get their seats booked in reputed colleges of Northern India under Management seats without any donation securing 50% marks in Phy, Chem, Maths/Bio for the following courses, M.D.S, B.D.S, M. Tech, B. Tech, B. Sc Nursing, B. Pharmacy, Diploma in all streams G.N.M, M.Ed, B.Ed, MBA, LLB, Hotel Management, MCA, BBA etc.

RAINA EDUCATION CONSULTANCY

(Opposite Sub Treasury Tirth Nagar Talab Tillo Jammu) Mob: 94191-37183

The state government was committed to ensure free,

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SPORTS

21

Parvez Rasool becomes first cricketer Zeballos defeated Nadal to Win VTR OPEN 2013 from J&K to bag an IPL contract orld No. 73 Andujar, fifth seed Albert

ll-rounder Parvez Rasool on 14 February 2013 became first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to bag an IPL contract, signing up with Pune Warriors for the 2013 season. He, who was a star performer for the Board President's XI by grabbing seven Australian wickets, was being chased by at least three franchises but the 24-year-old signed on dotted lines for the Sahara Pariwar owned franchise. Since Rasool is an uncapped player, he will be getting Rs 20 lakh as per IPL norms.

ndia maintained their number one spot in the ICC ODI Championship table in the latest rankings issued in Dubai on 11 February 2013. Both India and England have same 119 rating points, but England lags behind on the basis of decimal points. Australia and South Africa follow the top two teams closely with 116 and 112 points respectively. Among the batsmen, South African run

India maintained their Number One Spot in the ICC ODI Championship Table
machine Hashim Amla is at number one followed by fellow countryman AB Devilliers. India's Virat Kohli is at number three followed closely by the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Among the bowlers, Pakistan off spinner Saeed Ajmal maintains his top billing followed by Mohammad Hafeez. In the All rounder's category, Pakistan skipper Mohammed Hafeez is the leader followed by Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan.

Horacio Zeballos defeated Rafael Nadal 6-7 (2) 7-6 (6) 6-4 to win his first ATP World Tour trophy in VTR OPEN 2013 on 10 February 2013 in Vina del Mar, Chile in Men's Singles. Horacio Zeballos became the second first-time winner in ATP World Tour 2013. The first one was Australian Bernard Tomic who won at Apia International Sydney. 27-year-old Horacio Zeballos knocked all the four seeded opponents to grab the title. Apart from Nadal, he defeated fourth seed Pablo

Ramos and eighth seed Carlos Berlocq. Rafael Nadal, additionally also lost in Men's Doubles after he and Juan Monaco of Argentina lost to Italians Paolo Lorenzi and Potito Starace (62, 6-4). About VTR OPEN 2013 * VTR OPEN 2013 was played on the clay courts. It is a tennis tournament. This was the 20th edition of VTR OPEN and also a part of ATP World Tour 250 series of the Horacio Zeballos 2013 ATP World Tour. * VTR OPEN 2013 took place * It took place from 2 Feb in Via del Mar, Chile. 2013 to 10 Feb 2013.

Lydia Ko becomes youngest winner of women's European Tour event

ydia K o , t h e teenager b e c a m e youngest winLydia Ko ner of a women's European Tour golf event by winning at New Zealand Women's Open in Christchurch on 10 February 2013. This is her third victory of the professional title. She is aged just 15 years,

ndian Tennis Players Association (ITPA), a collective body of Indian Tennis players was designed on 11 February 2013. The ITPA would be responsible to represent the concerns and professional interests of its members. The association is being constituted as there exist no particular structure in tennis to represent or address the issues of the tennis players in India. The modeling of the ITPA is done on the basis of (Association of Tennis Professionals) ATP and will operate on the basic principle of self governance and consultative dialogue, to arrive at decisions that impact the professional tennis of the country.

IIPA formed to address the concerns of Tennis Players

The ITPA is being constituted under section 25 company and the membership is opened for all former and current, national and international tennis players. The association is being constituted as a non-profit body and the founding members include Davis Cup winners Jaidip Mukerjea, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman, Prahlad Srinath and Mustafa Ghouse, Enrico Piperno, Rohan Bopanna, Manisha Malhotra, AITA vice-president Karti P. Chidambaram and Aditya Sachdeva (High Performance Coaching Director). Every member of the body have equal voting rights for election of a general body to identify ITPA's operations.

eight months and 17 days. Lydia Ko in the meanwhile, also became the third amateur, who won on women's European Tour. First and second amateurs were Gillian Stewart and Yang respectively. Ko at present is at number 38 on professional rankings of the world. Her first victory was in pro tour event which took place at ALPG's Bing Lee Samsung Women's NSW Open in early 2012 when Lydia Ko was just 14 years of age.

anchi Rhinos beat Delhi Waveriders 21 to win the inaugural Hockey India League (HIL) in the match at Astroturf Hockey Stadium on 10 February 2013. Apart from winning the trophy, Ranchi Rhinos took away 2.5 crore Rupees. Runners-up Delhi Waveriders on the other hand, pocketed 1.25 crore Rupees. Uttar Pradesh Wizards that completed in the third place took away 75 lakh Rupees. Uttar Pradesh Wizards defeated Punjab Warriors 4-3 to claim third position. Mumbai Magicians

HIL: Rhinos clinch inaugural edition, defeat Waveriders

player Sandeep Singh hit maximum goals (11) in the tournament. Awards from the Hockey India League (HIL) * Hero Goal of the Day: Manpreet Singh * Man-ofthe-Match: Mauritz Furtse * Fair-Play Award: Ranchi Rhinos * Hero Player of the Tournament : Sardar Singh * Ponty Chadha Trophy for Upcoming Player of the Tournament :Mandeep Singh * Airtel Award for Most Goals in the Tournament : Delhi Waveriders

Special Olympics World Winter Games

ndia bagged 46 Medals in 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Pyeongchang (South Korea) India clinched record 46 medals in the 2013 Pyeongchang Special Olympics World Winter Games. The games were organized at Pyeongchang and Gangneung in South Korea. India's medal tally includes 13 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze from mentally-challenged. The medal tally of India doubled from World Winter Games 2009.

About 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games held at South Korea:
Held at Pyeongchang and Gangneung in South Korea it was 11th event of its kind. The mascots were Ra, In and Bow. * The event witnessed participation of 2200 athletes from more than 120 countries. * Athletes competed in 8 categories of sports- alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, figure skating, short track speed skating, floor hockey and floorball.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

They are the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing yearround training and competitions to more than 4 million athletes in 170 countries. * Special Olympics World Games are held alternatively between summer and winter games. Special Olympics World Games are held every two years.

* 1968 - First International Special Olympics Summer Games held at Soldier Field in Chicago. * 1971 - US Olympic Committee gave the Special Olympics official approval to use the name "Olympics" * 2011 - Games held at Athens, Greece * 2013 - Games held at Pyeongchang, South Korea * 2015 - Games to be held at Los Angeles, California * 2017 - Games to be held at Graz and Schladming, Austria

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SPORTS

22
Women's WC: Sri Lanka thrash South Africa by 87 runs to finish 5th
CUTTACK: Sri Lanka thrashed South Africa by 87 runs to finish fifth in the ICC Women's World Cup in Cuttack on Feb 15. Batting first at the Barabati Stadium, Sri Lanka put up a decent score of 243 for seven in stipulated 50 overs with useful contributions from the middle-order. In reply, South Africa were bundled out for a paltry 156 in only 40.1 overs with off-spinner Shashikala Siriwardene picking up four for 32. Among the Lankan batswomen, Chamari Atapattu was the top-scorer with a patient 52 off 106 balls. She hit five boundaries. The other contributions came from Deepika Rasangika (43), Siriwardene (44) and Eshani Kaushalya (43). While replying, barring Shandre Fritz, who scored 54, none of the other batters were able to get on with the chase as the Lankan bowlers had complete control. Sripali Weerakkody (2/15) and Chamani Seneviratna (2/35) kept things tight as they polished off the top-order while Sriwardene then came on to run through the middle and lower-order.

World's football administrators to discuss match-fixing

NEW DELHI: In the wake of Europol's expose of large-scale match-fixing in the sport, senior law enforcement officials and football administrators from across the world are gathering in Kuala Lumpur to attend a seminar on 'Match fixing: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game'. The seminar, to be held on February 20 and 21 in the Malaysian capital, is part of the Interpol international conference for representatives from Asian Football Confederation (AFC)'s Member Associations and law enforcement agencies. Hundreds of soccer matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on February 4, in a blow to the image of the world's most popular sport. About 680 suspicious matches including qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships, and the Champions League for top European club sides, have been identified in an inquiry by European police forces, the European anticrime agency Europol, and national prosecutors. Europol chief Rob Wainwright termed the expose "match-fixing on a scale we have not seen before". "This is a sad day for European football. This is now an integrity issue for football. Those responsible for running the games should hear the warnings," Wainwright had said. The world's most popular sport, football, is played on every continent. The World Cup and Europe's Champions League are beamed worldwide and generate billions of dollars for national associations, clubs and broadcasters. The matches in question, some of which have already been subject to successful criminal prosecutions, were played between 2008 and 2011, the investigators said.About 380 of the suspicious matches were played in Europe, and a further 300 were identified in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Nadal wins in singles debut at Brazil Open

IOC decision to drop wrestling surprises Russia

MOSCOW: International Olympic Committee`s (IOC) decision to remove wrestling from the Games programme is surprising, president of the Russian Olympic Committee said, vowing to appeal for a reversed decision. Alexander Zhukov vowed to do his best to persuade the IOC not to exclude wrestling from the Summer Olympics-2020. "For us it was highly unexpected, but at the IOC session we`ll do our best to persuade the IOC members to keep wrestling intact," he said . "It is hard to imagine the Olympic Games without wrestling." The IOC executive committee will discuss the future of wrestling as an Olympic sport along with seven other sports, namely baseball, karate, roller skating, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu, also known as kung fu in May. The final decision will be made by the 125th session of the IOC in September in Argentina`s capital Buenos Aires.

SAO PAULO: Spain's Rafael Nadal scored an easy twoset victory in his singles debut at the Brazil Open on Feb 14. The former world number one needed only 78 minutes to prevail over Brazilian Joao Souza, ranked 101st in the world 6-3, 6-4.Nadal advanced to the quarterfinals "It was an important victory for me," Nadal said. "The conditions are very difficult. The court is very fast, the ball too." Asked about his injured left knee, he replied: "I think it was acceptable, normal. Let's hope it will be the same on Friday. The important things is that it (the knee) does not hurt." Nadal, currently ranked number five in the world, only returned to the tour in Chile last week after a sevenmonth injury absence. The USD 455,775 Brazil Open is part of the Latin American clay court circuit, along with the Vina del Mar and the Mexico Open in Acapulco where Nadal plans to play later this month.

England beat New Zealand to win T20 series 2-1

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND: Alex Hales produced a batting masterclass as England dominated New Zealand with both bat and ball to race to a 10-wicket win in the T20 series decider in Wellington on Feb 15. Stung by a heavy loss in the second match in Hamilton on Feb 12, England bounced back to restrict New Zealand to 139 for eight after sending the home team into bat, with Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach bagging three wickets apiece. Hales and fellow opener Michael Lumb then dismantled the New Zealand attack to overhaul the 140-run target in just 12.4 overs in front of a stunned Wellington crowd. Hales scored 80 off 42 balls, including four sixes and nine fours, while Lumb notched 53 off 34 deliveries, sending the ball onto the roof of Westpac Stadium to bring up the winning runs with his fifth six of the night. Opener Martin Guptill (59) top-scored for New Zealand but the Black Caps struggled for runs and their bowlers allowed England to score at will, giving them no chance of defending their modest total. "I'm delighted we could put on a display like that. The bowlers were fantastic then the batsman entertained," Broad said. "We've played hardfought cricket." Despite admitting he was wrong to make the Black Caps bat first in Hamilton, Broad again elected to bowl after winning the toss, aware the chasing side has won all four previous T20 internationals at Westpac Stadium. The gamble paid early dividends when he enticed Hamish Rutherford (11) into a pull shot with a short-pitched delivery in the fourth over which sailed to Dernbach in the field for an easy catch. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and Guptill steadied the innings. But they struggled for runs before McCullum tried to break the shackles and was caught on 26 attempting to cart James dismissing James Franklin for 15 with the final ball of the innings. New Zealand's disappointments continued in the field as Taylor and McCullum both missed difficult catches in the opening overs and the England batsmen punished lacklustre bowling. Lumb swatted consecutive sixes off Mitchell McClenaghan, while Alex Hales took three fours as Ian Butler conceded 23 runs off his second over, including five wides and four leg byes. It was then Hales's turn to take the long handle to McClenaghan, taking three sixes and a four off one over as he brought up his half century in 34 balls. With England scoring at will, New Zealand should have run out Lumb to gain a consolation wicket but McCullum missed the stumps and the Englishman went on to emphatically belt the ball out of the park for the win. New Zealand will now look to regroup before the first one-day international in Hamilton on Feb 17.

Tredwell over the boundary. Incoming batsman Ross Taylor managed the first six of the innings in the next over off the bowling of Joe Root before being caught out. It capped a disappointing T20 series for Taylor, who has averaged less than eight in three innings since he returned to the international fold after being dropped as captain late last year. With Grant

Elliott (15) and Colin Munro (1) failing to produce, the pressure was on Guptill to play out a big innings for the Black Caps. He managed 59 off 55 balls and looked threatening in the latter stages of the innings before Broad caught and bowled him for his third wicket. Dernbach mopped up in the last over, dismissing Nathan McCullum for a golden duck and

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EMPLOYMENT NEWS

23

Asian Development Bank Recruitment 2013

At Asian Development Bank (ADB), our professionals from various areas of expertise embark on a quest for opportunities for inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. If you find fulfillment in sharing your knowledge and skills, we encourage you to be a part of our vision for Asia and the Pacific. International Staff Vacancies Position Title Department Reference Date Posted Closing Date Number Young Professionals Budget, Personnel, ADB-HR-13-0044 21 Jan 2013 19 Apr 2013 Program (Assignments and Management in Regional Systems Department Departments and Private Sector Operations Dept.) Counsel Office of the General ADB-HR-13-0105 7 Feb 2013 21 Feb 2013 Counsel Senior Country Southeast Asia ADB-HR-13-0104 7 Feb 2013 21 Feb 2013 Specialist Department ADBI Vacancies Position Title Department Date Posted Closing Date (Senior) Research Fellow Research 31 Jan 13 1 Mar 2013 Capacity Building and Capacity Building and Training 5 Feb 13 4 Oct 2013 Training Economist National and Administrative Staff Vacancies in Manila (Headquarters) Position Title Department Reference Date Posted Closing Date Number Senior Risk Office of Risk ADB-HR-13-0103 5 Feb 2013 20 Feb 2013 Management Officer Management Associate Information Office of Information ADB-HR-13-0096 4 Feb 2013 18 Feb 2013 Technology Officer Systems and (IT Governance) Technology Legal Operations Office of the ADB-HR-13-0095 1 Feb 2013 15 Feb 2013 Assistant General Counsel National and Administrative Staff Vacancies in Resident Missions (Country Offices) Position Title Department Reference Date Posted Closing Date Number Senior Project Officer PRC Resident ADB-HR-13-0101 6 Feb 2013 23 Feb 2013 (Water Supply Mission, East Asia & Sanitation) Department Operations Assistant Afghanistan Resident ADB-HR-13-0097 4 Feb 2013 18 Feb 2013 Mission, Central and West Asia Department Associate Procurement PRC Resident Mission, ADB-HR-13-0061 30 Jan 2013 18 Feb 2013 Officer East Asia Department Candidates are required to go to the Bank's website for more details www.adb.org

Union Public Service Commission Recruitment

Union Public Service Commission invites applications for various posts Last Date: 28.02.2013 Union Public Service Commission invites online applications for the recruitment of Joint director, Marketing Officers, Junior Works Manager, Assistant Director General/Director, Deputy Director (Accounts), Divisional Officer. Union Public Service Commission vacancy detail: S.No Vacancy No. Name of Post Vacancies 1 (13020201509) Joint Director (Crops v Development Directorates) in Crops Division, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture 2 (13020202509) Joint Director (Extension) in 2 posts Directorate of Extension, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture 3 (13020203209) Marketing Officer (Group - III) 4 posts (Oils and Fats) in Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture 4 (13020204609) Junior Works Manager 2 posts (Leather Technology) in Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence 5 (13020205609) Junior Works Manager (Civil) 4 posts in Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence 6 (13020206609) Junior Works Manager 10 posts (Metallurgical) in Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence 7 (13020207409) Assistant Director General/ 3 posts Director, Ministry of Tourism 8 (13020208409) Deputy Director (Accounts) in Directorate of Extension, 1 post Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture 9 (13020209209) Divisional Officer (Fire) in 2 posts Delhi Fire Service, Govt. of NCT of Delhi Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit: * Age limit of Joint director: Not exceeding 48 years. * Age limit of Joint Director, Assistant Director General/Director, Deputy Director, Divisional Officer: Not exceeding 40 years * Age limit of Marketing Officer: 30 years * Age limit of Junior Works Manager is Between 21 and 30 years. Educational Qualification: Graduate and Post Graduate candidates can apply for this vacancies. Please see official notification for detailed eligibility criteria. How to Apply: Candidates are requested to apply only Online against this advertisement on the Online Recruitment Application (ORA) website http://www.upsconline.nic.in and NOT write to the Commission for Application forms. They are also requested to go through the details of posts carefully and instructions published below as well as on the website http://www.upsconline.nic.in

POWERGRID RECRUITMENT 2013

Power Grid Corporation of India limited Invites the eligible candidates who fulfill the following eligibility criterion for filling up the vacancies given below. Detail of Vacancies: - 160 posts 1 Field Engineer (on Temporary Contract Basis) :- 52 posts 2 Field Supervisor (on Temporary Contract Basis) :- 108 posts Age Limit: - Minimum Age limit is 18 Years as on 28.02.2013. Educational Qualifications :- B.E/ B.Tech/ B.SC(Engg)/ AMIE in Electronics & Communication Engineering discipline from recognized University/ Institute with minimum 55% marks. Diploma in Electronics & Communication Engineering from recognized technical Board/ Institute with minimum 55% marks. Application Fee: - Application fee is to be paid in form of A/c Payee Demand Draft in favour of "POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD" Payable at Hyderabad (Preferably drawn on State Bank of Hyderabad). Application fee is not refundable for any reason whatsoever. Field Engineer - Rs. 200/ Only Field Supervisor - Rs. 100/ Only. How To Apply: - Interested eligible candidates should send their applications THE CHIEF MANAGER(HR) / HOP POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD. SRTS-I, REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS # 6-6 8/32 & 395E, KAVADIGUDA MAIN ROAD, SECUNDERABAD - 500080 (ANDHRA PRADESH) www.powergridindia.com LAST DATE: - 28th Feb 2013.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EMPLOYMENT NEWS

24

Indian Air Force Group 'C' Civilian Posts Direct Recruitment 2013
Posted by admin on Feb 5th, 2013 Indian Air Force is one of the three major wings of Indian Armed Service Wings guarding the areal boundaries of the vast nation. As the force signifies, it has a majority of job profiles associated with Flying and associated duties. Apart from the flying duties, Air Force also commissions various other services, those are required for administration, technical support as well as maintenance of this huge infrastructure. With the recent initiative Indian Air Force Head Quarter Training Command, applications are invited from Indian Nationals for direct recruitment into various Group 'C' positions. The details of the eligibility criteria for application are as follows: Name and Number of Vacancies: 1 Positions: Stenographer, Cook, Safaiwala, Multi Tasking Staff, Mess Staff, Painter, Carpenter, Ward Sahayika, Dhobi, Aaya 2 Number of Positions: Total 115 positions out of which reservations for SC, ST, OBC are done as per Service Recruitment Norms 3 Last date for receipt of application form: 21 days from the date of Publication of this notification Age: 1 For Stenographer: The candidate must be within 19-25 years of age as on the last date for receipt of application 2 For all other positions: The candidate must be within 19-27 years of age as on the last date for receipt of application Note: relaxation in upper age limit is applicable as per rules Educational Eligibility, Pay Package: a) For Stenographer: Pay scale - PB-1 - Rs.5200-Rs.20200 and grade Pay of Rs.2400 - Education - 10+2 pass or equivalent - Skill - Dictation for 10 minutes@ 80 wpm and Transcription @65 minutes (English) and @75 minutes (Hindi) on Manual Type Writer and @50 minutes (English) and 65 minutes (Hindi) on Computer b) For Cook, Painter & Carpenter: Pay scale - PB-1 - Rs.5200-Rs.20200 and grade Pay of Rs.1900 - Education - Matriculation pass or equivalent Skill - 6 months experience in respective trades/ ITI certificate of relevant trades c) For all other positions: Pay scale - PB-1 - Rs.5200-Rs.20200 and grade Pay of Rs.1800 - Education - Matriculation pass or equivalent - Skill - At least 1 year of relevant experience in their concerned trades How to Apply: a) Interested candidates who fulfill the minimum basic eligibility criteria are required through the prescribed application form as available at the website of DAVP at http://www.davp.nic.in/WriteReadData/ADS/eng_10601_31_1213b.pdf. b) The candidates need to ensure that they fill up complete details and attach all essential credentials, photographs before submitting their application forms. c) The candidates need to ensure that they have signed at appropriate spaces as required on the application form. d) The photograph must be of 3.5cmX4.5 cm size. e) The application with photocopies duly signed should be attached with a self addressed envelope of 24 inch X 11 inch size and must be submitted at the concerned offices under the Head Quarter Training Command, Indian Air Force, JC Nagar Post, Bangalore - 560006. f) The applications should be super-scribed as "APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF " in bold and capital letters.

Delhi Police Recruitment 2013

Applications are invited from the eligible candidates who fulfill the following eligibility criterion for filling up the vacancies given below Detail of Vacancies :1 Head Constable (AWO/TPO) 158 posts 2 Head Constable (Ministerial) 96 Posts Educational Qualifications :10+2 (Senior Secondary) from a Recognized Board Application Fee :- Rs. 100/- the application fee for SC/ST and ExServiceman Candidates Is Exempted. How To Apply :Application Form Should Send Through Ordinary Post at Post Box No. 8020 Delhi - 110033 latest by 28 February 2013 LAST DATE :- 28 Feb. 2013 For details, the applicants are requested to go through the website of Delhi Police: i) www.delhipolice.nic.in ii)www.delhipolicerecruitment.nic .in

RECRUITMENT OF TEMPORARY WOMEN CONSTABLE (EXECUTIVE)- IN DELHI POLICE -2013

Applications from Indian nationals are invited to fill up the following vacancies to the post of Women Constable (Executive) in Delhi Police in the pay scale of ` 5200-20200 in Pay Band 1 with Grade Pay of ` 2000 & other allowances as admissible:No. of vacancies* UR-265, OBC-140, SC-78, ST-39, Total-522 Age: 18 to 25 years as on 01.01.2013 (Relaxation in upper age limit for SC/ST-05 years, OBC-03 years, Sportswomen (UR/OBC-05 years and SC/ST-10 years)]. Widow/divorced women/judicially separated women who are not re-marriedupto 30 years, Age concession to departmental candidates as per rules. Educational Qualification: Passed 10+2 (Senior Secondary) from a recognized Board at the time of filling up of the application form. 11th pass for daughters of either serving, retired or deceased Delhi Police personnel/Multi-Tasking Staff of Delhi Police. Physical Standards: Height 157 cms, relaxable by 2 cms for residents of hill areas and SC/ST candidates. Relaxable by 5 cms, for daughters of either serving, retired or deceased Delhi Police personnel/Multi-Tasking Staff of Delhi Police. AVAILABILITY OF APPLICATION FORMS: Offline: a. Application forms printed in the Employment News dated 02.02.2013 b. Typed/photocopied application forms on A4 size paper, strictly as per format published in the Employment News. c. Downloadable application forms on the website of Delhi Police. Online: Application forms are available on the following websites of Delhi Police:a. www.delhipolice.nic.in b. www.delhipolicerecruitment.nic.in Application forms sent in any other format shall be rejected. The application form should be sent through ordinary post at Post Box No. 8020, Delhi- 110033. The application fee would be ` 100/- (in the form of demand/bank draft/banker's cheque) drawn in favour of DCP/Recruitment Cell, New Police Lines, Delhi and should be valid for 3 months. The application fee for SC/ST candidates is exempted, however they will have to attach photocopy of caste certificate alongwith the application form, duly attested by a serving Gazetted Officer. For details, the applicants are requested to go through the websites of Delhi Police or advertisement appearing in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar on 2.2.2013. It contains category-wise number of vacancies, eligibility conditions, medical standards, procedure of filling the form & mode of sending the same, terms & conditions for the posts as well as information regarding physical endurance & measurement test and written test. Applicants should understand all the information and instructions carefully before applying for the post. Last date of submission of application form: 01.03.2013 (G.S.AWANA) ADDL.DY. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, DELHI

HPCL Recruitment 2013

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) with Gross Sales of Rs 1,88,131 Crores and 267th position in the prestigious list of Fortune Global 500 Companies during 2011-12 continues to strive for an impressive growth both in upstream and downstream sectors. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) Invites Application from the eligible candidates who fulfill the following eligibility criterion for filling up the vacancies given below Detail of Vacancies:- General Manager - Exploration & Production Educational Qualifications :- Full Time Post Graduation in Geology / Applied Geology / Geophysics / Applied Geophysics and/or Ph.D in Geology / Geophysics with minimum 60% marks in Graduation as well as in Post-Graduation for Gen/OBC-NC (50% for SC/ST/PwD). All the qualifications should be full time regular course/s from a recognized Institute / University in India / Abroad. How To Apply :- Candidates matching above criteria w.r.t qualification, experience, age etc. can apply online through www.hindustanpetroleum.com OR http://www.prizepetroleum.com. Online submission of the application will be allowed on the website upto 20th February, 2013. LAST DATE: - 20 Feb. 2013

Central Bureau of Investigation

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Invites Application Engagement Of Pairavi officers On contractual Basis in CBI eligible candidates who fulfill the following eligibility criterion for filling up the vacancies given below. Detail of Vacancies: - Pairavi Officers 17 Posts How To Apply: - The application form can be downloaded from CBI website.www.cbi.nic.in the complete application in the prescribed format (annexure ii) along with requisite document may be sent by Regd/speed post on addresses given in Advertisement against each location in (annexure i). LAST DATE :- 01/03/2013

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EMPLOYMENT NEWS

25

Army Public School Ratnuchak BANYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PO Kaluchak (Gangyal, Jammu) SHAURYAAFFILIATED TO CBSE SOCIETY
Affilated with CBSE, New Delhi vide Regn No 730006, 780005 Required staff through LSB
JEEVAN NAGAR, BABLIANA, JAMMU (J&K)
Anticipated Vacancy (Please check the vacancy position before applying) a) PGT-Biology & PHE b) TGT- SST (Chemistry, Geography and Computer Science) c) PRTs, PRT- (Computer Science) d) Counselor e) Art and Craft Teacher Eligiblity PGT BiologyMin 50% marks in Post Graduation or in the higher level of education and minimum 50% marks in B.Ed. also. PGT, PHEAs per CBSE BYE-LAWS TGT & PRTsMinimum 50% marks in Graduation or in the higher level of education and minimum 50% marks in B.Ed. also. TGT & PRT (Computer Science)- M.Tech in Computer Science/MCA or M.Sc in Computer Science or B.Tech in Computer Science/ B.Sc in Computer Science with one year Post Graduation Diploma in Computer Science from University or Recognised Institutions. CounselorBA with Psychology or Graduation with having a certificate or Diploma in Counseling. Art & CraftMA in fine Arts Age- Upto 40 years maximum Salary- As per AWES approved scale Selection Process- Written Test = Interview Application forms are available in School office at nominal cost of Rs 100/- Last date for submission of form is 20th Feb 2013, Written test for PRTs only will be conducted on 26th Feb 2013. Reporting time for written test is 9:30 AM. Short listed candidates will be called for interview. Interview of the short listed candidates and other will be held on 13 March 2013. (Contact No: 0191-2484553) Sd/Principal Website: www.banyaninternational.in Applications are invited from trained and experienced candidates for the following posts. 1. PGT (Eng, Maths, Chem., Bio, B.Studies, Accountancy, Home Science, Geography, Psychology) MA/ M.Sc/ M.Com/ B.Ed. 2. TGT (Eng, Maths, Hindi, Sci (Chem): BA/ B.Sc/ B.Ed PRT (Eng, Maths, Hindi, Sci): BA/ B.Sc/ B.Com/ B.Ed 3. NTT: Relevant degree 4. Transport Officer: Preferably Ex-Serviceman with MT Candidates with Computer proficiency and Fluency in English will be given preference. Interested candidates to submit their applications with 2 recent passport size coloured photographs or email to: banyanintlschool@gmail.com SALARY NO CONSTRAINT FOR DESERVING CANDIDATES TELEPHONE NO:- 0191-2106855, 2106877 Principal

Jammu and Kashmir State Board Of School Education

Rehari Colony Jammu
Employment Notice In compliance to judgment and order passed by Hon'ble Division Bench of High Court of J&K at Jammu dated: 11-10-2010, in LPASW No. 64/07 and LPASW No. 61/07 titled Sharma Bhat V/S Parvinder Kumar Lehria and other and Nirmala Devi V/S Parvinder Kumar Leharia and others respectively, applications on plain paper affixed with recent passport size photograph duly attested by a Gazetted officer accompanied with bank draft of Rs. 100/- (Rupees one hundred only) to be obtained from any Branch of J&K Bank Ltd. Pledged to the chairman J&K State Board of School Education payable at RCC Jammu/Srinagar, are invited from the permanent residents of J&K State possessing the minimum qualification of Graduation (B.A/B.Sc/B.Com) for Desk Job on consolidate wages of Rs. 3750/- per month ( Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Only) for a transitory period of 60 (Sixty Days) only extendable at the option and requirement of the Board, which should along with the following certificates/ testimonials to the office of the Joint Secretary Admn. BOSE Campus, Bemina Bye Pass, Srinagar/Joint Secretary, Administration J.D. at Rehari Colony Jammu by hand or post by before 20th of Feb 2013 1 I. No. of temporary posts on need basis: a) Kashmir Division 10Posts b) Jammu Division 10Posts II Age not more than 37 years and not less than 18 years as on 01-01-2013 III Marks/Qualification Certificate of Matric/Graduation IV State Subject Certificate 2 Applications received after the due date or incomplete in any respect shall be rejected without any notice. S.No Criteria for Selection Marks 1 Qualification (Graduation) 20 marks (To be awarded proportionate to marks %age obtained) 2 Written Test 60 marks (Objective Type Test) 3 Interview 20 marks Candidate who will qualify in Written Test with a minimum of 50% of marks shall be called for interview (Viva-Voce) The Candidates who will be selected and engaged on consolidated basis shall not claim or have any right for permanent appointment/regularization in the BOSE No.: F (Admn-B) CU/13 Sd/Rehari Colony Jammu (Dr. Renu Goswami) Dated: 09-02-2013 Secretary

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu

ADVERTISEMENT Applications on plain paper indicating name/ permanent address /address for correspondence / telephone number (if any) / date of birth /qualification and experience are invited from candidates for the temporary position in the Adhoc project, as detailed below: S. Name of No. of post Emoluments Essential Desirable No the Project (P.M.) Qualification Qualification 1 National Initiative 01 16,000/- plus HRA M.Sc. Agriculture/ Ph.D. Horticulture/ on Climate for 1st and 2nd year Horticulture Fruit Science/Post Resilient Agriculture and 18,000 plus HRA Harvest Technology/ (NICRA) for 3rd year Agronomy/ Project at KVK Kathua Soil Science Terms and conditions for the project: i. Age: The upper age limit for SRF shall be 35 years. ii. The candidates shall have no legal right to claim his/her regularization/ appointment by absorption or otherwise against any regular post or any further contractual engagement as the scheme is purely time bound, non-regular and co-terminus basis with the project. The services of the incumbent shall stand terminated automatically on expiry of the period of the project. iii. The University reserves the right to withdraw advertised post at any stage without assigning any reason. iv. Place of working/Posting: Village Said-Sohal, project site of NICRA project. v. Last date of receipt of application form: Complete application form along with attested testimonials should reach through registered/speed post to "Principal Investigator, NICRA Project, C/o Directorate of Extension, Farmers Hostel, SKUAST-J, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu- 180 009 on or before 18th February, 2013. vi. Date of Interview: 22nd February, 2013 at SKUAST-J, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu. vii. No separate intimation shall be issued & no TA/DA shall be paid for attending the interview. The terms and conditions for the project is available at the University website i.e. www.skuast.org Sd/DIP/J-1803-P Principal Investigator & Programme Coordinator Dt: 06-02-2013 NICRA Project, KVK Kathua

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

EMPLOYMENT NEWS

26

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTORATE HEALTH SERVICES, JAMMU

Sub: Advertisement for filing up of Class-IV posts in the Health Department Divisional/District Cadre. Notification No. 83/NG/2013 Dated: 05-2-2013 Consequent upon the creation of additional/vacant pots in the Health Department & in supersede to all previous Notification issued by this office on the subject, application for all the vacant posts on the enclosed proforma are invited from the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir State in pursuance to the Govt. Order no. 735-GAD of 2008 dated 30.05.2008 read with Govt. Order no.731- GAD of 2010 dated 24.06.2010 for their recruitment to the Class-IV posts in the pay band IS of 4440- 7440 + Grade pay of Rs.1300/- with fixed salary for the first five years in terms of Govt. 257-F of 2011 dated 27.10.2011 read with SRO-332 of 2011 dated 28-10-2011 in different categories. Cadre Open RBA SC ST OBC ALC Total No. of posts Divisional 15 5 3 3 1 27 DISTRICT Jammu 34 05 04 05 01 01 50 Kathua 48 07 06 07 01 01 70 Udhampur 08 03 02 01 01 15 Poonch 15 05 02 02 01 25 Doda 12 02 02 02 01 01 20 Rajouri 16 03 02 03 01 01 26 Kishtwar 10 04 02 02 01 01 20 Ramban 16 03 02 03 01 01 26 Reasi 17 03 03 03 01 01 28 Samba 12 02 02 02 01 01 20 Total 180 37 27 28 6 10 327 Age of candidates applying (as on 1-1-2013) shall not exceed the age limit mentioned below I. Minimum Age limit 18 years. II. Max. General Category 37 Years III. Physically Challenged 39 Years IV. Members of SC/ST/RBA/ALC 48 Years QUALIFICATION REQUIRED Min and Max qualification Matric and 10+2 respectively from any recognized Board. The Candidate must be a permanent resident of his/her respective District and will deposit/submit his/her application form with Chief Medical Officer of the concerned District. Candidate can apply for the District Cadre post in the District to which he/she belongs. HOW TO APPLY 1. Application form, appended as Annexure 'A' to this notification duly filled in by the Candidate in his/her own hand writing complete in all respects, accompanied by two attested passport size photographs one to be affixed at the space in the application form & attested copies of academic certificates, date of birth certificate, marks certificate,(Matric and 10+2) character certificate (from Gazetted Officer), valid reserved category certificate, wherever applicable issued by the competent authority, State subject certificate shall be submitted reach us the application forms complete in all respect must reach the office of the Chief Medical Officer of concerned District by or before 05-03-2013 during office hours. However the application forms for the Divisional Cadre posts shall be submitted/reach in the DIRECTORATE OF HEALTH SERVICES, JAMMU by or before 05.03.2013. No application shall be considered after the expiry date. SELECTION PROCEDURE:In the event of number of candidates who have applied for the posts of Class-IV is large and it is not convenient/ possible for the selection committee to interview all the candidates, the committee shall restrict the number of candidates to be called for interview to the ratio of 1:5 on the basis of academic merit in the qualifying Examination i.e (Minimum Matric and Maximum (10+2) . Selection of the candidates shall be made as per rules in vogue and on the basis of academic merit and interview. No weightage shall be given to higher qualification. i). Candidates belonging to any reserved category must indicate in the relevant column of the application form and attach an attested copy of the certificate issued by the competent authority in that behalf. ii) The date of interview shall be notified through print Media and separate call letters will not be mailed to the candidate (s) iii) Application forms found incomplete in any manner shall not be entertained and shall be deemed to have been rejected without assigning any reason. iv). Candidates found guilty of impersonation or submitting fabricated documents which have been tempered with or making incorrect statement or suppressing material information shall render themselves liable for criminal prosecution. v). No. TA/DA will be paid for participation In the interview. DIP/J-8190 Sd/Dt: 11-2-13 (Dr Madhu Khullar) Directorate of Health Services, Jammu

Requirement of Teachers (PRTs & TGTs)

For Army Public School Sunjuwan

(CBSE Affiliation No:- 730062)
Vacancies PRTs

Subject

TGTs Hindi English Mathematics Science Yes Social Studies Yes Sanskrit No Computer Art & Craft Physical Teacher Yes Music Teacher No Selection Criteria: Based on Qualification, experience (As per CBSE Bye Laws) and Panel interview (only shortlisted candidates based on Bio-Data will be invited) Age: Below 50 years (Ex-Servicemen 57 Years) for experience holder & below 40 Years for fresh candidates Pay & Allowances: Negotiable Apply on plain paper enclosing Bio-Data along with photographs (two), copies of education and experience certificate/testimonials to "Chairman APS, Sunjuwan Mill Station (Near Channi Himmat) PinCode: 188010" Last Date of Submission of application, 25 Feb 2013 Note: TA/DA will not be admissible Contact No: 09086555221 Sd/(SK Pradhan) Lt Col Offg Chairman

HIGH COURT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AT JAMMU

NOTIFICATION
No 147 Dated 07-02-2013 Applications (As per Annexure-A) are invited from permanent residents of State of J&K for filling up of the Seven Posts of Translators on purely contractual basis (carry a fixed remuneration of Rs. 13,500/- P.M. in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. * Qualification: (i) M.A. in English/Functional English with Urdu as one of the subjects at Graduation level as well as 10+2 level, recognized by University of Jammu /Kashmir or University Grants Commission. OR B.A. (Hon's) English with Urdu as one of the subjects at 10+2 and Graduation level. (ii) LL.B. (Professional), recognized by University of Jammu/Kashmir or University Grants Commission. (iii) Proficiency in Computer with computer typing speed of not less than 50 words per minute. * Age Minimum 18 years and maximum 37 years as on 1.2.2013. * The application filled by the candidate accompanied with attested copies of the certificates should reach by Registered post or be delivered personally in the Office of Registrar General, High Court of J&K, Jammu on or before 22nd of Feb, 2013. * Certificates (attested copies to be attached) 1. Degrees of Academic/Professional Qualification. 2. Experience Certificate, if any. 3. Permanent Resident Certificate. 4. DOB Certificate. * The appointment shall be purely on contractual basis and this appointment shall confer absolutely no right whatever for any regular appointment. * Incomplete applications shall not be accepted/entertained. * Intimation in respect of Test/Interview shall be notified separately by print media and individual call letter shall not be sent on the address of the candidate. DIP/J-8085 Sd/Dated: 8-2-2013 Registrar General

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SCHOOL LIFE
professionals highly in demand. Candidates who have obtained a degree in optics or photonics can look for suitable positions in national research laboratories and industries, some of them being lasers, nanotechnology, radiation treatment, telecommunications, optical materials, and medical imaging. Since the curriculum of photonics comprises of pursuing technical skills in physics, programming, networking, and mathematics, careers revolving around these subjects can also be explored in the market. Even though graduation in science can help one find work in related fields of photonics, but a degree with photonics always provides a higher edge. The leading recruiters in the field of photonics include Advanced Photonics (Mumbai), J2 Optronics Pvt. Ltd. (Cochin), Kwality Photonics Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad), Eagle Photonics (Bangalore), Optiwave Photonics Limited (Hyderabad), Sahajanand Technologies (P) Ltd. (Surat), and Sterlite Optical Technologies Ltd. (New Delhi). Photonics specialists are hired by science and photonics companies as engineers, technicians, and scientists. Besides, they can take up the post of professional officers in

27
universities and government offices. Institutes Offering India is home to some prestigious and esteemed universities and institutions that offer various degree courses in photonics. They are: International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Cochin; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at New Delhi and Chennai; Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal; Periyar EVR College, Tiruchirappalli; Department of Photonics, Rajarshi Shahu Mahavidyalaya, Latur, Maharashtra; and Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani. Remuneration Salary of a photonics specialist varies largely depending upon the qualification and experience of the individual and the nature of the hiring organization. A photonics researcher or scientist is usually offered a monthly salary ranging from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000, apart from additional perks and benefits. The pay increases with experience and knowledge. The annual pay package in foreign countries is extremely high and very attractive compared to what is offered in India.

CAREERS IN PHOTONICS

ver wondered what and how those little light particles called photons alter our lives into a more relaxing and comfortable world? How the transfer of light through very thin glass fibers enables us to see things with absolute clarity? How the minute refraction of light can influence the end result of what we see? Well, if this sounds impossible to decode, its photonics - the technology of light energy that the above questions deal with. A perfect blend of laser, fiber optics, and light manipulation, photonics changes our way of communicating. Regarded as the next generation technology, photonics is a hi-tech subject resulting from the fusion of optical technology and electronics. To put it into simple words, photonics is a scientific subject that encompasses generation, emission, transmission, signal processing, amplification, modulation, switching, detection and sensing of light. It includes the study of photons and deals with the instruments required, like laser guns, optical fibers, optometric instruments, etc. Individuals, who are passionate about science and its intricacies, and are eager to sort answers to questions revolving around science, can make

a successful and flourishing career in photonics. Course Details To become a photonic specialist, courses can be undertaken at both graduation and post graduation levels. At the Bachelor's level, programs in photonics and optoelectronics can be pursued upon qualifying 10+2 examination in science stream, with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. Photonics or optoelectronics can also be studied at post graduation level after obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics, Applied Physics, or

Electronics. Besides, individuals can also seek admission in M.Tech, MPhil, and PhD programs in photonics, after completing a Master's degree in Physics or Photonics. Furthermore, photonics can be studied through various diploma courses, particularly the two-year technician program that lets one become a photonic technician. Career Prospects Photonics and optics are two of those fields in physics wherein jobs available are more than the applicants. The global shortage of photonics specialists has made these skilled

Fun Time
1.WIFE: Aji suniye, mujhe kisi mehengi jaga le ke chaliye na ji. HUSBAND: Chalo, tayyar ho jao Guess where he took her. .. .. Petrol pump!!! 2. Santa Singh went to a mirror shop with Banta Singh. After sometime Banta Singh finds Santa looking at a plane mirror for quite a long time. BANTA SINGH : Oye tu ki kar raha hai. Sheeshe ke samne kyon khada hai? SANTA SINGH : Oye paaji, main yeh samajhne ki koshish kar rainda hu ki maine yeh chehra pehle kitthe dekhe hai! 3. Ek admi sadhu se bola, Meri biwi bahut pareshan karti hai, koi upaya batayien na shadu ji Aur phir shadu ghusse me bole, Abe saale upaya hota to main sadhu kyu banta.. 4. Sardarji lost his cheque book. He approached bank manager and informed manager regarding it. MANAGER: You should have taken care as anyone can sign your cheque on ur behalf and empty your deposits. SARDARJI: How can others sign? I am not a fool. I have already signed all the cheques. 5. A good friend is one who tells you to study well But a best friend is one who stands outside the examination room and shouts "Abbe kuch aa raha hai ya aur cheat fekuuuu" 6. A drunken man phoned the local police department to report that thieves had been in his car. "They have stolen the dashboard, the steering wheel, the brake pedal, even the accelerator," he cried out. However, before the police investigation could start, the phone rang a second time, and the same voice came over the line. "Never mind," the drunk said with a hiccup. "I got in the back seat by mistake." 7. Once the teacher was teaching tenses. BOY : Miss, what will be the present tense of samsung? TEACHER: I don't know. BOY: That's very simple If Samsung is past then Samsing will be the present.

MAZE
START

END

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SCHOOL LIFE

28

THE HICCUP MOUSE

CONTD... You should try hopping on one foot while patting your tummy" he walk home. "Perhaps I will have Hiccups for the rest of my life. I will be known as the Hiccup Mouse. Maybe I will never be able to go into the library again, the Librarian will surely tell me I am too noisy to be there! And I can forget about ever playing Hide-n-Seek, because everyone will find me!" By now, she was so busy feeling miserable that she hardly noticed where she was going. Just then Harvey jumped out of the berry bushes beside the path holding a large, juicy berry. "Lucy look what I found!" he exclaimed. But Lucy was tired of being surprised by her little brother and she'd had enough. "Harvey, how many times have I told you not to" she started to say. Then she stopped and a huge smile spread across her face. She realized that her Hiccups were gone! Harvey had surprised her so much that the Hiccups had disappeared. "Oh, Harvey" she said and then she threw her arms around him and gave him a gigantic hug. "Thank you! You cured me of those horrible Hiccups!" she cried. Then she and Harvey went off to share that delicious berry.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? ~ William Shakespeare

FUNNY RIDDLES
1. Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because it was feeling crumby! 2. Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they don't know the words. 3. Why does an elephant use his trunk as a bookmark? So he knows where he stopped reading. 4. Why do lumberjacks like computers? They get to log on. 5. Why don't acrobats work in the winter? They only do Summersaults. 6. Why did the girl raise her right hand? To get the right answer! 7. Why is a rabbit's nose not 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot! 8. Why is it so easy to weigh fish? Because they have their own scales. 9. Why did the student bring scissors to class? He wanted to cut class! 10. Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? Because she had bright students.

offered helpfully. "Thank -HIC- you" she said, but when she looked up Frog had already hopped off towards the pond. Hopping on one foot and patting her tummy sounded silly to Lucy but the Hiccups were getting worse and she was willing to try anything if it would make them go away. But no matter how hard she hopped and patted, the Hiccups wouldn't go away. "Oh no!" she said as she began to

Pandulena/ Pandava's Caves, Nasik

around 6th century B.C. and proliferates during Mauryan period) indicates its contacts with the north Indian cities. As in the case of other cave excavations of this region the establishment at Nasikya also thrived from the rich and generous donations and patronage of people from all classes. A large number of inscriptions found here attests to this fact. This group of caves is also credited with the patronage received from a large number of kings of the Satavahanas, a ruling dynasty generally placed between 3rd century B.C. to 3rd to 4th centuries A.D. whose capital was Pratishtana (modern Paithan, district Aurangabad). The inscriptions mentions kings like Krishna (c. 205 - 187 B.C.); Gautami Putra Satakarni (c. 106 - 130 A.D.); Vasisthiputra Pulumavi (c. 130 158 A.D.); Sri Yajna Satakarni (c. 171 - 201 A.D.) of the Satavahana dynasty and Nahapana (c. 119 125 A.D.) and his son-in-law Usabadatta of the Kshaharatas, a Saka family contemporary to Satavahanas and also maintained matrimonial relations with them. Two of the earliest monasteries here were caused by the Satavahanas and Kshaharatas. The commoners also donated for the caves including monks, a writer, the latter was a Saka from Dasapura (modern Mandasor, Madhya Pradesh). Other members of royal families who donated include Gautami Balasri (mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni), Usavadata, son-in-law of Nahapana and Abhira Madharaputra Isvarasena. The earliest excavations hare are datable to second century B.C. and the place was in occupation up to 6th - 7th centuries A.D., the flurry of activities being during 2nd century A.D. as attested by the number of inscriptions. The succeeding periods saw very little excavation and alterations of the earlier ones. The excavation here includes chaityagrhas, viharas and water cisterns. Cave 18, a chaityagrha is the most prominent and important one at Nasik. The initial excavation of this Cave started in 1st century B.C. as attested by an inscription although it was completed in the present form during 1st century A.D. or a little later. Contd. Next Week...

Rhyme- Some Spring!

BY- (YEAH RIGHT!) I hate the snow, I hate the sleet, I just want some rain, The clouds are running across the sky, Playing some silly game. It's already spring, And the snow is still pilling, That's why the birds can't sing, And why the sky isn't smiling. Out of all the towns, Why did Jack Frost pick one? To send chilling winds, And abandon the sun. It really is very cold, And the heater is always on, The inside plants are growing

opularly known as Pandulena or Pandava's Caves, the group of 24 cave excavation is located (on the north face of a hill called Trirasmi in ancient times) 8 km southwest of Nasik town (ancient city of Nasika or Nasikya which figures in many of the donor inscriptions of west Indian caves). The caves are hewn at a height of nearly 60 - 70 m from the surrounding plains. The hill was known as Trirasmi, probably due to the location of three independent hill groups which marks the end of TrimbakAnjaneri range of Sahyadris. Nasik also finds mention in ancient Indian literature of the preChristian era. Being located on the ancient rade route connecting the ports of western India and north and south Indian cities, Nasika was a major city during ancient period. The excavation carried out here shows continuous habitation from around 5th century B.C. The presence of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW-generally starts

mold, It's freezing from dusk till dawn. I wish that I could be anywhere but here, It's like a cold he-- from the sky, I've had enough of it, it better change, Or I fear that I will die.

E-MAIL YOUR ARTICLES, POEMS, ACHIVEMENTS OR WISHES FOR A HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO US AT
editors@thestudentage.com or mail at: Paramount Publications 12/12, Nanak Nagar

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

SCHOOL LIFE
but the complexity of the data is such that it is not even possible to say with certainty that there actually were 4 major glaciations. Much is known about the Wisconsinan, less about previous glaciations. Last Major Glaciation Since the Wisconsinan was the latest glaciation, evidence (eg, moraines) is relatively well preserved. In addition, the time of the Wisconsinan glaciation can be estimated, mainly through radiocarbon dating of organic matter from below, within and above Wisconsinan glacial deposits (see GEOLOGICAL DATING).
Horn Cirques

29
Although radiocarbon dating is by far the most important method for determining when glaciers expanded, it is useful only for material less than about 50 000 years old. More extensive glaciations took place in Canada prior to the late Wisconsinan, although there is evidence in Western Canada that parts of the Laurentide ice sheet flowed beyond any earlier limits. It is not known if the earlier, more extensive ice took place during the early Wisconsinan or if it represents a major glaciation such as the Illinoian. Contd Next Week...
Arete Medical moraine

GLACIATION
Horn Arete Cirque Glacier

Medial Moraine Valley Glacier

Ice-Dammed Lake Lateral Moraine

CONTD... Glacially associated lake deposits form large plains that cover wide areas of Canada. The lakes were formed by direct damming by the glacier or by impedances to pre-existing drainage. Manitoba's former glacial Lake AGASSIZ is an outstanding example of a glacially dammed lake. Most sediments deposited in glacial lakes consist of silt and clay, which commonly form varves, ie, pairs of coarse and fine layers deposited in one year. Beach ridges composed of gravel and sand occur along the margins of some former glacial lakes.

The absence of vegetation in recently deglaciated areas and the exposure of unconsolidated sand and silt (such as occurs in interchannel areas of braided rivers and former lake beds) allow wind to form sand dunes and deposit loess. Dunes are formed by the shifting of sand by saltation and traction; loess deposits, consisting of fine sand and silt, originate from suspended material that may have been carried hundreds of kilometres (see AEOLIAN LANDFORM). Major Advances and Retreats The areal extent and succession of glacial deposits indicate how far and how often glaciers expand-

ed in the past. Most is known about glacial activity of the past 23 million years, although evidence indicates that glaciation took place several times during GEOLOGICAL HISTORY. During the Pleistocene ICE AGE, as much as 30% of Earth's surface was covered by glaciers. Glaciers formed and expanded in mountainous regions throughout the world. In northern latitudes (eg, Canada and northern Europe) ice caps developed, expanding to ice sheets. About 97% of Canada was covered; hence, this country contains more glaciated terrain than any other. The number of major glaciations that occurred during the Ice Age is open to question. Traditionally, 4 glaciations were recognized, each lasting approximately 100 000 years, separated by long, warmer periods. From oldest to youngest, these are known in North America as Nebraskan, Kansan, Illinoian and Wisconsinan. Within these major glaciations, minor glacier retreats and advances are recognized. New evidence and reinterpretation of old data suggest that ice did expand and retreat many times,

Main Glacier Truncated spur

B. Region during period of maximum glaciation

WORD SEARCH

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

GADGETS

30

Fujifilm FinePix S2980 Digital Camera BlackBerry Z10 to be rolled

Key Features
* 14 megapixel CCD sensor * 18x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 28-504mm) * Sensor shift image stabilisation * 3 inch, 230k dot, LCD screen * Full manual controls * 720p HD movie recording * ISO 100-6400 * 2cm minimum focusing distance * 1.2 fps continuous shooting at full resolution * Motion panorama pictures pos- and smile & shoot mode. You can tag your photos and sible there is Dual Image Stabilisation combin- images for sharing on YouTube and ing high ISO sensitivity and sensor- Facebook, then when you next connect the camera to your PC and run shift image stabilisation. There are a wide range of shoot- MyFinePix Studio software, they ing modes, SR Auto scene recogni- will be automatically uploaded. tion which automatically adjusts Images can also be assigned a star the camera settings for the scene, as rating so you can easily search for well as semi-automatic and manual your favourites. Videos are recorded at 720p at modes for those who are more confident in changing some of the more 30 fps, with optical zoom available advanced settings. Other features during recording. The camera can include intelligent face detection, then be attached to a HDTV for red-eye removal, blink detection playback. lackBerry is all set to launch its flagship smartphone in India on February 25, 2013. As per earlier reports BlackBerry was slated to announce this smartphone in India on February 24, 2012 and the indicative pricing for Z10 is being speculated around Rs. 39,000. It is expected that this smartphone will start retailing in India soon after the launch in both black and white colour options. For consumers, who are still unaware of BlackBerry Z10, it is a full-touch device that comes with a 4.2-inch LCD screen with a 1280x768 resolution. It runs on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system and is powered by a dual-core processor that clocks at 1.5GHz alongside 2GB of RAM. The internal storage available on the smartphone is 16GB. It has an 8megapixel rear camera that can capture 1080p videos and 2megapixel camera in the front. Z10 comes with 1,850 mAh bat-

out in India on Feb 25

he Fujifilm FinePix S2980 is an update to last year's Fujifilm FinePix S2950 and features an 18x optical zoom lens equivalent to 28-504mm and 14 megapixel sensor. It is available now for just 93.99. The S2980 has a 14 megapixel CCD sensor and 18x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 28-504mm, great for shooting landscapes and close-ups of distant objects. To help take the sharpest

Samsung Rex-series phones launched; price starts at Rs 4,000 in India

NEW DELHI: Korean handset giant Samsung on Thursday launched a new series of 'smart' feature phones with a price tag of Rs 4,000-6,500, taking rival Nokia's Asha series of smartphones head on. "Feature phones comprise almost 70 percent of the sales and represents a large opportunity for mobile handset makers, especially in emerging markets. Of this, 10 percent is the Rs 4,000-6,000 range. "We are targetting users who are looking for social networking, games and surfing Internet on phones in affordable price range," Samsung Vice President Asim Warsi told reporters. In a span of just 12 months, Nokia has launched 12 Asha devices in India in the range of Rs 3,500-8,500. It sold 16 million Asha Smartphones in last two quarters of 2012. Samsung's four devices -- Rex 60 (Rs 4,280), Rex 70 (Rs 4,570), Rex 80 (Rs 5,270) and Rex 90 (Rs 6,490) -- will be available in the market next week onwards. A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a operating system with more advanced computing capability as compared to a feature phone. Rex phones are dual SIM touchscreen phones and run on Java platform. The devices come pre-loaded in India stood at 102.43 million units in January-June 2012 period,

tery. The company is slated to launch a QWERTY smartphones based on BlackBerry 10, called BlackBerry Q10 by March 2013. Overall, it is expected that there will be a total of six BlackBerry 10 smartphones available in the market before the end of the year. However some reports suggest that the company will not launch any entry level BlackBerry 10 smartphones in 2013. As mentioned, the grapevine has pegged the pricing for the BlackBerry Z10 to be around Rs. 39,000 but we believe that in order to be competitive in the Indian market, it will make sense if the company will price the device closer to Rs. 35,000. At this price, BlackBerry smartphone will be price competitively to Nokia Lumia 920 (which is available at a best price of Rs. 36,000), HTC One X+ (retailing for Rs. 38,500) and the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which after the recent price cut is available for Rs. 34,990.

Whatsapp for Android gets a new beta version, brings Holo UI

with a number of apps like Facebook, messengers like ChatON and GTalk and mobile browser Opera. However, none of the phones support 3G connectivity. "The entire 'smart' feature phone series has been developed in India, for Indian consumers. The phones will be also taken to markets like China, Middle-East, Africa, South America and CIS countries," he said. According to CyberMedia Research, total mobile shipments

while smartphone sales stood at 5.50 million units. "We want the feature phones user to upgrade to smartphones by offering them smartphone like features at compelling prices," Warsi said. Samsung Electronics President & CEO (South West Asia HQ) B D Park said, "The REX series will allow us to connect with the huge base of young Indians who are looking for smart solutions as it is packed with content and applications."

etter late then never. Popular mobile-only instant messaging app, WhatsApp, has released a beta build of its Android version, that brings a new refreshed interface conforming to the Holo design language, that Google introduced with Android 3.0. This comes as good news for users hooked on to the service, especially the ones who were unhappy with the user interface of the existing app. The beta is available for download (.apk file) via WhatsApp's website, and the version available in the Play Store has not been updated, at the moment (this also the reason why we're referring to the release as a Beta). The WhatsApp service costs $0.99 per year, after one year of trial, but those who've paid for the service once will not be charged again for using the beta version. The new version offers better looking fonts, bigger image previews in chat windows, no ugly buttons for playing videos and audio clips or viewing images, and a more subtle colour scheme inline with the Holo design guidelines. The back-

ground wallpaper can also now be changed directly from the chat window without the need to dig into settings. Also, the emoticons drawer has been shifted below, just next to the reply prompt instead of the top right corner of the chat window. WhatsApp is extremely popular among smartphone users and offers versions for Windows Phone, iOS, Symbian, BlackBerry and Nokia S40 mobile platforms. However, recently the app courtedcontroversy when the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority, in a joint report released last month, said that the app violated privacy laws because users had to provide access to all phone numbers in their address book, including both users and non-users of the app. The Dutch agency said it would continue to monitor WhatsApp and could impose penalties if violations continued. Last year, there were reports that Facebook was looking to acquire WhatsApp but both the companiesdismissed such suggestions.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

NEWS ANALYSIS

31

UPA' bold decision

10 FEB: One must welcome the right and bold decision of the UPA government, after observing due process of the law. Attacking Parliament, which represents the heart of the nation, amounts to an attack on its sovereignty, which is non-negotiable. As such, Afzal Guru deserved exemplary punishment. Similarly, the Government acted boldly in the case of Afzal Guru. At the same time, it has also done well to maintain secrecy regarding his execution - much like it had done in the case of Ajmal Kasab. However, it came after 11 years with much dilly-dallying by those in power in Delhi. There was no acceptable reason for delaying the decision any further. Once the Supreme Court rejected the appeal, claims relating to adequacy of evidence, a fair trial and natural justice all fall flat. Muffled voices expressing apprehension regarding the maintenance of law and order have found no favour with the Centre. Again, the ongoing debate on the acceptability of the death sentence has not deterred the Centre in taking a decision, though belated. Now it is for those entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order to take full command of the situation and ensure that no untoward incidents occur. Afzal Guru's existence was a threat. He could well have been used as a bargaining point in a future terror act. His execution has finally given some amount of consolation to the families of those who lost their lives in the attack on Parliament.

Callous approach
FEB 11: The death of over 35 people in a stampede at the Allahabad railway station could have been averted if all aspects of the safety of pilgrims for the Kumbh mela had received adequate consideration. Kumbh mela is the country's, in fact the world's, largest religious gathering and several crore pilgrims are estimated to have attended it this year. A congregation of this size though spread over weeks, needed foolproof preparations and crowd control arrangements at a number of places. The arrangements at the railway station for those returning from the mela proved inadequate. It is doubtful whether the infrastructure and facilities at the Allahabad station were enough to cope with the millions of pilgrims who passed through it. But what caused the stampede, or worsened it, is thought to have been a lathi-charge by the police. The arrangements were so inadequate that it took a lot of time to find out the number of the dead and to give timely medical assistance to the injured people. Non-availability of immediate medical care is thought to have caused fatalities among some who were injured. Lack of co-ordination among various authorities and agencies responsible for making arrangements was also one reason for the mishap.Provision of adequate facilities for transport, accommodation and food and deployment of personnel trained in crowd management are important requirements to ensure the safety of pilgrims.

North Korea's Nuclear Test

12 FEB: The nuclear test conducted by North Korea is not exactly a surprise. Having done that in 2006 and 2009, North Korea was hardly worried the third time. The international community meanwhile could do nothing but wring its hands is just an indication of how little has been achieved by way of either diplomacy or sanctions in deterring nations from going nuclear. The more the desperation to stop a country from developing its nuclear capability, the more its inclination to go that way. Like Iran, North Korea too seems to have decided to bank entirely on its nuclear muscle to steer its course in international diplomacy. This is not a new strategy since nuclear capability has been part and parcel of the self-reliance. If the new North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, has fallen back on it despite his apparent enthusiasm to return to the negotiation table, it is perhaps because he has learnt that without the nuclear trump card, he could never hope to swing the deal his way. The last possibility has become a gnawing worry for the international powers, given North Korea's latest drive for miniature nuclear devices. They could push more sanctions down North Korea's throat, as they have done for Iran. But if Iran is any indicator, sustained negotiations could prove more worthwhile, no matter how badly behaved North Korea is. The other essential part of this policy of strategic patience is to get China to actually work on the threats it has been making to North Korea.

UPA's double standards

13 FEB: It has been seen how Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik has been happily sharing the dais in Pakistan with Hafiz Saeed, the man who masterminded the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Does the Congress-led UPA Government not understand that terrorist attacks in India have the tacit support of separatists operating in Kashmir, and that the latter only want to fragment the nation? The UPA Government's delay in taking action against Yasin Malik and book persons like him for sedition, reinforces the impression that this Government works only to consolidate its 'minority votes'.Ironically, it is this same UPA Government that minces no words in labelling Hindu organisations and political parties as crucibles of 'saffron terror'. Also, the case of Hindu nationalist Pragya Thakur continues to linger, with her languishing in jail without a charge-sheet or effective trial for five years. Will the UPA Government explain its double standards? Is the UPA planning on the further vivisection of India on communal lines?Besides, the passport authorities and the External Affairs Ministry made extensive inquiries to ascertain the purpose of a foreign visit while clearing travel documents of ordinary citizens, surprisingly, in case of the Hurriyat delegation, why was the visa issued without ascertaining the exact motive behind the visit to Pakistan.

Maldives crisis
14 FEB: The former President Nasheed is being tried for allegedly abusing his powers to arrest the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court in Jan 2012. His failure to appear in court this Feb 10 led to the issuance of a court order on Feb 11 to arrest him, which in turn, prompted him to seek refuge at the Indian High Commission in Male on Wednesday. He has been charged with a maximum sentence of three years or exile or fine. The only democratically elected President of Maldives, Nasheed was removed from office last February in what is commonly believed to be a bloodless coup by his dictatorial predecessor Maumoom Abdul Gayoom. Since then, he has struggled against the new regime led by his former deputy Mohamed Waheed. The Maldivian Election Commission also now announced that general election will be held on September 7 this year. If Nasheed is sentenced to more than a year in prison, he'd be prohibited from contesting. This would work in favour of Waheed who is the other presidential candidate. As regards India, she stands by the former President which has not gone well with the incumbent regime . But New Delhi should be able to handle this issue through appropriate diplomatic channels without compromising on its support for Nasheed. After all, it makes no sense for India to become hostile to President Waheed's Govt. Instead it must work to improve relations, despite the recent setbacks.

EXIT ROUTE
15 FEB: Having already set the date of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan for 2014 in his first presidency, Barack Obama has taken on the challenge of fleshing out the exit plan early on in his second stint. In his state of the union address, Mr Obama promised to pull back 34,000, or almost half, of the American troops stationed in Afghanistan by early next year. The decision has more to do with assuring the safety of the residual American contingent stationed in Afghanistan than with securing Afghans against insurgent attacks. The responsibility for the latter has been transferred to the willing shoulders of the Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai, who has insisted on the speedy withdrawal of Nato forces from his country as a primary necessity to facilitate an early political solution. As with Mr Obama's exit plan, Mr Karzai's peace plan is ready but unlike the former, the latter seems to be progressing rather tardily. The reason for this is that the plan is dependent on some variables, which do not seem to be behaving the way they were expected to. The first of these is the Afghan army, which is to take on the onerous task of national security. The second is Pakistan, which is supposed to play the part of a peace-loving neighbour. Pakistan has in mind a role very different from the one Mr Karzai has drawn for it and is continuing to play by its own rules to realize its strategic goals in the country.

n spite of all the outrage and campaign against corruption, it remains a driving force in the conduct of public officials in the country. Reports from Italy which appeared in the last two days show that the steps taken or planned by the government to curb it have not had any great impact. But the reports about the arrest of the CEO of an Italian company by authorities in that country have shown that deals continue to be commission-based. Irregularities were committed to make the company eligible for bidding and then to swing the deal its way. The charges point to the highest echelons of the IAF. The Congress-led UPA Government may have now ordered a probe

WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS

by the Central Bureau of Investigation into its deal with an Italian firm to purchase Agusta Westland helicopters, but the question remains: Why did the regime sleep over the matter for close to a year since the time allegations of irregularities surfaced in the public domain? Even the decision to investigate the matter has come about after the Italian agencies arrested the Chief Executive Officer of defence firm Finmeccanica of which Agusta Westland (UK) is a subsidiary, on the issue of bribes paid to clinch the deal with the Government of India. While it is for the CBI to now probe who received the kickbacks - supposedly amounting to Rs362 crore - the bare fact is that the Government has dragged its feet over the issue. This in itself calls for an inquiry because the people have the right to know who in the Government, whether in the Ministry or the bureaucracy, had taken such a lackadaisical approach to what clearly had been a suspect case. The deal for the supply of 12 helicopters for VIP use was worth more than Rs3,600 crore, of which 10 per cent has been allegedly ploughed back as slush payments to benefit people who helped swing the contract in the firm's favour. That the alleged commission has been illegally paid is clear from the fact that the contract specifically ruled out such underhand payments.

STUDENT AGE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (FEB 10 - FEB 16), 2013

MISC

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Meteorite weighing 10 tons hits Central Russia, 400 injured

YEKATER IN BURG/ CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA: The Ural region of Central Russia was on Friday hit by a meteor shower, causing sharp explosions. About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia today sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms. Residents on their way to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to reports. The meteorite raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phones worked only intermittently. The meteorite that struck the Russian region of Chelyabinsk was several meters in diameter, weighed around a dozen tons and had the energy of several kilotons, experts from the Russian Academy of Science said. Chelyabinsk city authorities said about 400 people sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass."I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

Russian MP blames meteor shower on US secret arms test

ussia's controversial Liberal leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, has blamed

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said. No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was informed. A local ministry official said the meteor shower may have been connected with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this could not be confirmed. Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled. A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20

a.m. (0520 GMT). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's centre. A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but there was no environmental threat, a plant spokeswoman said. Such incidents are rare. A meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact. The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic. Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their chil-

Americans for today's meteorite scare, local media report. "Those were not meteorites, it was Americans testing their new weapons," Mr. Zhirinovsky confessed to journalists. "US Secretary of State, John Kerry wanted to warn Russia's Foreign Minister, Lavrov and Lavrov was on a trip. He meant to warn Lavrov about a provocation against Russia," he said. The US Department of State dren from schools and kindergartens. They said a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 metres (32,800 feet), apparently signalling it occurred when the meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere. The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012

has recently said that John Kerry has been unable to get in touch with Russia's Sergei Lavrov, who is away on his Africa tour, for three days to discuss urgent global issues, including the North Korean threat and the escalating Syrian crisis. Meteorite debris reportedly hit Russia's Urals region early on Friday, injuring about 400 people. The Yekaterinburg observatory said bolide-shaped debris came down as a meteor shower. About 470 people have requested medical assistance following a meteorite crash in central Russia. Twenty-two people have been admitted to hospital. "There are a dozen of children among the victims, although their wounds are light," Vladimir Stepanov from the National Crisis Management Center has been reported as saying Friday. DA14, about 46 metres in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago. Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles (800 km) higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Mughal Gardens set to open for public from Feb 16
NEW DELHI: The warm spring sunshine graciously bathes the floral carpets of exquisitely manicured lawns of Mughal Gardens adorned with myriad flowers of every description. Rashtrapati Bhavan's treasured gardens are set to be opened to the public from Friday. While there are 120 varieties of roses across the 15-acre Mughal Gardens, this time around the main attraction are the 2,500 dahlias that will certainly grab eyeballs. A floral wall of dahlias can been seen encircling the Circular Garden -- a part of the Mughal Gardens. Scarlet flax, sweet william, christian dior and rose scentimental are among the flower varieties that embellish this sprawling garden. "Though this year we don't have tulips, we have planted cyclamen. These of 35 gardeners who work here. While it will be President Pranab Mukherjee's maiden 'Udyanoytsav' on February 15, he strolls around the garden every morning. "He likes to take a walk every morning and enjoys watching peacocks dance in the evening," Venu Rajamony, press secretary to the president, said. The Mughal Gardens will remain open to general public from February 16 to March 17 while the differently-abled and the visually impaired people can visit it till March 19. "The president wants Rashtrapati Bhavan to be more accessible to public. He also wants the entire premises to be eco-friendly," Rajamony said. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president's official residence, is spread over 330 acres and was designed by British architect Edwin Luteyns.

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flowers will be in full bloom in a fortnight," said Nigam Prakash Semiwal, officer on special duty (horticulture) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Semiwal said the hailstorm earlier this month affected the quality of flowers. The grandeur of the sprawling gardens is the result of conscientiousness

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