3

BJP to take
stern action
against rebel poll
candidates
Cgarh minister
seeks Centre's
assistance for
CBCS
implementation

12 Sakshi
Maharaja's
8 remark sparks
outrage

We

Investors
expect more
Modi magic
in 2015

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11, 2015

he State

Badminton ace
Saina slams sports
ministry for Padma

10

Bhushan snub

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Vol-03. Issue-15. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

Deepika turns
29, to star
in Piku, 11
Bajirao Mastani

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Award to MP for excellent

works in energy sector
NEWS MAX

7 swamp deer from

Kanha tiger reserve
doing well at Van Vihar

Bhopal

nion Energy Minister Piyush

Goyal conferred award to
Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla at
national convention Power Focus on
excellent works in energy sector in
New Delhi. Amidst who is who of
energy sector, Goyal lavished praise
on MP for innovations in energy and
non-formal energy sector, increase in
power generation, improvement in
distribution system, separate feeders
for domestic and agriculture consumers etc.
CM of Arunachal Pradesh, Energy
Ministers of Karnataka and West
Bengal, representatives of power generation and distribution companies
and investors participated in the convention. During a penal discussion,

Energy Minister Shukla gave a

chronological account of dedicated
efforts made for power generation and
distribution in the state during last 12
years. He said that under leadership
of CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, 24hour power supply to domestic consumers and 10-hour for farmers has
been ensured under Atal Jyoti
Abhiyan. Shukla informed that total
power generation capacity including
long-term power purchase agreements was 4673 MW in year 2003,
which has been increased to 13,398
MW now. It will rise to 15,398 MW in
year 2015 and 18182 MW in 2018. In
2003, as much as 2709 crore unit
power was supplied, which rose by 90
percent to 5139 crore units in 2014.
Capacity of states transmission system in year 2003 was 4307 MW, which

has been increased to 11904 MW till

March 2014 and presently rose by 186
percent to 12317 MW.
Number of transformers in 11 KV
sub-stations was 2649 in 2003, which
has risen by 102 percent to 5360.
Length of 33 KV lines was 29070 km
and 11 KV lines 1.58 lakh km in year
2003, which have gone up by 55 percent and 85 percent to 43910 km and
2.93 lakh km now. Referring to constant increase in the number of consumers, Shukla said that the number
of consumers in year 2003 was 63.96
lakh to one crore 9 lakh now.
Similarly, revenue collection has also
increased by 312 percent. He said that
transmission losses have been
reduced from 7.93 percent to 3 percent. Similarly, AT&C losses have also
been almost halved.

Bhopal: Forest Department has achieved success in translocation

of 7 swamp deer from Kanha tiger reserve to Van Vihar National
Park here today. This is a significant step towards conservation of
Ground Swamp Deer specie of Swamp Deer, which is on the
verge of extinction. Barasingha has the honour of being State
Animal of MP. The swamp deer brought under supervision of forest officers and doctors in a specially built vehicle have been
housed in conservation breeding enclosure prepared for them in
Van Vihar and are reported to be healthy and doing well. For
translocation of swamp deer from Kanha tiger reserve to Van
Vihar, capture strategy was chalked out after obtaining permission of Central and state governments. Capture process had
begun in Kanha tiger reserve on January 7 from 6 am. Tills 12.30
pm, seven barasinghas were captured in specially built Boma and
sent to Bhopal.
Capture process was led by Additional Chief Conservator of
Forests (Wildlife) Suhas Kumar Jain and Zonal Director of
Kanha Tiger Reserve Jasbir Singh Chauhan. Shubhranjan Sen of
Indian Wildlife Institute Dehradun, Director Centre for Wildlife
Forensic and Health Dr. A.B. vastaa, doctor of Van Vihar Bhopal
Dr. Atul Gupta, Assistant Director of Kanha Tiger Reserve
Rajneesh Kumar Singh and Dr. Sandeep Agrawal extended special cooperation the capture operation.

How we look it !

Chhtissgarh Explore

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Villagers protest coal mines

re-allotment in Cgarh

Raipur

higher authorities seeking dialogue on the

Surguja and Surajpur districts in north

following the Supreme Court order. Mining

issue. "We won't allow any mining activity in

Chhattisgarh, is located about 300 kms

is operational in 3 blocks - Chotia by

With the beginning of fresh allotment of

our villages and forests. Through this reso-

away from the state capital. Of the total

Prakash Industries, Parsa East and Kete

coal blocks by the Centre, villagers of North

lution we have urged both the Centre and

area, 1,502 sq km area is under biodiversity-

Basan by a joint venture of Adani group and

Chhattisgarh, the area which is rich in coal

state government to neither allocate coal

rich forest cover. The coalfield has total esti-

Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam

reserves, have intensified their protest

blocks to public sector undertakings nor to

mated reserves of 5.1709 billion tonne.

Limited. "Without taking consent of gram

against the move. As many as 17 gram sab-

private players," Umeshwar Singh Armo,

Around 30 blocks have been identified so far

sabhas, government has once again listed

has, falling under Hasdeo-Arand coalfield,

Sarpanch of Mandapur panchyat of the

in the region, of which 16 were allocated to

coal blocks of our region for fresh auctioning

have passed a resolution opposing the real-

region, said. Hasdeo-Arand coalfield, spread

various public sectorand private players but

and allotment. It is violation of our rights,"

lotment of coal mines and have written to

over an area of 1,878 sq kms over Korba,

their allocations was subsequently cancelled

Armo said.

Cgarh gearing up for student loan at low rate

directives to the principals and directors of all

RAIPUR
The State Government has begun the

the engineering colleges, pharmacy, manage-

preparations to provide higher education loan

ment, MCA, and diploma colleges in this

to students, at low interest rate, the way it was

regard.Similarly,

provided to 900 youths in the State last year.

Education, Agriculture Engineering and sever-

The BJP in its election manifesto had promised that it will provide higher education loan

Engineering,

Medical

al other subjects have also brought under the

loan scheme.

to students at the interest rate of one per cent.

In the circular the Higher Education

In a move to fulfill its promises, CM Raman

Department has said that the colleges and edu-

Singh had held a high-level meeting and decid-

cational institutions should hold loan disbursal

ed to slash interest rate on higher education

camps in coordination with the banks. Besides,

loans.Interestingly

State

they should also coordinate with the banks for

Government had provided a total loan of more

the implementation of the loan scheme the way

than Rs17 crore to about 900 youths for their

they had done last year.In such camps, applica-

higher studies.

tions from the students taking first year admis-

last

year,

the

The government is now considering to pro-

sion should be received. A department official

vide education loan to the youths in the 16

said the student whose family annual income is

Maoist affected districts for higher education

less thanRs2 lakh could avail the loan.

free of interest. Each student could be given a

If the student pays back the loan on time in

loan up to Rs4 lakh. Official sources said that

regular installments after moratorium, he will

this year the number of students could rise as

be charged only one per cent interest rate.

the government plans to make it interest free.

Remaining interest, the State government will

The Technical Education Directorate has issued

pay by transferring it to the bank directly.

MADHYA PRADESH

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Children splash rainbow

colours at Bal Rang
Bhopal
Children of various states
were

seen

splashing

rainbow

colours of their states traditional

costumes, songs and group dances
during ongoing National Bal Rang
here. People of all age groups
savoured childrens performance
focusing art and culture of various
states on the occasion. Students
from 22 states are participating in
the event on the premises of
Indira

Gandhi

Manav

Sangrahalaya.
Additional Chief Secretary
School Education S.R. Mohanthy
inaugurated National Bal Rang by
lighting a lamp. Commissioner
Public Instructions D.D. Agrawal,
Commissioner

Rajya

Shiksha

Kendra Smt. Rashmi Arun Shami

and Sangrahalayas Director S.K.
Choudhary etc. were present on
the occasion.
Mohanthy told children that

be aware of their rights and not to

Mohanthy released a souvenir on

students participated in state

drens

apart from education, character

be misled by anyone through use

Bal

Childrens

level competitions on 7 subject and

police, childrens parliament and

building is also necessary in life.

of their wisdom and presence of

Newspaper brought about by stu-

3000 students took part in Mini

other activities were also held.

Bal Rang plays important role in

mind. Girls who have been lagging

dents. D.D. Agrawal informed that

India Exhibition. S.K. Choudhary

Crafts exhibition put up by stu-

this. Ones complete personality

behind due to social evils should

Bal Rang started from year 1996

also spoke on the occasion. In the

dents also drew attraction. In Mini

development is impossible without

come forward to prove their metal

in MP.

second round of the event, group

India exhibition, children present-

character building.

now. Mohanthy exhorted students

It was given status of National

dance competitions were held

ed arts and culture of their states.

He expressed pleasure over

to be enlightened about social

Bal Rang in 2005. It is 10th event

between various states. Children

A large number of people visited

the fact that number of girls is

issues apart from pursuing educa-

of National Bal Rang in which

attired in traditional costumes

the exhibition on the theme of

more among Bal Rang partici-

tion and contribute to social serv-

about 500 students from 22 states

gave attractive dance performanc-

Glorious India showcasing states

pants. She exhorted girl student to

ices like Swachchhata Abhiyan.

are participating. As many as 919

es. Scout camp, jungle camp, chil-

culture and heritage monuments.

Rang

and

newspaper,

childrens

BJP to take stern action against rebel poll candidates

are joining BJP in the run

Bhopal
MP BJP has said it
would take stern action
against its rebel leaders
who continue to be in the

up to the polls, he said

Congress is a "sinking
ship".
"They are jumping a
sinking ship and joining

fray for the January 31

BJP. We are inducting

civic

them into the party to

polls

Indore,

in

Bhopal,

Jabalpur

and

ensure that BJP president

Chhindwara despite the

Amit Shah's dream of a

party not giving them

Congress-free

ticket.

achieved," he said.

"We won't compromise

Chauhan

India
said

is

that

on discipline in the party

BJP is fighting elections

in the civic body elections.

on the development plank

All men have to abide by

and expressed hope that

party

Even

the party would sweep the

indiscipline from big lead-

polls. He also dismissed

ers won't be tolerated,"

reports that CM Shivraj

MP

chief

Singh Chauhan and his

Chauhan

Cabinet colleague Kailash

said. Asked to comment

Vijayvargiya have differ-

on Congress leaders who

ences.

discipline.

state

Nandkumar

BJP

RAIPUR

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Cgarh govt to save wild buffalo

from extinction get a boost
RAIPUR
In a landmark achievement, scientists at the National
Diary Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana,
have successfully cloned the last surviving female wild
buffalo of Chhattisgarh, raising hope of saving the endangered species from extinction.
This is also the first cloning of Asian wild buffalo
species in the world, a wildlife expert associated with the
cloning project told. The clone of the female wild buffalo
was done in semi-captivity at Indian Council of
Agricultural Research, NDRI. A female calf was born on
December 11, 2013. Genetically it has been found to be
100 per cent wild buffalo, Dr R.P. Mishra, regional head,
Central India Wildlife Trust of India said.
The project was a part of the mission by the
Chhattisgarh government to save the wild buffalo,
declared as state animal, from extinction after the lone
female buffalo of Udanti wildlife sanctuary in
Chhattisgarh delivered male calves after several attempts
in natural mating, raising the prospect of extinction of the
breed. Following this, the Chhattisgarh government had
approached NDRI, as a last ditch attempt to save the
breed from extinction, to clone the female buffalo.
According to Dr Mishra, the female buffalos embryo was
transplanted on 27 domestic buffaloes in NDRA centre at
Karnal. While three of them conceived, only two fetuses
survived. One of them was born as a female calf on
December 11. Another is anticipated in the last week of
January this year. The clone has been named Deepasha.
Dr Mishra, who has been associated with conservation of

wild buffalo in Chhattisgarh for the past one decade, said

the population of the species in Udanti reserve forest has
come down from around 30 in 2001 to only six now. Of the
six surviving wild buffaloes, only one is female. Wild buf-

Cgarh minister seeks Centre's

assistance for CBCS implementation
additional funds for implementing

Raipur
Chhattisgarh

Higher

Approach in all educational institutes of the state and demanded

Pandey has urged the Centre to

inclusion of its provision under the

provide teachers, study material

National

and funds to the state for ensuring

implementation

choice-based

credit

of

New

Education

Calling it a tough challenge,

system

the minister sought the Centre's

assistance in opening educational

of State Education Ministers at

Bhawan,

Higher

Mission.

(CBCS). Addressing a conference

Vigyan

institutions

Delhi,

in

remote

areas,

recently, the minister said that the

ensuring full attendance of stu-

new system will allow students to

dents and teachers and providing

choose learning based on their

quality

interests and aptitudes, bringing

informed the conference that the

in a shift in focus from traditional

process

education.
of

Pandey

implementation

of

teacher-oriented education system

of choice-based credit system

CBCS has begun in the state and

to student-centric education.

(CBCS) and semesterisation, there

Bilaspur University has included

is a need to ensure that the state

choice-based credit system from

Smriti

has appropriate number of teach-

the current session. Irani informed

Irani, Minister of State, Upendra

ers, training facility as per cur-

the conference that the Centre is

Kushwaha and other state educa-

riculum, new evaluation system

planning to open residential col-

tion ministers were present at the

and study materials, Pandey said.

leges on PPP model in remote dis-

conference. Before implementation

He asked the Centre to provide

tricts of the country.

Union

Human

Development

Resources

Minister

Shakti gives market

access to women SHGs
from one platform
Raipur

CBCS also known as Cafeteria

Education minister Prem Prakash

successful

faloes have also been sighted in Indravati Reserve forest

in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh in the past. But, the area
has so far remained out of reach by forest officials due to
Naxal problem.

Terming the local Women

Empowerment Centre Shakti as
the excellent initiative of the
administration, Bastar Divisional
Commissioner RP Jain said that
with the unity of women self-help
groups (SHGs), they would get
golden opportunity for further
progress.
Jain said that significant
increase in the income of the
SHGs could be ensured with the
availability of raw materials and
market. Working through the
medium of Federation, the way for
sanction of grant to them from the
State and the Central Government
would be opened, he said. Giving
information about the Centre,
Collector KC Devsenapati said
that the objective of Shakti was to
make market available to different
women SHGs working in the district by providing them a single

platform. Under this, a Federation

would be formed for the SHGs. As
such, 300400 women could work
from a single platform. With this
the Federation could easily take
order from big organisations and
financial farms directly, he added.
Praising the initiative, the
Divisional Commissioner stressed
on effective work on market linkage. With imparting training at
times, the women SHGs could be
updated with modern technique.
The possibilities for new opportunities of getting works available in
other business areas should also
be considered. The Collector said
that all arrangements for training
have been done on the premises,
where training on textiles to
ready-to-eat food production, sanitary napkin etc would be imparted. He said that the SHGs in
Bijapur have done good work in
textile production sector.

MADHYA PRADESH

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Ration cards to be issued in names

of senior women of families

Consumers can choose fair price shop of their choice

Bhopal
A cabinet meeting chaired by
CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan
finalised MP Public Distribution
System (Control) Order-2014 to
streamline the PDS.
According to the new arrangements, ration cards will be provided physically or electronically in
prescribed format to eligible families. Ration cards will be issued in
the name of head of family. Senior
woman in every family not below
18 years of age will be considered
as head and issued ration card. If a
family does not have any woman of
18 years or above then ration card
will be issued in the name of senior
most male member.
When a woman member of the
family attains age of 18 years, the
ration card will be transferred in
her name as head of family. Timelimit of 15 days has been prescribed for issuance and renewal
of ration cards in 3 working days
for issuance of duplicate ration
card.
Under the new arrangements,
provision of bio-metric distribution
system has been provided in
Burhanpur, Hoshangabad, Harda
and Khandwa where it has been
connected with Aadhar. Norms
pertaining to number and places of
fair price shops have also been
amended. For determining maximum fair price shops in an urban

area, total number of families will

be divided by 800. Every Gram
Panchayat will have a fair price
shop. As far as possible, one-third

of fair price shops in every rural

and urban area will be allotted to
institutions of women. They will be
run by saleswomen. Those institu-

tions will be regarded as womens

institutions where all members
and office-bearers are women.
Under the new arrangements, pro-

vision of 2 categories Antyodaya

Anna Yojana and priority families
has been made. Provision has
also been made to allot fair price
shops to womens self-help groups
in urban and rural areas apart
from already enlisted cooperative
societies and forest management
committees.
The task of transporting material to fair price shops will now be
done by MP State Civil Supplies
Corporation. Role of lead societies
in the process has been abolished.
Places where fair price shops are
to be situated will be decided by
concerning
urban
body/Zila
Panchayat on the basis of number
of consumers in concerning areas.
It has also been provisioned for the
convenience of poor and needy consumers that if a consumer fails to
lift his quota for a month then he
may obtain the same next month.
Material can be obtained in lump
sump or installments.
Provision of prescribed documents or bio-metric identity has
been made to check diversion of
material from fair price shop and
ensure that it reaches the eligible
consumers. Under the new
arrangement, a consumer can
choose a fair price shop of his
choice. Fine will be imposed on a
fair price shopkeeper on first complaint and legal action will be
taken if found guilty again.

Buddhist University to benefit

society, country and entire world
Bhopal
Forest Minister Dr. Gaurishankar Shejwar has said that
Sanchi Buddhist and Indic Studies University has been established for various objectives including dissemination of knowledge, philosophy, culture, studies and researches which will
benefit society, country and entire world. Dr. Shejwar was
inaugurating the maiden academic session of the university
at village Barla in Raisen district recently.
Dr. Shejwar said that the conclusions drawn from dissemination of knowledge, philosophy, culture, studies and
researches will play an important role in re-establishment of
our public welfare values and culture. He said that our culture
will be preserved and flowing when people become patriotic.
We should be grateful towards whatever we get from nature.
He extended best wishes to newly admitted students.

First arrangement of comprehensive Buddhist

studies: Chancellor S. Rimpoche said that arrangements for
comprehensive Buddhist studies existed nowhere till date.
The conclusions drawn from studies and researches at the
university will guide society. The Chancellor said that any culture or tradition must be practiced apart from having knowledge about it. Researches and studies will be made logically at
the university, which will enrich Buddhist-Indian culture.
University to have 8 courses: Vice-Chancellor Dr.
Shashi Prabha Kumar informed that it has been decided to
open the university with 8 courses. In the first phase, course
on Buddhist philosophy was started from today in which 13
students from all over the country have taken admission. In
the next phase from January 12, course on Indian philosophy
will be inaugurated. Universitys Registrar Rajesh Gupta was
also present on the occasion.

Feature

ASTROLOGY
07-12-2014- Wednesday -Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Dwitiya
Positive directions -North and West
Bad time
12:33 pm to 1:54 pm
Good time
7:10 am to 9:51 am
and 11:12 am to 12:30 pm an 3:14 pm
to 5:56 pm
08-01-2015-Thursday- Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Tritiya
Positive directions-North and East
Bad time
1:54 pm to 3:15 pm
Good time
7:10 am to 8:31 am
and 11:12 am to 1:53 pm and 4:36 pm to
5:57 pm
09-01-2015- Friday -Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Chaturthi
Positive direction-North and East
Bad Time
11:13 am to 12:34 pm
Good time
7:10 am to 11:12 am
and 12:35 pm to 1:55 pm and 4:36 pm to
5:57pm
10-01-2015- Saturday -Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Panchami
Positive directions-South and East
Bad time
9:52 am to 11:13 am
Good time
8:31 am to 9:51 am
and 12:34 pm to 4:37 pm
11-01-2015- Sunday - Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Shashthi
Positive directions - South and East
Bad time
4:38 pm and 5:59 pm
Good time
8:31 am to 12:35 pm
and 1:56 pm to 3:17 pm
12-01-2015-Monday-Magh Mah
Krishnapaksh-Saptami
Positive direction-South and East
Bad time
8:32 am and 9:53 am
Good time
7:11 am to 8:31 am
and 9:54 am to 11:14 am and 1:56 pm
to 5:59 pm
13-01-2015- Tuesday - Magh Mah
Krishanapaksh-Ashtami
Positive directions-South and West
Bad time
3:18 pm to 4:39 pm
Good time
9:53 am to 1:57 pm
By AACHARYA SARVESH
E-Mail: acharya.sarvesh@yahoo.com
Mobile: 9826609192

Vastu tips for office

Office Vastu suggests
that the owner or MD
should have a
rectangular table.
Pantry and lunch rooms
should be located in the
Southeast and
Northwest
according to Vastu tips.
Toilets should be
ideally located in the
Northeast and
Southwest in the office
design.
All important
documents and papers
should be stored in
safes and cupboards
that face the Southwest
direction.

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Social media gives

women an opportunity

to be heard

New Delhi: Social Media gives women in India an opportunity to be heard when it is often so difficult to have ones voice
heard in public. This is especially important for those who
want to stand on their own two feet and do business.

ith 24.3 crore

many women in the public

internet users

eye in India has not come

expected to

without its fair share of

increase to 50 crore by 2018

risks. But the benefits of

in India alone, the market

using social media outweigh

penetration through social

many of the negatives. For

media is huge. India has an

an entrepreneur there is

estimated 3.3 crore twitter

nothing so useful as being

users - up from 1.3 crore

able to connect with like-

users pre-2012. The nation

minded individuals through

ranks number six globally for

an open-platform, which

highest number of twitter

also, often advantageously,

users. Despite the fact that

eliminates the need to travel.

the numbers are changing

This provides an opportunity

to not only get to grips with

with incredible speed, digital

media intelligence agency eStatsIndia.coms Social Media

the market, but also to advertise ones product without

Users and Usage in India 2014 Status Quo Report, does

fighting to be heard through face-time in traditional con-

give two interesting figures. It puts social networking

ference halls and at exhibitions. As the power of the

users in India at around 52% male and 48% female.

Indian internet infrastructure improves, expect the num-

Thats actually an impressive figure it is not a large

ber of women on social media to make an increasingly

disparity, surprisingly given the enormous inequality in

marked presence. After all, there are over a million voices,

all other aspects of the daily male-female ratio in India.

which are quite subdued on the real-life streets of India,

Though using forms of social media such as twitter for

wanting to be heard.

First transgender mayor elected in Raigarh

Raigarh (Chhattisgarh): A
transgender in central India
has become the country's first
to win civic polls and be
declared mayor. Madhu Bai
Kinnar won the municipal election in Raigarh in Chhattisgarh
recently, beating her rival from
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
by more than 4,500 votes,
according to the state election
commission.
Video footage showed the
35-year-old Kinnar draped in a
saree, folding her hands and
greeting supporters who placed

marigold garlands around her

neck amid a blaze of camera

flashes. Kinnar, a member of

the Dalit caste, had been earn-

ing a living by singing and

dancing on trains, the Press
Trust of India reported, but she
stopped when asked to represent her community.
"People have shown faith in
me. I consider this win as love
and blessings of people for me.
I'll put in my best efforts to
accomplish their dreams,"
Kinnar told reporters after winning the election. Kinnar's win
comes nine months after India's
top court ruled that transgenders be legally recognised as
gender-neutral.

COMMERCE

Zero percent interest loan

scheme for farmers to continue
The cabinet decided to continue the loans at zero percent interest rate for farmers in 2014-15. As
per the decision, zero percent
interest rate will be applicable for
farmers who would repay loans
regularly and timely by the due
date (March 28 for Kharif crops
and June 15, 2015 for Rabi crops).
Farmers not repaying loans by
the due date March 28 for Kharif
crops and June 15, 2015 for Rabi
crops would pay 3 percent interest
from the date of loan deposit farmers bank accounts till due date of
payment. Loans at commercial
rate will be provided from the due
date till date of payment of loan.
The state government will provide
6 percent interest subsidy on base
rate 11 percent from issuance till
date of loan payment in case of
Kharif crops and during period of
due date for Rabi crops.

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Iron ore areas of

Chhatarpur be reserved
in favour of SAIL: CM
Bhopal
CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a letter to Union Minister for Mines
Narendra Singh Tomar has urged him that the iron ore areas in Bijawar,
Bada Malehra and Bakswaha tehsils of Chhatarpur district, on which
mining concessions have not been sanctioned, should be reserved in
favour of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
The CM said in the letter that MPs natural wealth needs to be value
added in the state itself. It will create job opportunities and pave way for
development of mineral areas. The CM said that following reservation of
these areas, the state government will ensure time-bound action for giving prospecting permission on SAILs applications as per rules. The state
government will make every possible effort to set up a steel plant in MP.
Chouhan said that an appeal has already been made in writing to reserve
iron ore areas in Bijawar, Bada Malehra and Bakswaha tahsils of
Chhatarpur district in favour of SAIL. In the letter to Tomar, Chouhan
has urged him to reserve these areas and undertake prospecting at the
earliest.

Centre urged to extend paddy

milling period upto March 31

Other decisions
The cabinet sanctioned 7 posts for establishment of district-level office of Mineral Resources
Development Department in newly constituted Agar-Malwa district. These include one post each of Mining
Officer, Mining Inspector, assistant grade-2, assistant grade-3, assistant draughtsman, surveyor and peon.
The cabinet decided to provide second higher time-scale to assistants grade-3 and personal assistants working in establishment of MP High Court at par with Mantralaya. The cabinet sanctioned opening of 20 new
post-matric hostels of Tribal Welfare Department and creation of 100 posts for them. The cabinet sanctioned
filling up vacancies of 3 managers in Public Service Agency Autonomous Body of Public Services
Management Department through contract or deputation.

CM Chouhan has urged the Central government to extend milling

period for paddy procured during Kharif marketing year 2013-14 upto
March 31, 2015. The CM in a letter to Union Food, Public Distribution
and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that rice received
after milling of paddy procured in 2013-14 and 2014-15 will meet requirements of public distribution system and other schemes in the state till
year 2016. In his letter, the CM informed that paddy production in MP
has increased from 14 lakh MT in year 2009-10 to 43 lakh MT in 201314. As a result of limited milling capacity of states 337 rice millers, procured paddy in the state is not being milled within the time-limit prescribed by the Central government.

Centre asks C'garh to

Vast Potential of MSMEs expedite clearances to
mining projects
needs to be harnessed

to coal mining projects of SECL

Raipur

New Delhi
Giriraj Singh, the Minister of
State of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises presided over the
Valedictory Session of the 2-day
Symposium on Growth and
Prospects of MSME Sector in
Emerging Scenario organised by
The National Institute for
Entrepreneurship and Small
Business Development (NIESBUD) in active association with
Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) here. Speaking on the occasion the Minister of State said
that Make in India is not merely
a slogan but a way of thinking for
the Government.
Singh emphasised that intention and belief in leadership are
vital for transforming the fortunes of any Sector including the
MSME Sector. Singh also elaborated as to how emphasis upon
increasing the share of eco-friendly khadi products in the MSME
Sector from the present less than
half a percent to 5% over the years
would generate large scale
employment opportunities mainly

for women who constitute half of

the population. This would also
transform the face of rural India.
Recalling the significant contribution of the Sector to the
Indian Economy, Singh added
that MSMEs have the potential of
transforming themselves into a
vehicle of enabling the country to
regain her glorious ancient status
in the economic affairs of the
world. The Minister of State also
assured the delegates that the
Government is committed to
extend all possible help for maintaining and improving competitiveness of the micro and small
units in the emerging economic
scenario. Arun Kumar Jha,
Director General, NIESBUD,
briefly dwelling upon different
issues discussed during the
Symposium expressed the hope
that based upon the deliberations
of the Symposium, a Road Map for
the Sector in the Emerging
Scenario would be finalised and
presented to the Ministry.
Ashok Saigal, Managing
Director, Frontier Technologies,

representing CII, while emphasising upon the imperative of organising skill training in active association with Industry Associations
for achieving the desired results,
expressed hope that the Indian
MSMEs will get a great boost
from the emphasis being laid by
the Government upon increasing
the manufacturing activities in
the
country.
The
two-day
Symposium was attended by more
than 400 delegates representing
different Government Ministries;
Industry; Industry Associations;
Academia; Financial Institutions;
Support
Organisations
and
Experts connected with the
Sector.
The recommendations as
emerged out of the deliberations
of the Symposium inter -alia
include easier, timely and cost
effective access to credit for
MSMEs; strict monitoring of
implementation
of
Public
Procurement Policy for MSMEs
and simplification of registration
and regulatory mechanisms for
micro and small units.

The Coal Ministry has asked

(South Eastern Coalfields Ltd) -- A

the Chhattisgarh government to

Coal India (CIL) subsidiary. There

expedite clearances to mining proj-

are nine forest proposals pending at

ects as the Centre has set a target

the state level," Swarup said. Some

for Coal India to produce

1 billion tonnes of the dry
fuel by 2019. "The government is endeavouring to
reach a production level
of one billion tonne by
2019. In order to achieve
this target, a comprehensive strategy has been
worked," Coal Secretary
Anil Swarup said in a letter to the
state government. "One of the major

of the coal mining projects of SECL

components of this strategy is to

pending in the state include Dipka

operationalise such mine of Coal

OC (Open Cast) mine, Pelma OC,

India Ltd as have been languishing

Jagannathpur, Chhal OC, Baroud

on account of various issues that

OC and Kartali OC. The govern-

beset such projects," he said in the

ment has set an ambitious target for

letter

Chief

CIL to achieve coal production of

Secretary Vivek Kumar. The issues

nearly 1 billion tonnes by 2019. Coal

relate to land acquisition, law and

and Power Minister Piyush Goyal

order and other statutory clear-

had earlier said the target of dou-

ances, some of which are to be

bling domestic production from the

resolved at the state level. "The

current 462 million tonnes level was

issues pending with the State relate

possible.

to

Chhattisgarh

NATION

12 Sakshi Maharaja's
remark sparks outrage
New Delhi
A hard-line BJP MP has sparked outrage
by urging Hindu women to have at least
four children "in order to protect the
Hindu religion". Analysts say the comments by Sakshi Maharaj are aimed at
stirring up tension with Muslims.
Opposition
Congress
party
spokesman Sanjay Jha called his comments "ludicrous and provocative". Last
month, Sakshi Maharaj said the killer of
Mahatma Gandhi was a patriot. The
hardliner, who dresses in saffron robes,
is known for creating controversies. "The
concept of four wives and 40 children will
not work in India," the MP is reported to
have told a gathering in an apparent reference to Muslim men, who are legally
allowed to have four wives. "The time has
come when a Hindu woman must produce at least four children in order to
protect Hindu religion." Critics say hardline Hindus regularly accuse Muslim
women of being breeding machines who
have lots of children in a bid to overtake
the Hindu population. Radical Hindu

outfits insist there is a real threat of the

minority community becoming a majority, our correspondent adds. Sanjay Jha
wrote on Twitter: "There is only one way
to describe Sakshi Maharaj's ludicrous
and provocative call for Hindu women to
have four children; beyond a boundary."
Priyanka Chaturvedi, also of the
Congress party, wondered if women were
born only to have children. Sakshi

Maharaj won a seat in last year's general election in the northern state of Uttar
Pradesh. In recent months, several BJP
figures have been in the news for making
controversial remarks. In December,
Minister for Food Processing Niranjan
Jyoti used an abusive term to refer to
non-Hindus. However, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said he disapproved of
her language but refused to sack her.

ICAR urged to have programme to

improve indigenous breeds of cattle
New Delhi
Union
Agriculture
Minister Radha Mohan
Singh while addressing a
programme at National
Institute
of
Veterinary
Epidemiology and Disease
Informatics (NIVEDI) in
Bengaluru, urged upon
ICAR to have major programs to improve the indigenous breeds as the products
from the indigenous cattle
also have health attributes
to humans.
He said that empirical
evidence suggests that our
indigenous breeds of cattle
are relatively less prone to
diseases as compared to
exotic and cross-bred. He further said that the efforts
should be made to improve
indigenous stock in terms of
production and productivity.
He mentioned that the best

India gears
up to
receive 1.1
billion
tourists in
3 years

indigenous breeds like Gir,

Tharparkar, Rathi, Sahiwal
etc. have better heat tolerance, feed conversion efficiency and disease resistance. Radha Mohan Singh
said that in the XII Five Year
Plan, the institute was
renamed as the National
Institute
of
Veterinary
Epidemiology and Disease
Informatics to expand its
research activities with 32
AICRP centers covering all
states and union territories

of the country. Singh mentioned that the role of scientists of NIVEDI continues to
be in the prevention, control
and eradication of diseases
to help maximize animal production and safeguarding
human health from those
diseases transmitted by animals and their products
using risk analysis data and
precise diagnostics. He urged
the institute to research and
study the aspects which
make the indigenous breeds

resistant to diseases. Singh

complimented NIVEDI for
developing excellence in several frontier areas in veterinary and animal sciences in
terms of specialized laboratories, human resource development, technology generation and dissemination. He
said that as the role of animal health and production
has an important place for
sustainable livestock production systems in improving
the
countrys
economy,
NIVEDI has a role to play in
this direction. Singh congratulated the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research for
setting up of a world class
facility for research on epidemiology of animal diseases
at National Institute of
Veterinary Epidemiology and
Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) in Bengaluru.

Gandhinagar: Union Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma has
said that India receives about 7 million foreign tourists annually with a target to get one per cent share
of the global tourist arrivals which is around 1.1 billion in three years. Addressing the plenary session of
the Pravasi Barati Diwas in Gandhinagar recently, the minister said tourism is one of the most important
socio economic activities globally and it is very relevant for Indias economy also. An investment of Rs 10
lakhs generates 18 jobs in agriculture, 45 jobs in manufacturing and 78 jobs in tourism sector, so tourism
has to be an important component of socio-economic development of the country, he added. Sharma said
the Union Government has introduced Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for 43 countries on
November 27, 2014. These countries covered around 42 per cent of the source market for Indian tourism
at the world level. Further, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been requested to include China, UK,
France, Germany, Spain and Italy also in the list of ETA countries.

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Minister calls upon

the farmers to use
modern techniques
and machinery

New Delhi
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh
called upon the horticulture farmers to use modern
techniques and machinery as per international standards to produce horticultural products. He spoke
about showcasing imported moden equipments and
machinery and promoting their use by providing
subsidy for this purpose. He was speaking during a
function titled Horticulture Sangam jointly organised by National Horticulture Board and
Horticulture Department of Government of
Karnataka at Lalbagh, Bengaluru.
Singh said that organisation of such events gives
inspiration to horticulture fraternity to work together and facilitates the availability of horticulture
products of various states at single place. The ethos
behind organising this event is in consonance with
Integral part of Indian culture ie, Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam. Attributing, horticultural production
at 275 million tonnes during 2014-15 (as per initial
estimates) to the efforts of farmers, Singh said that
Government has intergrated all horticulture programme into Mission for Integrated Development of
Horticulture (MIDH), so that farmers and entrepreneurs are benefitted. Indian horticulture products
such as, mango, lichi, grapes, saffron, have their
disctinct identity in global market. By exporting horticulture products, farmers have contributed in
increasing the countrys foreign exchange, he added.
Singh said that Government is facilitating the use of
advanced horticulture techniques through its
Horticulture Central Programmes so that farmers
can achieve high productivity with quality and efficiency in cultivation of horticulture products.
Minister emphasises about the potential of
neem coated urea: Radha Mohan Singh while
addressing farmers in a function at the launching of
Neem coated urea organised by KRIBHCO, Hebbal,
Bengaluru, emphasised on the maximum use of
neem coated urea for increase of production and
reduction in production cost. He further said that
neem coated urea is helpful in reducing the pollution of water, soil and air. Singh said that India have
to import about 70 lakh ton of urea every year, which
affects the foreign exchange. He further said that
plants cannot absorb nitrogen found in urea to its
maximum extent as a result a large component of it
goes waste. By increasing the utility factor of nitrogen (through neem coated urea), the consumption of
urea can be reduced, he added.

COMMERCE

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Maha govt to bring policy on renewable energy

Mumbai
The Maharashtra government, in a first,
is bringing in a policy on renewable energy.
Experts such as prominent nuclear scientist
Anil Kakodkar are in the core team that is
drafting the Integrated Policy for Renewable
Energy. We dont have a policy on renewable energy in the state. We are generating
power from the sun and wind, but in the
absence of a policy, the renewable sector is
insecure, said Maharashtra energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
The minister said that Kakodkar and
other experts would participate in drafting
the new policy. We have urged some experts
across the nation to participate in making

the policy for the state. We have sent letters

to nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar, Prakash
Godbole, an expert from the financial sector,
and Arvind Karandikar, who has in-depth
knowledge of global solar industry, among
many others. They have given their consent
to work for the state, said Bawankule.
The state government has also asked the
Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan state governments to support Maharashtra in making a
policy on renewable energy. Both the states
are ruled by the BJP, and Rajasthans policy
is said to be the best in the nation, said the
minister. The energy department is planning to make the policy with the technical
support
of
Maharashtra
Energy
Development Agency (MEDA), which works

PM calls upon Indian diaspora

across the world to unite

as a positive global force

in the field of promotion and development of

non-conventional and renewable sources of
energy.
According to the schedule, the draft
will be available in the public domain from
January 15 to 30 for suggestions and objections from the people or organisations.
Then, it will probably get the Cabinets nod
before February 15, Bawankule said. He
added that the policy would include power
generation from solar and wind and co-generation from bagasse and biogas. Both gridconnected and off-grid power will be the
part of the policy. Grid-connected power
refers to the power that is generated and is
supplied to a power station from where it is
transmitted.

Investors
expect more
Modi magic
in 2015

New Delhi

New Delhi
PM Narendra Modi called upon the
Indian diaspora across the world to
unite as a positive global force in the
cause of humanity. In his inaugural
address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas
at
the
Mahatma
Mandir
in
Gandhinagar, the PM recalled that
exactly 100 years ago, a Non Resident
Indian - Gandhi - had returned to India
to serve the people. Today, he said, he
was welcoming NRIs from across the
world as a Non Resident Gujarati.
The PM said NRIs are present
across the world, in more than 200 countries. "India is global because of you," he
told the gathering. He said that in the
past, Indians had travelled across the
world in search of opportunity, or to gain
knowledge and exposure. "Today, opportunities beckon you in India," he asserted, adding that today, the world looks at

India with hope. He said times are

changing quickly, and India is rising
with great strength.
The PM exhorted the Indian diaspora to contribute to India`s success in any
way possible, including knowledge,
expertise or skills. The PM mentioned in
particular, the Namaami Gange project
to clean the River Ganga, and make it a
source of economic empowerment for 40
percent of India`s population. He said
he was sure all NRIs would be inspired
to contribute to this cause. The PM
welcomed the dignitaries from Guyana,
South Africa and Mauritius. He
recalled how Indian festivals such as
Holi and Diwali are enthusiastically
celebrated in Guyana. He recalled that
today - January 8th - was the founding
day of the African National Congress in
South Africa. He mentioned that
Mahatma Gandhi`s birth anniversary October 2 - is observed in Mauritius

with even greater vigour than it is

observed in India. The PM called upon
NRIs across the world to forge and take
pride in a common identity and heritage, and to use this strength collectively. He said even if a solitary NRI is
present anywhere in the world, India is
alive and present in that corner of the
world through him. The PM said he
firmly believes that NRIs are a big
strength of India, and India can make
a global impact by reaching out to
them.
Dandi Kutir: Earlier, the PM inaugurated the Dandi Kutir museum located opposite the Mahatma Mandir in
Gandhinagar. The three storey exhibition, housed in a dome shaped structure,
traces the life and times of Mahatma
Gandhi through various faces as barrister, his struggles in South Africa,
return to India and successfully leading
the freedom struggle.

India has emerged as one of the favorite emerging markets going into 2015 because of Narendra
Modi and his market oriented plans like Make in
India. The Sensex is up over 30% this year.
Corporate investors are also bullish on Modi.
Cyrus Mistry, the CEO of Tata Group, said he was
pinning a lot of hope on the Modis Make in India
initiative. Mistry said in his annual message to the
group that recent policy measures and the strategic
direction defined by the new government hold the
promise to re-ignite growth in future. Modis campaign may gain momentum thanks in part to its comparison to China. Its large labour force may be able
to pick up where Chinas low cost manufacturing
focus has left off. The Indian economy, which
slumped below 5.5% in 2012 and 2013 is expected to
grow by 6.3% in 2015. Much of the positive sentiment
is due to Modi. By 2016 the countrys growth rate is
seen hitting 7% , likely beating Chinas.
Indian labour is cheaper, but less productive.
Recent news that Honda Motors was courting the
Gujarat, Modis home state, are symbolic to the
growing foreign company interest in India. India is
back in the spotlight. Even though Modi is the star of
this show, investors also like Raghuram Rajan as the
Reserve Bank governor. Rajan has set the tone for a
more conservative monetary policy.
India is poised to continue doing well so long as
reform momentum continues. Under Rajan, India
has made big strides in getting inflation under control. Indias fiscal deficit during the April-November
period was 98.9% of the 2014-15 estimate, mainly
because of subdued tax revenue.

SPORTS

10

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal slams

sports ministry for Padma Bhushan snub
lympic bronze-medallist Saina

five years for this.' So I again applied

Nehwal has been left disappoint-

this year for the award. So why my

ed after the Sports Ministry

name was not recommended this

decided to reject her application for the

year?," she asked. "After 2010, I had

prestigious Padma Bhushan award

won a Commonwealth Games gold

this year, citing norms. Badminton

medal, first Olympic medal for bad-

Association of India (BAI) had recom-

minton, achieved a career-high rank-

mended Saina's name for the award to

ing of two and won so many super

the Sports Ministry in August last year

series titles, so I thought I was deserv-

but the ministry picked two-time

ing as well. But if the name has not

Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil

been sent then it feels bad," Saina

Kumar as it felt he was a more deserv-

said. "I spoke to the higher officials

ing candidate.

yesterday. They said Sushil's name has

"I heard that Sushil Kumar's name

already gone. I can only request them

was sent for Padma award as a special

to look into it. If we both can win that

case, while my name was not sent to

would be really good. If his name has

Ministry of home affairs by sports min-

been sent as a special case then why

istry. The ministry guidelines says

my name has not been sent because

that there needs to be a gap of five

even if they go by the rules, my name

years between two Padma awards. So

should be sent," she added.

completed the five years gap. I felt bad

Sushil's name even though he has not

award. "Sushil is a great player but

about it," Saina, who was awarded the

completed the five-year norm after

then medal is a medal. We both won

Padma Shri in 2010, said.

being bestowed with the Padma Shri

medals at the Olympics. They could

The 24-year-old claimed that her

in 2011. "Last year when I had sent my

have given the award to him after

application was rejected last year also

file for the Padma Bhushan award, the

2012 Olympics as a special case if they

on similar grounds but this year, the

ministry said 'No Saina you can't apply

Brilliant Sangakkara inches

closer to one of Bradman's
magical records
T

had to. Why do it now? I am disap-

Wellington wicket where 15 wickets fell on Day 1. It came

ministry

this year because you have to complete

pointed," she said.

on a wicket where the highest score by a Kiwi batsman was

if they can send his name, why they

Saina said she will be more than

didn't recommend my name as I have

happy if both she and Sushil get the

decided

to

recommend

'Emotional' Kohli will take time to fill Dhoni's

boots, says Shahid Afridi

he scoreboard has it's own story to tell.

This double century didn't come easy. It came on a

69 (Kane Williamson). The second highest score by a Sri

Lankan batsman was 67 (Chandimal) and if you take him
out of the picture, the next highest by a Sri Lankan batsman is 16.
It wasn't easy but the second Test track was another
opportunity for Kumar Sangakkara to show just how good

all-

January in Sydney. "I felt disap-

a batsman he really is. If you had any doubt that is. The

rounder Shahid Afridi says that

pointed to learn about Dhoni's

other day, he went by 12,000 runs in Test cricket and he did

Virat Kohli was "too emotional"

retirement decision because he

it faster than anyone in the history of the game. Following

as a leader and it will take him

is a fighting character and has

a 2014 season in which he scored 1,493 runs, including two

some time to fill in the captaincy

been a great leader for Indian

double centuries and three centuries, Sangakkara has kept

void left by Mahendra Singh

cricket. He has led many times

the runs coming at the start of the new year and who knows

Dhoni's retirement from Test

from the front for them," he

how far he can take things.

cricket. Afridi said he was a big

said. "Dhoni has changed the

Sangakkara's double century brought him within one

fan of Kohli's cricketing skills

face of Indian cricket and took

of matching Donald Bradman's record of 12. Brian Lara

but he the Indian need to

them to the pinnacle of success

got to nine while Ponting and Tendulkar only ever got to

improve as a leader of the pack.

and his captaincy will be missed

Kohli is set to lead the team in

by the Indian team. He has led

the final Test of the series

them well in all formats," Afridi

against Australia, starting 6

told a TV channel.

Pakistan's

flamboyant

six. At 37, Sangakkara isn't getting any younger but his

batting continues to improve and his average of 58.22 is
testament to that. Here's a look at how Twitter reacted to
his double ton.

Cricket World Cup 2015 trophy unveiled in Kolkata

Kolkata
The cricket World Cup 2015 trophy was
unveiled here Friday amid cheers and celebrations that kickstarted its tour to several
cities in the country.
In addition to the preview of the prestigious trophy, a signature campaign was also
launched by international electronics giant
LG, also the global sponsor of the ICC, to
announce the inaugural of the World Cup
starting Feb 14. The trophy will be taken to
five more cities - Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi,
Noida and Gurgaon. It will be handed over to
the champion team Mar 29 at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground.
A 30-feet bat was placed alongside the
trophy for the fans to write their messages
and convey their wishes to Team India.

Fans cheered
as the trophy was
unveiled and
clicked photographs on their
cell phones at the
slightest opportunity.
Present at the
inauguration were
cricketer Manoj
Tiwary, former
cricketer Devang
Gandhi, former
Indian women's
team skipper
Jhulan Goswami
and chess grand-

master Dibyendu Barua and other

dignitaries. Tiwary was happy that
the campaign began from Kolkata
and was also delighted at having
made the 30 probables list for the
World Cup. A beaming Jhulan
believed that India would definitely
make the semi-finals of the quadrennial tournament. "In Australia the
conditions are different, pacy and
bouncy pitches, but I believe we can
at least make it to the semi-finals
this time around, I wish them good
luck," Jhulan said. Tiwary, Jhulan
and Gandhi also signed on the 30feet replica bat and a huge cricket
ball to convey their best wishes to
the team.

GLAMOUR

11

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Deepika Padukone turns 29, to

star in Piku, Bajirao Mastani
Variety has been the key in the career of actress
Deepika Padukone, who turned 29 Monday.
The New Year will be no different with
three movies as different as "Piku",
"Tamasha" and "Bajirao
Mastani" slated for
release.

Akshay Kumar

n
Shoojit
Sircar's
"Piku", she will
be seen teaming up with megastar
Amitabh Bachchan. She will play his onscreen daughter in the movie which is said to
be about the father-daughter relationship. Then in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic period
drama "Bajirao Mastani", Deepika will share screen space with her rumoured boyfriend Ranveer
Singh. This apart, she will also scorch the screen with her former beau Ranbir Kapoor in "Tamasha".
Deepika's film career started off with a bang in Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Om Shanti Om
in 2007. She consolidated her spot among the top rung Hindi film actresses when she gave four back-to-back hits
in 2013. In the year gone by too, Deepika continued to rule the hearts of many. She came together with King Khan once
again for musical heist drama Happy New Year, which had a bumper opening. The movie, which featured the actress as
an enthusiastic dancer named Mohini, earned a record Rs.44.97 crore on the first day of its release. Deepika also experimented with
Homi Adajania's English language Bollywood entertainer "Finding Fanny", and she was also seen with megastar Rajinikanth in
Kochadaiyaan", touted as India's first motion capture photo-realistic 3D animated film.

to return to
'MasterChef
India'?

Not part of Modi government's

ad campaign: Amitabh Bachchan
M
egastar

f all goes as planned,

Bollywood actor Akshay
Kumar will reportedly
return to the world of reality
TV show again after "Dare 2
Dance" with MasterChef
India season four.The programming team is trying to
get Akshay on board the
show as 'maha-judge'.
Nothing is finalised yet as
talks are still on, said a
source. Culinary experts
Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas
Khanna and Ranveer Brar
will judge the show, which is
aired on Star Plus and is
expected to premier Januaryend. Akshay's love for food is
not a hidden secret. The
'Khiladi' of the tinsel town
judged the first season of the
Indian adaptation of the
internationally popular format as well. Expounding
about his role as mahajudge, the source added, As
maha-judge, Akshay will
rule over what the three
judges say. For the upcoming season, a lot of twists
and turns are planned starting with 'only vegetarian'
condition. The show will see
chefs and food enthusiasts
from around the country
using their creativity for
fancy gourmet dishes, exotic
desserts and rich Indian
food -- but all vegetarian.

Amitabh

clear the air. "The news by

Bachchan says that

media that PM and PMO

he has not been

have asked me to be

asked by the Narendra

involved in a campaign

Modi government to be

film, is incorrect !! Kindly

part of its ad campaign

rectify .. thank you !" he

that stresses the need to

tweeted. Meanwhile, on

rise above caste and reli-

the big screen, the 72-

gion. He took to micro-

year-old will be seen in R.

blogging site Twitter to

Balki's Shamitabh.

Katrina is my favourite co-star, she

is not pretentious: Anushka Sharma
A
worked

ctress

Anushka

Sharma, who has

with

says she is very satisfied

with her career graph as an

various

actress and says she doesn't

actresses in the past, says

like falling into brackets and

Katrina Kaif is her favourite

categories. Asked if she is

co-star

happy with whatever she

and

she

doesnt

believe in the concept of cat-

has

fights in Bollywood. "As an

Anushka said: "I won't lead

actress, we need to kill those

my life little bit if I was not

cat-fight things.

happy. I know what I want

called

Kangana

achieved

so

far,

to do and I don't like falling

(Ranaut) when I watched

into

'Queen', I called Deepika

gories." "I didn't want to do

brackets

and

(Padukone) after 'Cocktail'. I

too many films. Whatever I

was like more than excited

have done, I have done best.

about it. "Katrina is my

People give advices but I do

favorite co-star because I

what I feel is right. I am

had such a good relationship

very satisfied right now. I

with her. She is a real per-

wanted to work in good films

son and not pretentious. I

and good directors and i

had a great time working

think my career graph is

with her (in 'Jab Tak Hai

going well," she added. PK

Jaan'). I know she feels

also features Aamir Khan,

happy for me," she said.

Sushant

Anushka, who is currently

Sanjay Dutt and Boman

enjoying the success of "PK,

Irani.

Singh

cate-

Rajput,

NATION

12

JANUARY 05 TO JANUARY 11 , 2015

PM dedicates Akodara village

in Gujarat as a digital village

(MP & CG)

Politician honours two

donkeys in Bangalore

Mumbai

n the occasion that marked 60

years of the ICICI group, PM,
Narendra Modi dedicated Akodara Village
in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district as a digital village. The PM said Akodara had a
cattle hostel, which had contributed
immensely to improving incomes and
cleanliness in the village. He said more
and more villages across India would
adopt this model soon, emphasising that
rural development could emerge as a powerhouse of economic development for the
country, according to an official release.
Congratulating ICICI Bank and the
people of Akodara for creating a cashless
economic system, Modi said banks in India
should actually compete for achieving
maximum cashless transactions, as this
would be the best solution to the problem
of black money.
People in India, he said, had a propensity towards saving, but this was targeted
towards gold. The challenge for banks was
to assure people that a bank account
would ensure easy access to their savings
whenever required. He said if banks were
able to do so, they could emerge as agents
of social transformation. The PM also
called upon banks to create one lakh
Swachhta Entrepreneurs within a year, to
make the Swachh Bharat vision a sustainable reality. In addition, he complimented the MD and CEO of ICICI Bank,
Chanda Kochhar for the way she had insti-

Bangalore: A politician has honoured two donkeys for their hard work and loyalty. The animals
were presented with awards here by Vatal Nagaraj,
who heads a regional political party. "I have decided to
honour all domestic animals like donkeys, dogs, buffaloes, cows and oxen, as they are more loyal than
human beings, hard-working, disciplined and obedient," says Nagaraj, who showered the animals with
rose petals during the event. Dressed up in shawls and
colourful beads for their moment in the spotlight, the
donkeys caused some amusement among observers at
the less-than-glamorous venue for the ceremony - the
city's inter-state bus station. Nagaraj says donkeys,
used widely as a working animal in India, are often
tutionalized the initiative of Swachh
Bharat within her organization. Noting
that the experience of the ICICI group
over the last sixty years would prove
immensely useful to India's economic
development in the years ahead, the PM
urged ICICI Bank to prepare a vision of
tangible goals which they would achieve
by the time they celebrated the 75th
anniversary of ICICI group.
As an intermediate target, he also
asked the Bank to think of what goals they

could achieve by 2022, the 75th anniversary of India's independence. Further, the
PM urged ICICI Bank to adopt a social
charter of such tangible goals. He said
many times one institution takes the lead
and others follow, generating momentum
towards a good cause. Governor of
Maharashtra, Vidyasagar Rao, CM of
Maharashtra,
Devendra
Fadnavis,
Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, and MD
and CEO of ICICI Bank, Chanda Kochhar
were present on the occasion.

ignored. "No applications invited, no applications

received. And no juries set up to choose the candidates... the most unique award ceremony in the
world," he said prior to the ceremony. And Bangalore
can expect more animal awards in the future; Nagaraj
has promised to honour them every month "in recognition of their contribution to us". The politician is
known for carrying out unusual, headline-grabbing
protests. In 2011, he rode through the town of
Chamarajanagar on a buffalo to protest rising fuel
prices.

Sunanda Pushkar: Delhi police

deny Shashi Tharoor claim
New Delhi
Police have denied claims by
former minister Shashi Tharoor
that they pressured his domestic
helper to confess that the two
men had murdered his wife.
Delhi police said they were
treating the death of Sunanda
Pushkar as murder, nearly a
year after her body was found in
a hotel room. The police said Ms
Pushkar's death was "not natural and was due to poisoning".
Tharoor will be questioned
again in connection with the
death, reports say.
Tharoor said that he never
thought of any foul play in the
death of his wife, and that he
was anxious to see this case is
investigated thoroughly. A letter
written by Tharoor to Delhi
police chief BS Bassi in

November in which he makes

the allegation of coercion was
leaked to the media on
Wednesday.
In it Tharoor said a police
officer had "repeatedly physically assaulted" his domestic
helper during questioning and
tried to "intimidate" him into
"confessing that he and I murdered my wife".
He also referred to a conversation with Bassi and wrote: "As
you graciously agreed, such conduct is completely unacceptable
and illegal. It also amounts to
the use of physical coercion in
the attempt to frame an innocent man." "I would request you
to take immediate and appropriate action against such unlawful
misconduct of the officer concerned." Bassi told reporters
that he had received the letter

from Tharoor and investigated

the allegation. "I had spoken to
my officers about the allegations
made in the letter and learnt
that even though the person
(domestic helper) was summoned, he was never tortured,"
he told reporters. Tharoor married Ms Pushkar, a former
Dubai-based businesswoman, in
2010. She was found dead in a
five-star hotel in Delhi on 17
January last year.
The couple had became
embroiled in controversy over a
series of Twitter messages
before Ms Pushkar's death that
appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani
journalist. Ms Pushkar and
Tharoor later insisted they were
happily married and blamed
"unauthorised
tweets"
for
causing confusion.

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.
Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction