Give foodgrains to hungry, not rats: SC

New Delhi: Asserting that foodgrains cannot be allowed to rot in godowns, be dumped in sea or eaten by rats, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre to forthwith allocate excess foodgrains to the hungry and BPL families in the Country.

A Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma while asking the Attorney General to respond to its views told Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran that mere schemes without any implementation are of no use.

"More than 9 years ago (Aug 20,2001), this Court passed an order that the food grains which are over-flowing in the storage, especially of the FCI godowns and which are in abundance, should not be wasted by dumping into the sea or eaten by rats.

"Mere schemes without any implementation are of no use. What is important is that the food must reach the hungry," the Bench said in an order after Parsaran sought adjournment as the Attorney General who was to brief the court was held up in the Chief Justice's Court.

"Procurement of adequate foodgrains is essential to provide food security and to protect the interest of farmers. All through, our anxiety has been that the procured foodgrains be properly preserved. The quantity of foodgrains which cannot be preserved because of lack of storage facility, at least that much wholesome foodgrains be allocated to BPL population forthwith," the Bench said.


The apex court said as per the latest census figures BPL population in the country has risen by seven crore and asked the AG to come out with his views as to why the allocation should not be made in terms of the latest figure instead of relying on the 1991 Census figures.

-PTI

Tata Motors hikes Nano prices by Rs 9,000 from Nov 1

New Delhi: Tata Motors Friday said it will increase the prices of its small car Nano, dubbed as the Rs 1-lakh wonder, by about Rs 9,000 with effect from November 1 to offset rising input costs.
     
This is the second time that the company has increased the rate of the car. In July this year, the company raised Nano's price by 3-4 per cent, translating into a hike ranging between Rs 3,700 and Rs 6,894 (based on ex-showroom, Delhi prices).
     
"Tata Motors is taking a minor price increase on the Tata Nano, effective from November 1, to partially neutralise the steep increase in input costs in the last two years. The average increase is about Rs 9,000 (ex-showrooms), with prices varying from city to city and model to model," the company said in a statement.
     
When contacted, a company spokesperson said the price increase will be Tata Motors Limited - Financial and Strategic Analysis Reviewapplicable only for the cars available through open sales and new bookings.
     
"As of now, Tata Motors has announced open sales of the Tata Nano in Kerala (since August 2010) and Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal (since October 2010)," the company said.
     
Tata Motors had earlier said the first one lakh customers are price-protected and they would get their cars at the announced price of Rs 1.23-1.72 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The delivery of these cars are scheduled to be over by 2010.
     
Increasing input costs, especially that of steel and other commodities like rubber, had put pressure on margins of all the auto makers. Several rounds of increase in automobile prices have taken place since January this year.
     
Tata Motors had said with its 2,50,000 units per year Sanand plant becoming operational, the company would ramp up production of Tata Nano. Before this, it has been producing the 623-cc car from its Pantnagar plant in limited numbers.
     
Forced to shift from its original plant at Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in Gujarat, Tata Motors had decided to take bookings of the Nano in April 2009 through a lottery system due to production constraints, and selected 1.55 lakh customers for the delivery of the car in two phases.
     
The shares of the company today fell 2.61 per cent and closed at Rs 1,159.45 a share on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

PTI

Vivek personally invites Aishwarya and Abhishek for his wedding

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: Vivek Oberoi doesn’t believe in moving on or so it seems. The actor, who has been trying for long to mend fences with the Bachchans has now gone a step ahead to break the ice as he personally went to invite Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya for his wedding on Oct 29.

And even though his helpless pleas for forgiveness have often been met with a cold shrug by the unforgiving Jr Bachchan, Vivek is leaving no stones unturned to change that equation.

As per reports, Oberoi went across to Mehboob Studios in Bandra to invite his ex Aishwarya Rai’s husband, Abhishek Bachchan, for his wedding on October 29.

And Vivek took director Apoorva Lakhia’s help to call Abhishek. Sources state that Vivek called up Apoorva to help him invite Bachchan Jr. It’s a known fact that the Oberois and the Bachchans have always shared bad vibes, owing to Aishwarya Rai. And even though Vivek has been trying to make peace the Bachchans for long, he has been unsuccessful in his efforts.

When contacted by a news daily, Lakhia said, “I didn’t take Vivek to Mehboob Studios. I had gone to meet Abhishek, who was shooting there for Rohan Sippy’s film Dum Maro Dum. I made Abhishek and Vivek talk on the phone, which is when Vivek invited Abhishek for his wedding.”

Vivek Oberoi ties the knot with sweetheart Priyanka Alva

Bangalore: Hindi film actor Vivek Oberoi married Priyanka Alva, daughter of late Karnataka political leader Jeevraj Alva, here Friday.The 28-year-old Priyanka is a Business Management graduate from Britain. Her mother Nandini is a well known classical dancer.

Jeevraj Alva, a Janata Dal-United leader and a minister in the Ramakrishna Hegde ministry in Karnataka, passed away in 2001.

The wedding, both in Karnataka and Punjabi style, took place at the sprawling farm house of Alvas in north Bangalore.

The Oberois -- father Suresh Oberoi was also a leading Hindi film actor -- will host a reception in Mumbai Sunday.

The pre-wedding ceremonies began Thursday and continued till Friday evening when the ‘barat` reached Alva`s house.

The wedding comes a few days after the release of Vivek`s latest bollywood flick, ‘Rakht Charitra’, across India.

IANS

Vivek Oberoi all set for big fat Bollywood wedding!

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: With Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and Bangalore girl Priyanka Alva’s big fat B-town wedding just a matter of few hours, the Alva residence tonight will be abuzz with Bollywood dignitaries and Bangalore’s high flyers.

All set for his happily married life, Vivek is blessed to have the support of Bollywood friends and well-wishers.

Talking to a daily, Apoorva Lakhia, who directed Vivek in ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ and ‘Mission Istaanbul’ was supposed to dance at the sangeet yesterday, but the director couldn’t attend a single rehearsal and as a result, avoided hitting the dance floor. Talking about his poor dancing skills, Apoorva said, “I`m a terrible dancer. So Vivek said, ‘Don’t worry about dancing. Just relax and stand at the back.’ So I will only be clapping whenever the rest of them dance.”

When enquired about whether he has bought a wedding gift for the couple, Apoorva said, “I might give them something for their housewarming ceremony. A wedding gift has to be well-planned.”

All the same, Apoorva is incredibly happy for Vivek as he added, “I have heard a lot about Priyanka and her family, although I met them for the first time here in Bangalore. The last time Priyanka was in Mumbai, I wasn`t in town. They met in Venice the first time and went for a walk. And that ended in a long conversation, after which Vivek was completely besotted, which says a lot about the girl as Vivek is intelligent.”

Even Kookie Gulati, who directed the actor in ‘Prince’ is excited about the wedding as he said, “I have been married for about eight years now. Vivek is joining the gang.” Kookie will be gifting a wine chiller to Vivek.

However, ad guru Prahlad Kakkar won`t make it to the wedding. He hopes to attend the reception and has also penned a poem for Vivek as a wedding gift. “I don`t believe in material gifts. But the poem is about resolve. It says that when you have a vision in life, you will succeed, regardless of the pitfalls. There`s always a silver lining. Vivek went through a torrid time and learnt a lot from it. I have always been there when he`s been down and out. He is very talented and I believe his time will come as a major player and a game changer,” said Prahlad.

When asked about his gift for Priyanka, Prahlad chuckles, “I don`t know her. But I might write eulogies on her once I meet her.”

Holy chants, soft 'shehnai' mark Vivek’s wedding day

Bangalore: Chanting of holy verses, soft shehnai music and fragrant incense greeted guests at the Alva farmhouse, where Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi will tie the knot with Priyanka Alva today.

The wedding day commenced with prayers to bless the couple, followed by a haldi ceremony.

"The haldi ceremony began the with smearing of vermillion on Priyanka as it is considered to be auspicious," said one of the guests.

Last night the couple`s close friends and relatives danced away into the night to the tunes of Vivek`s latest film `Rakth Charitra` and other foot-tapping Bollywood numbers.

Adding to the jubilant mood, the couple and their parents danced to the music, joined by family members and friends.

Close friend and reputed drummer Shivamani belted out some pulsating music last night. There was an elaborate spread of comprising of Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines.

Today,the day-long rituals, including the `chura ceremony` (wearing of red and white ivory bangles by the bride) and `sehra bandhi` (tying of the groom`s turban), is expected to pick up momentum with Vivek arriving with the baraat (wedding procession) in keeping with the traditional North Indian wedding traditions.

The rituals are expected to culminate with the jaymala (exchange of garlands) and saat pheras (seven rounds of the holy fire), late into the night.

The 34-year-old bridegroom is expected to wear a traditional maroon costume adorned with royal imagery during the baraat ceremony.

Vivek would sport a traditional sword, specially picked up by Priyanka and a sheath embellished with embroidery and stones.

Priyanka, a 28-year old management graduate from London, is expected to wear a specially designed lehenga (skirt) with 14 different colours on the panels and peacock motifs.

The apparel has been specially designed to let the bride show off her exquisitely henna-designed hands.

The wedding feast later this night will include flavours from the North, coastal specialities, a blend of international cuisine and an array of sweet dishes, including traditional milk-based desserts and colourful sweetmeats.

The wedding would cement ties between the family of Priyanka, daughter of former state minister late Jeevraj Alva and the Oberois, who have been family friends for years.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is expected to attend the wedding. "There will not be too many Bollywood celebrities today but we expect most of them to turn up for the reception to be held in Mumbai on October 31," sources said.

PTI

Mumbai society scam: Ex-forces chiefs will return flats for martyrs

Mumbai: In a new twist to the ongoing Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society controversy, former chiefs of the Army on Friday claimed they were unaware about the flats being meant for the kin of Kargil war martyrs and that they will return their flats in the building.

A statement in this regard was issued by former Navy chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh on behalf of himself and the two former Army chiefs Generals Deepak Kapoor and NC Vij. 

"At no stage we were aware that these flats are meant for Kargil war widows as claimed by certain sections of the media and if that be so, then we have absolutely no hesitation whatsoever in returning these flats to the authorities concerned," Singh said. 

The Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society in Colaba was supposed to be a 6-storey building and meant for the kin of Kargil war heroes. It however stands at 31 storeys, is embroiled in a controversy about encroaching on defence land and overlooking sensitive Army installations apart from the issue of flats being allotted to top Army, Navy officials, state ministers including CM Ashok Chavan and bureaucrats. 

The CBI has stepped in to probe the scam.

Today three former service chiefs General (retd) N V Vij and General (retd) Deepak Kapoor, former Navy chief Admiral (retd) Madhavendra Singh issued a statement, claiming they did not know that the flats allotted to them were actually meant for Kargil martys’ widows. They added the flats will be returned to the Society.  

We did not know flats were for Kargil heroes,” Gen. Kapoor said.

Gen. Vij said also said he was unaware about the actual purpose of the flats. “I am very anguished about what has happened,” Gen. Vij has said.

Expressing "utter dismay" over the controversy, the former Navy chief said, "the two Generals and I have spent our lifetime in the Service and looking after the welfare of our troops. I can assure everyone that it was never ever our intention to deprive anyone of their dues."

The highrise is built on 6,450 sq metres within the Colaba naval area and was cleared on the condition of housing war veterans but now has 104 members including senior Army commanders, a former environment minister, legislators and state bureaucrats.

The Society owners have denied the allegations.

In a statement issued here late Wednesday evening, retired brigadier MM Wanchu, president of the society, said: 'The fact is that no defence land has been grabbed, not even an inch has been encroached by Adarsh Society.'

'The persons staying in the building or the members have been approved by the government of Maharashtra and their antecedents have been properly verified and checked by the state government authorities,' according to Wanchu.

--Agencies inputs

BCCI gives 30-day termination notice to Kochi IPL team

BCCI gives 30-day termination notice to Kochi IPL team.

NEW DELHI: The high-powered governing council of the Indian Premier League on Wednesday decided to issue a 30-day termination notice to Kochi franchise.

If the two warring groups fail to resolve their differences within the notice period, the BCCI will disqualify the franchise.

In such a scenario, BCCI will consider going for a fresh auction to make sure that the IPL remains an eight-team affair. 

Shooters put up world class show at CWG, put India in second spot

NEW DELHI: Indian shooters expectedly came up with a top drawer show to pick up two gold and as many silver medals as India crept up to the second spot in the medals tally behind leaders Australia at the Commonwealth Games.

Ace marksmen Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang, one an Olympic champion and the other a world record holder, opened India's gold medal haul in the men's 10m air rifle pairs event with a Games record of 1193, overtaking their own mark of 1189 set four years ago in Melbourne. 

Their feat was followed by a superb display of calm nerves and dead centre shooting by the women's duo of Rahi Sarnobat and Anisa Sayyed who added the second gold in the women's 25m pistol pairs event with a championship record of 1156 to boot.

The two silver medals were earned by Deepak Sharma and Omkar Singh, in the men's 50m pistol pairs event, and the woman's duo of world champion Tejaswini Sawant and Lajjakumari Gauswami, who stood second in the pairs 50m rifle 3 position, at the Dr Karni Singh range.

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medal winner, and world record holder Narang fired in unison to open India's golden run after a blank day for the hosts yesterday.

Rahi Sarnobat and Anisa Sayyed brought home the second gold in women's 25m pistol pairs with a new Games mark and also relegated the previous record setters to the second spot.

The duo bettered the eight-year-old mark of 1150 by Australia's Lalita Yauhleuskaya and Lindia Ryan created at Manchester while also pushing the fancied Aussie duo to the silver standard.

Sharma and Omkar ended up second in the men's 50m pairs event (1187) behind Lim Swee Hon and Gai Bin of Singapore to round off an excellent morning for the sharp shooters on the first day of competitions.

Later Tejaswani and Lajjakumari finished second in the women's 50m air rifle 3 position, by equalling the 2006 Games mark of 1143 points, Singapore's Aquilah Sudhir and Jasmine Xiang Wei who broke the previous record by six points.

The two shooting gold medals also lifted the country to the second spot from last night's seventh in the medals table behind leaders Australia with a tally of 2 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals. The Aussies have a 7-4-1 tally.

Yesterday, India had secured two silver and as many bronze from the weightlifting arena.

"Many thought I am a dictator, since I had imposed a gag order on the shooters prior to the Games. But whatever I was doing, I was doing for the country. And we have got the reward for that," said a beaming national coach Sunny Thomas after his team members won a medal in each of the four events they took part in during the day. 

Read more ......

Laxman special takes India to a memorable win over Australia

MOHALI: VVS Laxman battled severe back pain to single-handedly take India to a memorable victory over Australia with a gritty unbeaten 73 in a nail-biting first Test on Tuesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Laxman, who reserved his best for the Australians, played almost a lone hand in India's run chase of 216 as his experienced colleagues fell to poor shot selection and umpiring error as he guided India to one of its most memorable Test victories.

Sachin Tendulkar was the second highest Indian scorer with 38 while young Ishant Sharma contributed an invaluable 31 in the Test which went down the wire.

With the victory today, India took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series and retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy with their seventh highest run chase in history.

The the two sides now move to Bangalore for the second and final Test starting in Bangalore from October 9.

Laxman, who used runners in both of India's innings, and Ishant shared an 81-run stand for the ninth wicket from 131 balls and that ensured India achieve what looked impossible when they were looking down the barrel at 124 for eight at one stage.

However with Ishant given a debatable leg before decision by umpire Ian Gould, it was a tense last 15 minutes for the Indian supporters at the PCA Stadium before Laxman and Pragyan Ojha (five not out) took India to the magic score of 216.

India sealed victory with two leg byes got by Pragyan Ojha off Johnson to the wild celebrations at the dressing room and the stands.

Laxman faced just 79 balls for his unbeaten 73 which he made with the help of eight fours while Ishant consumed 92 balls for his 31.

It was indeed a 'Very Very Special' knock from a man who who was not even being able to walk properly for the last two days due to back spasms. Each and every of those 73 runs he scored has worth its weight in gold.

Laxman batted only in the manner he is capable of. The backfoot punches through the cover, the short-arm pulls, extra second he takes while hitting those silken boundaries, those supple wrists and egging the Ishant Sharmas and Pragyan Ojhas to run the singles and twos was worth a sight.

But for Ishant, Laxman would not have completed the magnificent win. Having bowled 14 no-balls, being down with a hamstring injury, Ishant may have scored the most significant 31 runs in his career.

When some of the top-order batsman lacked stomach for fight, Ishant concentrated like a saint to give Laxman the necessary support that he needed to pull off a Herculean act.

Read more.....

Indians get the golden lift at the Commonwealth Games

The stadium erupted in joy as Australia’s Seen Lee failed to lift the 111kg in her final attempt. Reason? It brought India its first gold in weightlifting. The smiles were finally back in India’s weightlifting camp. Thank Renu Bala Chanu’s stupendous effort for that. Chanu, at her best on Wednesday, comfortably clinching India’s ninth gold, first in weightlifting, also retained her women’s 58kg title.

More joy was to follow in the evening. K Ravi Kumar set a CWG record on his way to the gold in men’s 69kg category. He broke the Games record lifting 321 kg (146+175) and surpassed Cameroon’s Venecelas Dabaya’s total of 310kg, achieved in the 2002 Manchester Games. It is also a new Commonwealth Championships record.

India has now won six medals in weightlifting, having already won two silvers and two bronze on Monday. But the gold medals have lifted the spirits of the Indians, who have had very difficult few months because of doping.

“I dedicate this to all my fellow weightlifters and our federation. All of us have been through tough times of late so this brings some joy,” Chanu said.

It was an equally satisfying moment for chief coach Harnam Singh, who finally smiled at the end of a weightlifting event in three days. “I knew a gold medal was on its way. This is just the beginning. There are more to follow,” Harnam said.

Bala, who turned 24 on Saturday, set a new Games’ record by lifting 90kg in the snatch before piling on the pressure with a clean and jerk of 107 for a 197kg total.

Results: Men’s 69 kg: Ravi Katulu (Ind), Chinthana Vidanage (SL), Mohd Mansor (Mas); Women’s 58 kg: Renu Bala Chanu (Ind), Seen Lee (Aus), Zoe Smith (Eng)

White House was over-optimistic after BP oil spill: Panel

The Obama administration was over-optimistic about BP's ability to handle the oil spill after the company's Gulf well exploded in April and blocked government spill estimates that might have prompted quicker action, an investigative panel said on Wednesday.

The revelations from the National Oil Spill Commission, whose members were appointed by president Barack Obama, could be embarrassing as Obama's Democratic Party struggles to retain control of the US Congress in the elections on November 2.

The commission said that after the rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, the government was too optimistic about the British oil company's ability to bring the ruptured well under control.

"For the first ten days of the spill, it appears that a sense of over-optimism affected responders. Responders almost uniformly noted that, while they understood that they were facing a major spill, they believed that BP would get the well under control," the commission wrote.

It said: "Though some of the command structure was put in place very quickly, in other respects the mobilization of resources to combat the spill seemed to lag."

Large sections of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to fishing, hundreds of miles of shoreline were polluted and the coastal economy, including tourism and fisheries, were disrupted before the well was capped on July 15 after the worst offshore oil leak in US history.

Sachin Tendulkar is ICC's Player of the Year

Sachin Tendulkar

“Better late than never.” That’s how Sachin Tendulkar reacted when asked as to why it took him so long to win the ICC Cricketer of the Year award. But on Wednesday, Tendulkar finally got what he deserved for long as he won the coveted award at a glittering function here. Tendulkar became only the second Indian — Rahul Dravid had won it at the inaugural awards ceremony in 2004 — to win the big prize.

It was double bonanza for Tendulkar who also won the inaugural ‘People’s Choice’ award. The maestro also made it to the ICC World ODI XI as well as the Test XI.

Tendulkar could have won four awards, but Virender Sehwag edged past him to be adjudged ICC Test Cricketer of the Year. Sehwag obviously found a place in the World Test XI. In the ODI Player of the Year category, Tendulkar lost out to South Africa’s AB de Villiers.

“To get these awards it’s really special. It started six years ago but as I said earlier it’s better late than never,” Tendulkar said. “It’s a way of appreciating one’s performance and I am feeling really good. It feels wonderful to have these trophies with me. Last season was really special for me as well as the entire Indian team,” Tendulkar added.

Not many were surprised when ICC president Sharad Pawar announced Sachin Tendulkar’s name ahead of Hashim Amla (SA), Sehwag and Graeme Swann (Eng). It was the year that Tendulkar reached new heights in ODIs. First came the 175-run knock against Australia in Hyderabad — albeit in a losing cause — and then the big one, the majestic, historic, and mind-numbing double-hundred against South Africa in Gwalior.

Tendulkar played 17 ODIs and scored 914 runs, including three centuries. His Test record was equally great. In 10 matches, he scored 1,064 runs at an average of 81.25 with six centuries.

Wednesday’s party didn’t end there as India skipper MS Dhoni found a place in both the World Test XI and World ODI XI. In fact, he was named captain of the World Test XI.

The ICC also inducted Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner, Rachael Heyhoe Flint and the late Ken Barrington into the ICC Hall of Fame, with Flint becoming the first woman player to be inducted into the elite club.