The Department of Tele-communications is close to allocating start-up spectrum in seven more circles, in addition to Tamil Nadu, where the process is set to begin next week. According to the telecom ministry's plan, the companies would get 4.4 MHz each and the allocation would be completed within a fortnight.
Seven members are retiring from Maharashtra followed by six each from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, five each from West Bengal and Bihar, four each from Orissa and Gujarat.
The capture of biometrics for National Population Register in the country has started in one district each in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
States' land acquisition policies need rethinking.
Nearly 150 to 200 women are killed every year in India after being tagged as 'witches', a Dehra Dun based non-governmental organisation has said, citing National Crime Bureau's statistics. Jharkhand tops the list with 50-60 witchcraft-related murders every year followed by Andhra Pradesh, where the number is approximately 30, Haryana recorded 25-30 cases and Orissa 24-28 such murders, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra Chairman Avdhash Kaushal claimed.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has called a meeting of the chief ministers of seven states affected by Naxal violence on Wednesday, where he is likely highlight the importance of approaching the naxal issue as a national problem. He will also dispel the impression about various voices being heard on Naxal issue.
If rural artisans are today able to spin yarn in the confines of their homes, it is because of the micro-spinning line of carding machine, draw-frame and flyer-frame, designed by L Kannan, a mechanical engineer from IIT-Madras.
With the Centre showing readiness to spend on development to counter Left-wing insurgency, getting more of their districts declared Naxal-affected seemed to be a common idea across state chief ministers at today's National Development Council meet.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address a specially convened meeting of chief ministers of Naxal-affected states on Tuesday to chalk out a fresh strategy to curb Left-wing extremism.
The government has sanctioned Rs 95.61 crore to Maoist-affected states, including West Bengal, under the 'Special Assistance Scheme' to carry out speedy development works. The amount has been sanctioned to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
A court on Saturday rejected the bail plea of four senior Maoist leaders and their associates whose release was demanded by Naxal abductors of Malkangiri District Collector RV Krishna and a junior engineer. The plea for similar relief for another person, whose freedom was also demanded by Maoists, was posted for hearing on Monday.
Maoists have threatened to extend indefinitely their bandh call in seven states if their arrested leader Azad is not produced before a court on Monday, a top Naxal leader said on Saturday. "Our 48-hour bandh call from March 22 in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra will be extended indefinitely if Azad is not produced before the court on Monday," said top Maoist leader Kishenji.
The Centre on Thursday rejected demand for ban on iron ore export, but said states need to take stringent steps to prevent illegal mining.
The toll in the attack of Maoist rebels on a launch at the Balimela reservoir near the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border on May 29, has turned out to be higher than anticipated. While so far 33 bodies have been recovered, officials have declared five more personnel including two Greyhound commandos as missing.
To chalk out a cohesive strategy to counter the Maoist violence, the government has convened a meeting of chief ministers of Naxal-affected states on July 14 which is expected to be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The day-long meeting of the chief ministers of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar will take stock of the situation arising out of the recent Maoists violence and will fine tune a fresh strategy.
Mobile services provider Reliance Infocomm has begun migrating its Mumbai subscribers to an exclusive 10-digit series beginning with 93.
In the wake of the recent killing of 15 police personnel by Naxals in Maharashtra, the Union Home Ministry has convened a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss the internal security in that state as well in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.The director generals of police of the four Naxal-hit states have been summoned by the ministry for a thorough review of the prevailing situation there.
All the seven states hit by Left wing extremism have agreed on a joint action to confront the menace firmly and decisively, and the Centre will provide them full support in terms of security forces and funds, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said.
The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) has offered to buy the land of RIL fuel retailers who wish to exit its dealership. Some of the retailers have been looking to exit the dealership as they are making losses in the venture.
Even as search operation continues for the 35 missing Greyhound commandos on the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border for the third consecutive day, police officials have also started apprehending that at least some of the missing persons have been taken hostage by the Maoists after attacking the launch in Machkund reservoir on Sunday.
These are the Zipp money centres which are being introduced for the first time in the country by the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), a forum formed in 1997 and which has inclusive banking interventions as one of its key projects. The money centres have already brought banking to the doorstep in many villages and far-flung areas in one district in Uganda where CBC started the project.
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has criticised Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for denying a probe in the death of three police officers, including Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, in the Mumbai terror attack.M M Khan, president of Jammat units of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, said there was nothing wrong in Antulay asking for a probe into the police officers' 'suspicious' deaths.
With just a week left for the fishing season to commence, the workers from Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra have begun arriving after a one-and-half month holiday.
The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a probe into the deadly Maoist attack in the AP-Orissa border, where at least 35 policemen are feared drowned.
Naval divers were pressed into operation to look for 36 personnel of an elite anti-naxal Force, who were feared drowned in a reservoir at the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border, where their launch sunk after being fired upon by Maoists.Reports said that three more personnel of a 64-member strong squad of Andhra Pradesh's elite Greyhound Force swam to the banks with injuries, official sources said, adding that they were immediately air-lifted to Bhuwaneswar for treatment.
The prolonged break in the rainy season that has caused widespread concern over the delay in kharif sowing is finally ending with the monsoon likely to advance into Mumbai and adjoining parts of Maharashtra in two or three days.
Since some multi-purpose projects and shipyards could be on the terrorist hit list, the southern states have been asked to procure speed boats and other paraphernalia needed to boost security.
Gujarat has left behind other states in attracting investments.
The Odisha government is preparing for Cyclone Phailin -- which is expected to hit the east coast on Saturday evening -- on a war footing.
ONGC confirmed on discovering natural gas in KG basin off the Andhra Pradesh coast and Mahanadi basin off Orissa coast, but said the find in KG basin posts 'technological challenges' and it was on looking for a strategic partner.
Top police and revenue officials rushed to the spot and began rescue and relief operations. The injured were being shifted to nearby hospitals.
Many parts of the country have received good rainfall and others, including the capital where the monsoon has not moved in so far, woke up to pre-monsoon showers on Wednesday.
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