India News

YSR Gift 20,000 Acres To Jagan

2012-03-06T01:13:00.001-08:00

Jagan companies got Rs 850 crore from YSR gift of 20,000 acres to private firm

HYDERABAD: Laying bare the quid pro quo arrangement that allegedly took place in the Jagan assets case, the CBI on Monday told the special court that the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime gifted away over 20,000 acres of government land to private companies and individuals who in turn invested about Rs 850 crore in the companies that were floated by the late chief minister’s son Jaganmohan Reddy.
The investigation agency made this startling disclosure while opposing the bail petition of V Vijay Sai Reddy, financial advisor to various firms of Jagan and an accused in the assets case, when the matter came up for hearing on Monday. B Ravindranath, deputy legal advisor of the probe agency said, in all, the YSR regime gave away 20,000 acres of government land across the state to private firms and individuals who, as part of the quid pro quo arrangement, invested Rs 850 crore in the Jagan companies. “All these land allotments were made bypassing rules. The land is now being misused contrary to the condition and purpose of their allotments,” the CBI counsel said. It was Vijay Sai Reddy who played a crucial role in channelizing all the funds that came from the beneficiaries of these allotments. He is not merely a financial auditor, but the key conspirator in such dealings, the counsel said.
Further elaborating the ongoing probe into the Jagan assets case, the counsel informed the court that the CBI has already identified the key officials who facilitated this fraud and has questioned them and all their actions fall under the purview of section 10 of the Evidence Act. In fact, YSR had made Vijay Sai a member of the TTD trust board only in recognition of his services to his family, the CBI counsel said. He was also made a director in the public sector Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) from 2006 to 2009 during which period the bank had sanctioned Rs 200 crore as term loan to Raghuram Cements and this has now become a Jagan company under the new name of Bharati Cements, the CBI counsel said. Though as director of the bank, he should not have any interest in the companies that get loans from his banks, he acted as an auditor to all the Jagan firms including Bharati, he said.
Similarly, Ravindranath said, “Vijay Sai was the director of Sandur Power, a firm floated by Jagan, and he is yet to show us the source of Rs 105 crore that was pumped into Sandur during his tenure as the director of the company. Later, he was made a director of a Mauritius-based company 2-I Capital and some of the funds flow that happened via this company is also under investigation,” the CBI counsel said. The whole conspiracy was hatched beween 2006 and 2007 and it was during this time Vijay Sai hiked the premium of Jagathi Publications in order to absorb the bribes as investments, the CBI contended.
According to the CBI, Vijay Sai also ensured the flow of Rs 23 crore as seed money into Sandur company from a firm called Kheelan Technologies, whose owner is none other than his wife. This money came through hawala channels and through money laundering and Vijay Sai used the bank accounts of his daughter and staff and also certain fake demand drafts for this purpose, the CBI counsel said.
Susheel Kumar, senior counsel arguing for Vijay Sai Reddy, urged the court to grant him bail as the probe agency has ‘failed to make out any case against him’. The judge then posted the case to March 16 for further hearing.

Akhilesh Yadav: UP’s new star

2012-03-05T22:43:00.002-08:00

Akhilesh Yadav: Man who turned SP's wheel

"After six months of hard work, it looks like Delhi has suddenly discovered me." Akhilesh Yadav laughs at the compliment that he has suddenly become the new darling of the media-the other crown prince of Avadh. Midway through the Uttar Pradesh polls , with the signs of a Samajwadi Party (SP) resurgence, there is a feverish interest in the brand new young netaji. As late as November 2011, opinion polls had begun to suggest that anti-incumbency would take a toll on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but no one was certain who would occupy the space vacated. The Congress was making a determined bid to construct a major political triumph for Rahul Gandhi and his Mission Uttar Pradesh. Its surprising performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha when the Congress won 21 MPs from the state had fuelled the party's hopes. Rahul had topped it up with carefully programmed visits laden with special packages from the Centre. SP, in contrast, looked lumbered with an ageing leadership, the legacy of having taken several anti-modern positions like rejecting computers, an antediluvian commitment to eradicating English and a Luddite aversion to machines, problems which seemed almost certain to sabotage any form of recovery.
But equally, Akhilesh had been working on a change of image for sp, down to even riding the latest model of bicycles. Free laptops to students were promised in the manifesto and computers introduced at the party office despite old-timers scoffing in disgust, "Ab kya party computers se chalegi? (Will the party be run by computers now?)" Professionals, instead of musclemen, were given tickets. The symbols of Goonda Raj were removed. The politically incorrect muscleman D.P. Yadav was denied a ticket even though his case was sponsored by party stalwarts like SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Shiv Pal Yadav. These were Akhilesh's baby steps in leadership. Then suddenly, by the beginning of the actual campaign, he began to evoke a positive reaction. To the surprise, if not shock, of observers, he became the modern face of Uttar Pradesh, a place that Rahul had hitherto occupied all by himself.
After the first two rounds of polling, Akhilesh managed to pose a real threat to the Congress recovery. Three things happened as a result. First, Rahul said he would not support sp. Second, the Congress began to attack Akhilesh directly as it saw the Muslim vote slipping away. Third, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the party would prefer President's Rule if the Congress could not form the government. As a reaction, Akhilesh became more vocal in his responses to Rahul. The SP scion's recovery was all the more remarkable given that his wife, Dimple, had suffered a rather humiliating defeat in the 2009 Firozabad Lok Sabha by-election at the hands of old loyalist-turned-Rahul protege Raj Babbar.
The defeat was a reality check for the young leader. In early 2011, Akhilesh commissioned a series of surveys about the party's image. "There was a feeling of anger against BSP but at the same time there was a real fear about goondaism (hooliganism) if SP came back," says a party MLA. That was when Akhilesh realised he was fighting not just a battle at the grassroots but also a war of perception.
For the first time in SP history, interested candidates were asked to use application forms. "The selection process began early last year. I got 4,000-5,000 forms," says Akhilesh. The contestants were then interviewed by Akhilesh, his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav and other party seniors. "We asked them what kind of issues they would raise and how they expected to win. After that a list was sent to Netaji who made the final decision," he says.
Akhilesh kicked off the party campaign in September 2011 with a 250 km cycle yatra to propagate the party symbol and motivate the youth. He also repackaged the staid cycle symbol as an "umeed ki cycle (cycle of hope)". "We wanted ours to be a campaign that spells out hope, not negative ideas," he says. According to a colleague, he studied past campaigns and was especially critical of NDA's 2004 slogan 'Bhay Ho' (Be Afraid), a parody of UPA's 'Jai Ho'.
There is an uncanny resemblance between his style and that of Rahul. Both work with a mix of professionals and party workers, both are tech geeks and mouth the same rhetoric of development. When the Congress sought SP's support on the nuclear deal in 2008, Akhilesh met Rahul at a PWD guest house in Deoria. They shared a cordial relationship. Both are foreign educated, Rahul studied development economics at University of Cambridge, London, while Akhilesh studied environmental engineering at Sydney though he is yet to complete his MTech; first a love marriage to a Thakur girl, Dimple, and then politics came in the way. That is where the similarities end.
"When Rahul talks about the problems of farmers, it looks as if he is reciting something he has been taught. When Akhilesh speaks, it seems as if he knows the problems. Akhilesh samanya bhasha bolta hai, Rahul mein abhi bachpana hai (Akhilesh speaks in a mature manner, Rahul is still a bit childish)," says Bhupendre Sharma, a tea stall owner in Pratapgarh.
Unlike Rahul whose campaign is a mix of national issues along with regional, Akhilesh restricts himself to local issues. "Rahulji is a national leader while Akhilesh is a regional one. Akhilesh is a pocket book edition of our leader," says Lucknow-based Congress leader Surendra Rajput, and quips, "pocket books always sell more".
What makes it easier for the SP leader is that unlike the Congress, his party has a cadre to support him. He is a natural with crowds. Even while sitting in his bus (he undertook a 9,000 km kranti rath yatra from September to January covering 215 constituencies), he is always communicating-whether waving to the crowds outside or furiously typing smses on his BlackBerry. Caught in a traffic jam at Barabanki, Akhilesh waved to an astonished truck driver parked next to him, saying, "Hello truck driver bhaiyaa" and asked him which village he belonged to, murmuring an aside, "I bet he is from Kannauj (Akhilesh's constituency)."
Together, the father and son pack a formidable electoral punch with Mulayam taking on Mayawati while Akhilesh counters Rahul's youth appeal. But Akhilesh knows that the only reason party seniors accept his diktat is because he has his father's backing. Although this Samajwadi GenNext speaks fluent English, having completed his graduation from University of Mysore, he is careful about using Hindi as his preferred language. English news channel anchors ask their questions in English, but are always given a reply in Hindi.
Everyone wants to claim credit for a good idea. Says former SP leader Amar Singh, "To change the anti-English, anti-computer image of the party, it was I who had suggested that Akhilesh be made state president." And adds, "He is a good boy but lacks focus."
A few years ago, Mulayam may have agreed with his former friend. An ardent soccer fan, Akhilesh seemed more at ease talking about Manchester United than figuring out caste equations. A lot has changed since then. Mulayam's son is not riding pillion anymore. Instead, he is busy reinventing the (cycle) wheel.

source:http://news.in.msn.com/exclusives/it/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5898677

Yuvraj completes second cycle of chemotherapy

2012-03-01T01:35:00.001-08:00

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has completed the second cycle of chemotherapy, continuing his recovery from a rare germ cell cancer in Boston (United States). "Second cycle has finished today ! Had a bleomycin shot feeling weak but I'm sure tom will be a better day ! My next scan dated on 7th march," the 30-year-old left-hander tweeted.

Yuvraj had last month stated that the tumour between his lungs is almost out of his system.
Yuvraj, who has been in Boston since last month, is expected to be back on the field in the first week of May, according to his doctor.
The batsman, who went to US in January, has gone bald during the treatment, which will go on till the last week of March before the process of rehabilitation starts in April.
After being diagnosed with the illness, Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since taking part in two of three home Tests against the West Indies in November.
He has so far scored 8,051 runs in 274 one-dayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since making his international debut in 2000.
He was named Player of the Tournament in the World Cup for scoring 362 runs and grabbing 15 wickets in nine matches.
During the treatment, Yuvraj had been paid a visit by legendary former Indian spinner Anil Kumble.

Mahesh Babu’s ‘Business Man’ in Dubbing

2011-12-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

Super Star Mahesh Babu’s much a waited movie ‘Business Man’ is currently at dubbing stage at Sabdalaya Studios, Hyderabad. Puri Jagannadh is directing ‘ Business Man’ produced by Dr.Venkat on RR Movie Makers and music by SS Thaman.

It seems that Mahesh Babu has completed considerable part of the movie dubbing. It seems that director Puri Jagannadh is very particular about dubbing as it has lot of punch dialogues and that Mahesh might take some time to finish his dubbing part. There are huge expectations on this film. Business Man is set to have a grand release on January 11. The audio of the film is likely to release on December 22.

Kajal Agarwal is the female lead in this mass entertainer. This is the second time that Mahesh Babu and Puri Jagannadh are coming together after blockbuster ‘Pokiri’. Can this pair repeat the Pokiri magic? Only time has to tell.

Prabhas Vaaradhi Movie Shooting At KOkapet City Outskirts

2011-12-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

Prabhas Vaaradhi Movie Shooting At KOkapet City Outskirts

Young Rebel Star Prabhas is working on a new film with Koratala Shiva that has tentatively been titled ‘Vaaradhi’. The shooting of this movie is going on at a good pace at Kokapet in the outskirts of Hyderabad.Prabhas is said to be sporting a new look for this movie.

The movie will be a complete commercial entertainer and Anushka will be romancing Prabhas along with Richa Gangopadhyay.

Pramod Uppalapati and Vamsi Krishna Reddy are jointly producing this movie on U.V.Creations banner. Koratala Shiva is making his debut as a director with this movie. He has penned dialogues for many successful films in the past.

Rahul Gandhi has come out in full-throated support of foreign direct investment in retail

2011-12-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

Rahul Gandhi has come out in full-throated support of foreign direct investment in retail

Rahul Gandhi has come out in full-throated support of foreign direct investment in retail. Turning the government’s FDI setback into a poll weapon, Rahul on Friday asserted the Centre would implement the suspended policy. He slammed the opposition for sabotaging a move that would give farmers a higher return on their produce.

Rahul dubbed the anti-FDI position of Congess’s rivals – ranging from SP, BSP to BJP – as a betrayal of farmers, while pitching FDI in retail as a panacea to farmers of this region, known as the ‘potato belt’ of UP. Potato prices have hit rock bottom here.

On his way to Kannauj, Rahul visited potato fields where he saw the produce rotting and “pigs gorging on them”. At Ismailpur, he stopped at a roadside dhaba and asked a gathering of locals if they knew about FDI.

The stridency contrasted with the way UPA agreed to suspend the decision to appease rebellious allies and the opposition after they refused to allow Parliament to function.

Coming a couple of days after the PM’s assertion that the policy would be rolled out by March, Rahul’s pitch (reminiscent of his backing the nuclear deal) should rally the party and clear the way for entry of foreign multi-brand retail giants.

Surprising all, Rahul told election gatherings across Farrukhabad and Kannauj that FDI would solve the puzzle of a kilogram of potato fetching Rs 2 or less to the farmer and a packet of potato chips costing Rs 10.

“A packet of chips is made from just half a potato,” he added, virtually turning the opposition to FDI into a conspiracy against farmers.

Though a bold pitch, the advocacy for retail is not free of the risk of alienating Vaishyas: the traditional traders who are a factor in UP towns and who have increasingly been assertive in the political arena as well. The fallout among this constituency was one of the reasons why the Congress leadership persuaded the Prime Minister to put the decision on hold.

On Friday, no doubts assailed Rahul as he launched an aggressive defence of FDI. He said foreign investment would bring in cold chains and processing units while establishing a direct contact between buyers and farmers, cutting out middlemen. In Kannauj, he went a step further to add “that opposition notwithstanding, UPA will bring FDI in retail.”

Times View

Rahul Gandhi deserves our congratulations for the political courage he has shown in speaking up for FDI in retail in the midst of a poll campaign in UP. Clearly, like this newspaper, he is convinced that the move would be genuinely beneficial for many more people than it would do harm. Unfortunately, his party and the government it presides over have not shown the same courage of conviction and chose to back off in the face of opposition. The government might protest that it is unfairly being accused of policy paralysis, but it could have let its deeds do the talking by sticking to a decision it had taken in the country’s interests.

Sex racket busted in Hyderabad; one woman arrested

2011-12-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

Sex racket busted in Hyderabad; one woman arrested

Hyderabad: Police claimed to have busted a sex racket with the arrest of a woman during a raid at a brothel, operating from an apartment in Masabtank area here.

Two women, including an Uzbekistan national, were rescued from the brothel during the raid, police said.

Based on a a tip-off, the sleuths of Commissioner’s Task Force (West Zone) raided the apartment and nabbed one Asha Singh and rescued the Uzbekistan national and another woman hailing from Delhi, Task Force Deputy Commissioner of Police C H Ramchander said.

“Due to financial problems, Asha had decided to make quick money by allegedly indulging in the bussiness of prostitution and was used to bring sex workers for one week to Hyderabad on commission basis from Mumbai,” the DCP said. Further investigations are on, he said.

Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya’s Tamil Movie Details

2011-12-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya’s Tamil Movie Details

Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya is all set to make his Tamil Debut soon with the Radha Mohan flick ‘Gouravam’. The movie is going to be produced by Annapurna Studios and it will be a bilingual film. Reports say that Nagarjuna would be playing a guest role in the movie.

Thaman is said to be the music director. Chaitanya is currently busy with ‘Autonagar Surya’, which is being filmed under the direction of Deva Katta. Nagarjuna expressed happiness about the script of Autonagar Surya and said that the movie would be a nice entertainer.

Interestingly, when questioned about the recent disappointments of Bejawada and Dhada, Nagarjuna was very candid about them and he said that they would be a nice learning experience for Chaitanya. He also expressed his unhappiness about the directors of those films.

Today BJP to introduce Telangana Bill in Rajya Sabha

2011-12-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

Today BJP to introduce Telangana Bill in Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party will move Telangana private bill in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

With Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari giving permission to discuss the Bill, BJP member Prakash Javedkar would introduce the Telangana Bill. The Rajya Sabha is likely to take up discussion on the Telangana private bill for two hours on Friday afternoon at 2 pm.

Meanwhile, former TRS MP b Vinod Kumar held discussions with Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India, Janata Dal (United) and Bahujan Samaj Party seeking their support for the Bill. The TRS is also consulting all national-level leaders, who are in favour of smaller states formation.

Some ministers from the Telangana region are also heading to New Delhi to mount pressure on the high command to take an early decision on bifurcation of state issue. The Ministers want the high command to take a decision on creation of Telangana state before the completion of winter session of Parliament.

The introduction of Telangana private bill in Rajya Sabha might trigger the Congress party to spell out its stand on the statehood issue.

Andhrapradesh

2011-12-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Gali Janardhan Reddy’s remand extended till Dec 29

Hyderabad: The CBI Special Court on Thursday extended the judicial remand of former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, his brother-in-law BV Srinivas Reddy and former IAS officer VD Rajagopal, the key accused in the illegal mining case of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), till December 29.

While Gali Janardhan Reddy and Srinivas Reddy were arrested on September 5, Rajagopal was arrested on November 14 by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the OMC illegal mining case registered on Dec 7, 2009.

Suspended IAS officer Y Srilakshmi and OMC Director B Rajasekhar have also been arrested in the case. Except Srilakshmi, who has been granted bail, all other accused are lodged in the Chanchalguda Central Prison.

The court on Thursday extended the custody after conducting the proceedings through video-conference from the Chanchalguda Central Prison. It was the sixth time that the prison officials produced the accused through video linkage.

CM Kiran Kumar aims to make AP a model State

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has asked the District Collectors to maintain transparency in the implementation of government schemes in the State.

Addressing the two-day Collectors Conference which began here on Wednesday at the Jubilee Hall, the Chief Minister asked the district collectors to ensure that all the government schemes were implemented in a transparent manner, with no element of corruption.

He also asked the collectors to identify and rectify the lapses in the developmental and welfare programmes.

Lauding the services of District Collectors, the Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh has been striving hard to become the number one State in the country in the implementation of welfare programmes and the target could be achieved without the active participation of the District Collectors.

He asked them to formulate new schemes for the welfare of the people and assured that they would be approved by the government, depending upon their viability.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government would tackle the drought situation with efficient planning and coordination with various departments.

He asked the district collectors to boost the confidence of farmers, especially in the drought-hit areas.

The Chief Minister also touched upon various issues concerned with the State. He admitted that the impact of general strike was still being felt in the State, especially in the power sector.

However, he hoped that the situation would improve soon. Regarding the Rs 1-a-kg rice scheme, he found fault with the media for checking the quality of rice through a magnifying glass.

Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that the government would complete 49 irrigation projects in the next three years. He was referring to the projects pending under the Jala Yagnam programme.

He also announced that the government would issue notification for the recruitment to 1.16 lakh posts by this month-end.

The Chief Minister said that the government has cleared the arrears of Rs 5261 crore towards the scholarship of nearly 27 lakh students in the State.

He said that the government will also set up 3,000 agro-centres in the State at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

He also emphasised on the need to improve the infrastructural facilities in the government hospitals. He said the government aims to increase the Arogyasri component in the government hospital from 27 per cent to 40 per cent.
Cabinet ministers, Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi and other senior officials attended the programme.