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Zia clarifies his timing of declaration of independence

What Mujib Said

Jyoti Basu is dead

Dr.BR Ambedkar

Memories of Another day

Memories of Another day
While my Parents Pulin babu and Basanti Devi were living

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The PROBLEM of a Ten Years Old KID in...

The PROBLEM of a Ten Years Old KID in ACCIDENT Prone VIOLENT Inhuman Global Village



Troubled galaxy Destroyed Dreams



Palash Biswas

  1. mage results for Children In India

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Economic Survey 2008-09: Much more needs to be done to check child ...


Times of India - ‎Jul 2, 2009‎

NEW DELHI: Admitting that existing policies and programmes were not making a significant dent on malnutrition in children, the Economic Survey signalled ...








Illinois wants to work with 'exceptionally important' India


Economic Times - ‎8 hours ago‎

The convention centre turned into a mini India with women and children dressed in colourful dresses and all round festivities. A number of guests from India ...












Left engine failure forced pilot to land in city


Times of India - Sachin Dravekar - ‎15 hours ago‎

NAGPUR: The Air India
flight IC-466 made an emergency landing at city airport at 10.30 am.
Kerala CM Achuthanandan and minister Premchandran told TOI that ...












Are children more likely to survive plane crashes?


BBC News - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎

A 12-year-old girl survived the Yemeni plane crash, the latest in a line of children to escape death in an air disaster. So do youngsters have a better ...








Husband, children of swine flu patient test negative


Indian Express - ‎14 hours ago‎

... two children,
who are five-and-half-years old and sixteen months old. The family
stays in San Francisco and were visiting their relatives in India. ...






The consensus chestnut again


Hindustan Times - ‎22 hours ago‎

India has hosted the most
ambitious attempt ever at religious consensus — the cross-disciplinary
discussions held by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri. ...








I am calmer now: Morton


Hindu - ‎18 hours ago‎

Now I have two children,
there is no room for errors.” When you have kids you want nothing but
the best for them. You don't want them to grow up making the ...






Spend whatever required to ensure quality education: Azim Premji


Times of India - ‎19 hours ago‎

Firstly, India should spend whatever is required to ensure quality education for every child without getting trapped in percentages. ...












In e-book fair, download 2.5 million books for free


Times of India - Shreya Roy Chowdhury - ‎5 hours ago‎

For graduate students in India, there are more texts - some of them notoriously difficult to find in stores - and less time to procure them. ...
















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Indian MFs dominate world's top-100 funds
4 Jul 2009, 1810 hrs IST,
REUTERS



Fifty one India-focused funds were among world's top 100
performing stock funds in the Q to June as domestic shares leapt by
nearly half. Measuring MF performance




What aam aadmi wants from the Budget
4 Jul 2009, 1831 hrs IST,
AMITABH SINGH,



Like every year, there is a lot of expectations from all sections of the society, including the common taxpayer. Decoding the Budget jargon I Full Railway Budget Coverage





All headlines >>News on your MobileLog on to m.economictimes.com
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

















































THANK YOU, 3M

Weekly AC, sitting-only “Yuva” trains on Delhi-Calcutta and
Mumbai-Delhi routes Monthly Calcutta Metro tickets with 60 per cent
concession for students up to Class XII and madarsa students ...  | Read.. 


 










Bengal milestones in budget

Smiling at the enemy, Mamata Banerjee today used her railway budget to
salt the Left’s wounds with development promises for Lalgarh, Nandigram
and Singur and benefits fo ...  | Read.. 

 










Mamataji, I smell jealousy
I
hate to say this but Mamataji’s budget appears to me to be inspired by
a complex kind of jealousy towards what I achieved in my years as rail
minister. ...  | Read.. 

 







Didi wins over Ranchi too

Jharkhand is happy, almost relieved, that railway minister Mamata
Banerjee hasn’t disappointed the state this time, having announced
three new trains, new tracks and ...  | Read.. 
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090704/jsp/frontpage/index.jsp



Global problems, local solutions


Irish Times - Gráinne Faller - ‎16 hours ago‎

... in South Africa was another; and the third was Kailash Satyarthi, an engineer who now devotes his life to freeing children from bonded labour in India. ...












Eagle's Eye: Human trafficking in India


Central Chronicle - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎

This motivates them to sell their children for paltry sums without even caring for their security. There is also a strong connection between the problem of ...












Three Indian children to attend J8 summit in Rome


Thaindian.com - ‎10 hours ago‎

New Delhi, July 4 (ANI): The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has picked three children to represent India at the J8 summit, a confluence of young ...












'Old' Indians in Australia say youngsters invite attacks


Times of India - Roli Srivastava - ‎Jun 29, 2009‎

In fact, the few locals here who are sympathetic to the cause point out that even bodies such as United India Association, an umbrella organisation of 24 ...












Children, elderly most susceptible to A(H1N1) flu: Experts


Hindu - ‎Jun 16, 2009‎

Thirty cases have been confirmed in India since the A(H1N1) flu was first reported on May 16. Of the total, eight children have been tested positive in ...

Contain virus, India to West Chandigarh Tribune






Section 377 “From guarding Queens to becoming Drag queen”


SamayLive - ‎7 hours ago‎

There are other issues to be discussed as changing the law is not solution like mobility is a bigger problem in India. There are more than five lakh migrant ...












A Vision Plan for Educated Unemployed in Manipur is most Needy and ...


KanglaOnline - ‎12 hours ago‎

Yet India, one of the more advance developing countries, barely manages to spend about 1% of its GDP on social services. India has one of the world lowest ...












FDI in education top priority: Kapil Sibal


Times of India - ‎Jun 24, 2009‎

"After all, 160000 children go abroad from India at an overall cost of seven billion dollars. Before going they face all kinds of visa problems while after ...






Australian politicians discuss safety of foreign students


Radio Australia - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎

The problems confronting
international students in Australia will be on the agenda at a meeting
of state and federal government representatives in the ...
















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  1. Emotional Problems In Children, gurgaon, India

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Tips for Mamata, from Howrah and Sealdah


Times of India - ‎15 hours ago‎

KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee's promise to transform the Howrah and Sealdah railway terminuses into world-class facilities was one of the highlights of the ...

Maa, Mati, Manush & Metro Calcutta Telegraph






Nine killed as minibus falls off flyover into Howrah Station


Zee News - ‎3 hours ago‎

Notably, the Howrah
station is an important junction of the Eastern Railway. Talking to a
channel, Goswami said that the authorities are working to resume ...






Robbers kill trader in Howrah


Times of India - ‎Jun 30, 2009‎

HOWRAH: Robbers murdered
a 48-year-old businessman and looted cash and jewellery worth a few
lakhs from his flat on Dobson Road in Golabari on Tuesday ...






Mamata lifeline for Burn Standard


Times of India - ‎15 hours ago‎

The employees of Burn gathered at the factory gates in Howrah, hoping a return of the good old days. The promise, if materialises, would imply more orders ...








LICI's Howrah division targets 22 per cent growth


Hindu - ‎Jun 29, 2009‎

Kolkata (PTI): Howrah
division of the LICI, which ranked third among all other divisions of
the company in West Bengal in respect of policy procurement last ...












Duronto' trains to fulfil need for speed


Times of India - Jayanta Gupta - ‎15 hours ago‎

The trains for the state are an air-conditioned one between Howrah and Mumbai, a non-air-conditioned one between Howrah and Delhi and two others between ...












Mamata's gift to Bengal


Indian Express - ‎18 hours ago‎

Howrah having been
declared as a world class station, there is a need to segregate the
suburban services to accommodate upgraded facilities. ...






Bally girl rescued from Pune brothel


Times of India - ‎Jul 2, 2009‎

HOWRAH: A 17-year-old girl from Bally in Howrah was rescued from a Pune brothel on Sunday by a Howrah police team. She and her mother, who also went to Pune ...












Six killed in India bus crash


Toronto Star - ‎2 hours ago‎

Another 40 passengers were injured, 12 of them seriously, in the incident in Howrah in Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal state, the Press Trust of India ...












DFF plans unique tribute to Shakti Samanta


Indiantelevision.com - ‎6 hours ago‎

He started his own production
company by the name of Shakti Films in 1957 and the first release of
this banner was the murder-mystery Howrah Bridge that ...
















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Sorry friends! I had been completely DISCONNECTED since late last NIGHT as I forgot my Cell Phone on Charging on my working desk.

 My Journalist friends Shamik and Nadim engaged me in such an intense DEBATE that I missed to organise my self.

My Land Phone 91-33-25659551 is still disconnected with the EXCHANGE being cut off from the Locality since last Sunday.

 My Cell Phone Number 919903717833 is a sick one and I have to keep it on Charge all the time. I depend on this for my interactions.

 I could not hear from friends about the Railway Budget.

 Though I had a chat with my friend Dilip Mandal  working in ONLINE edition of Economic Times in New Delhi while I got the Mobile set this evening!

Those who called me, I would call them back as soon as possible. Please bear with me!



My Dreams are DESTROYED Indeed!




I have very very bad Dreams and my Gandhian and socialist as well as Marxist and Ambedkarite friends would hate to hear.




I followed the Parliamentary SOP Opera. No serious DISCUSSION Minute is available anywhere on Economic survey, Disinvestment in defence and Nuclear Energy sector involving national security, Integrity and Sovereignty.




My Friend Shamik made us, me and Nadim Mad with his Revolutionary Opinion that India has NEVER been a DEMOCRACY until 2008 until Indo US Nuclear Deal was Operationalised and 123 Agreement was signed! We know that he follows the KEN Doctrine and worships Dr Manmohan Singh as an IDOL.


Shamik informed us last night that US President Barrack Obama discusses US Economic problems with Manmohan on Hot line and replicates Indian Experience to Bail out Bankrupt US ECONOMY!



Shamik says that Manmohan, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Nilekani are INCARNATIONS of all Indian saviour Gods!




He justifies the DISINVESTMENT  and Privatisation DRIVE as the RESOURCES mobilised thus would be Pumped into Flagship Welfare progrrames to EMPOWER the Deprived and Have Nots! Excellent. We Debated on Democracy and the History of Armed struggle and the SPACE for Maoism!




Shamik tells us NO MAOISM exists in India and the Maoist movement is NOTHING but a SUBVERSION , a populist ploy of Power equations.




I did not dismiss his IDEAS as Historically his comments and analysis have always been EYE Opening for me  and I learn so many things from the smart Americanised guy who prescribes TOTAL AMERICANISATION for the solution of EVERY Problem we face!




I am afraid, the Parliamentary Politics follows suit!




Even today, I enquired Scores of Educated Citizens about their OPINION on Economic survey and Hundred days` agenda of UPA Government, no body RESPONDED! So ILLITERATE or SEMI LITERATE we happen equipped with Latest Technical BLITZ and Information EXPLOSION!




I had a NAP this afternoon and I had very bad dreams showing DEAD BODIES in my Family, Village and Friend  circle. My wife was Screaming! I woke up and asked Sabita why I have so bad Dreams! Meanwhile, I switched on the TV and it was LIVE from Howrah station! All the DEAD Bodies happened to be there!




Yet ANOTHER ACCIDENT!




AUTO BOOM without TRAFFIC REGULATION leads us to DEATH! NON stop Trains without maintenance of devastated tracks makes me see BAD and Violent Dreams. I am sorry friends to look a little bit SADIST!


How do we breathe in an Americanised CONSUMER society based on Purchasing Power?

Experts on TV complain that we, Indian are damned Habitual to have anything FREE, Gifted! We would never like to pay for anything! We tread the ways but pay nothing. We would demand Relax at RLY stations and Bus stations and would Never pay for it. We would like better and escalated Rly network but never would like to pay for the Railway tracks. We want SUBSIDY for everything. We want CONTROL and reservation and quota for everything and would NEVER like to pay a EXTRA RUPEE!

I want to share my worries for GENERATION Next with you!

REET is a TEN Year old KID from an ELITE Brahamin family in my Neighborhood. Roychowdhuries roots into an East Bengal Zamindar Family very Respected. The family is very intimate with us. Both the brothers are Reputed Medical Practitioner. All the boys and girls in the Family had been very excellent in studies and career.

The youngest one REET was born some time after we moved in the locality. We have cared for a little girl BULTY earlier who shifted away. We like the CHILDREN most and I personally get my ENERGY and Knowledge from their INNOCENCE. So, we got REET in our family and were overjoyed with his growth. I would carry him in my lap to show the trains! While he was an infant, he locked himself in the bed room! I directed him to unlock successfully!

Whenever I visit the family, the little KID cares that I should take some tea and snacks!

He has been admitted in Ram Krishna Mission and is a very disciplined boy as he has been taught.

On Thurs day, he turned very REBEL and VIOLENT as I was not at home. The ladies in the family are beautiful, educated and gentle. But the Mother insisted a little more for the completion of HOME task. The Kid was RELUCTANT. The mother got IMPATIENT. She just not only rebuked her son, but thrashed him and the KID revolted. All the Ladies in the family and Sabita with them could hardly control him!

Do we care enough for the behaviour of our CHILDREN?

Do we have any friendly relation with them?

Do we notice the changes and recognise their growth and developing personality?

Most of us pose to be very RESPONSIBLE parents and try to make up our failures making the CHILDREN RUNNING FIRST!

I see the CHILDREN being thrashed around even those who read in Bengali medium. English medium students have hardly anytime to play. But all of them have ACCESS with the post Modern Equipments of our AMERICANISED life style. The ADVT industry and Strategic marketing, retail Chain get SOFT TARGETS amongst our Children. They just transform to be CONSUMERS as we are today and simply CEASE to be Pure and Only STUDENTS. We are never liberal enough to notice the Change and GROOMING, the make over. Most of them suffer from Personality Disorder and we fail to be SENSITIVE enough to help them BAIL OUT! While they turn DRUG ADDICTED, we just get the ESCAPE route in affordable COUNSELING and REHABS!

Since we tend to be AMERICANISED, the ENVIRONMENT is shifted in NRI culture alien to our traditional Mind set and values. We may break the MORALITY but we would never allow the CHILDREN to be independent to share any lifestyle and decide on personal friendship and relations!

We leave a JOB LESS dark world for them as we are WELL Fed Guys and ladies enjoying the pay Commission, reservation and quota which uplifted our social Status! But we NEVER Care to pay back the RETURN to the SOCIETY and the SOCIETY remains dead as our Ancestors1 DREAMS, desires, Homes, Villages, Districts,Nature and ENVIRONMENT!

Citizens have to be RESPONSIBLE. Participating. Inclusive. Sharing. Empowered. Democratic . Liberal! Committed! Active!

But we CEASE to be CITIZENS as we may not AFFORD US citizenship. We have just left out INDIAN IDENTITY! Anything Indian is Bad. So we have to destroy the Nature Indian, the People Indian, the Production System Indian, The Indigenous Livelihood and Lifestyle! Thus, we also DISCARD INDIAN Children and GROW them as AMERICANISED as Possible without caring anything for the NATION, Society, Nature, environment and Earth. Even we fail to care ENOUGH for the family and the CHILDREN!

In such an ENVIRONMENT, who may dare to stand up against the GENOCIDE Culture and the agenda of mass Destruction.

Entire Bengal is overwhelmed with DIDI`s dream Budget without noticing the Ultimate Destination! We never see the BUSINESS Plan. The Illuminati behind and the Mandatory GUIDELINES  and the INCARNATIONS so sacred!

Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday defended the emphasis on private
sector participation in developing railway infrastructure but said
there was no threat to railway jobs.


"You cannot always spend money from
government funds. You have to encourage private industries also. I
don't want to disturb railway employees. Their employment is absolutely
safe," Ms. Banerjee, who presented the Railway budget in the Lok Sabha
yesterday, told reporters in Kolkata.



Her remarks came in the backdrop of
CPI(M) Politburo member Biman Bose saying here on Friday that the
direction of the budget was on privatisation.



"When I was Railway Minister earlier in
1999, 2000 and 2001, it was my idea for productive use of railway land.
I don't know why this was not followed. Why was there poor development
on this count" she said.



While presenting the railway budget,
Ms. Banerjee had spoken of a new policy to be unveiled for developing
private freight terminals and logistic parks under public-private
partnership.


Jobs, not reservation in pvt sector is needed: Khurshid

NEW
DELHI: The government today said that creating more jobs, not reservation, is
needed for the uplift of weaker sections of society. "I am not


a great votary of
reservation. I don't believe reservation is the answer for the future," inority
affairs minister Salman Khurshid said here at a function organised by industry
body Confederation of Indian Industry.




The minister, who is also
holding the charge of the corporate affairs ministry, said that empowerment and
capacity building are the answers and not reservation.




The previous UPA government
had asked the private sector to go for affirmative action in giving jobs to
weaker sections as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR).




Khurshid pointed out that the
country can achieve equality effectively with affirmative action as it is a more
smooth process, is accommodative and goes farther than
reservations.

Air India to draw up turnaround strategy

MUMBAI: Cash-strapped Air India would
draw up a comprehensive short, medium and long-term strategy to rejuvenate
itself.





This was decided at a marathon meeting lasting nearly
12-hours of the "turnaround committee" comprising representatives of the
management and unions. The committee was set up recently to suggest initiatives
that would enable the airline to overcome its financial woes.



"The
turnaround committee discussed the prevailing situation in the company
threadbare. The focus was on rejuvenating the company and several options and
strategies were discussed," an Air India official told PTI here today.




At its first meeting held yesterday which began after 11 in the
morning and concluded at 11 in the night, it was decided to chart out a concrete
strategy on a 6, 12 and 18-month basis to bring the airline back on track.




Discussions centred strongly around the special business units
(SBUs) involving ground-handling, engineering services and cargo, wherein it was
felt that the business potential from these segments were immense and should be
exploited to the full, the official said.



"It was felt that there is
a need to earmark potential earnings from the SBUs," he said. Various
cost-cutting measures were discussed along with recognition of the necessity of
coming up with "improved defined work methods which could lead to substantial
cost reductions," the official said.



The integration of the two
carriers, Air India and Indian (erstwhile Indian Airlines), was also discussed
in some detail and the need to smoothly complete the process was recognised, he
said. The meeting was held in a congenial atmosphere and would be continued in
the future in the interest of the national air-carrier, he said.




With Air India's losses likely to be around Rs 5,300 crore in FY
2009 and working capital borrowings at around Rs 16,500 crore, the state-run
airline is looking for Government succour to wriggle out of its financial mess.




After a meeting Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and top
Ministry and airline officials had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June
24, Air India was asked to come up with a detailed restructuring plan within a
month and submit it to a Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary, K
M Chandrasekhar.



At the meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was
briefed about Air India's woes, following which he extended "fullest support" to
the carrier but with riders. The conditions were that the airline should
immediately restructure itself by cutting costs and flab and overhauling its top
management to become a "leaner and trimmer organisation."



The
national air-carrier recently deferred payment of June salaries to its staff and
also requested its senior officials of General Manager and above rank, to
voluntarily forego their July salaries in view of the liquidity crunch in the
company.




'Slumdog' kid moves into new Mumbai home

4 Jul 2009, 2056 hrs IST,
REUTERS

MUMBAI: A child star of the
Oscar-winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ moved into his new home in
an upmarket Mumbai suburb on Saturday, a far cry

from his family's former
dwelling, a shanty by the railway tracks.



Azharuddin Ismail, 9,
played the youngest Salim in British director Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches film
about a slum dweller trying his luck on a TV gameshow. His eyes bright and a big
smile plastered on his face, Ismail showed off his new home to guests.




"I like it here, it is really nice. But I will miss my old friends
back in Bandra. Maybe I will go and visit them once a while," a grinning Ismail
said as he pranced around the house. Ismail and his family moved into the 250
square foot (25 sq metre) ground floor flat, which is in a modern building
complex, with electricity and running water. It is a short drive away from Juhu,
a suburb home to some of India's most famous film stars.



The Jai Ho
Trust, named after the film's award-winning track and set up by the producers,
bought the $42,000 home on Ismail's behalf and will give it to him when he turns
18. Ismail's earlier dwelling, a tarpaulin and sheet hut, was demolished by the
civic authorities in May as it was illegal.



Pictures of Ismail and a
child co-star picking through the debris of their old homes had caused uproar in
Mumbai.



‘Slumdog Millionaire’, which won eight Academy
Awards, has been criticised for romanticizing poverty and life in Mumbai's
teeming slums, and sparked some criticism of the producers that they had
exploited the slum dwellers. "We have lived on the road for so many years. I had
never dreamed that we would have a roof over our heads," Ismail's mother,
Shameem, said.



The Jai Ho Trust is looking for a house for Ismail's
co-star Rubina Ali, who still lives in a slum with her family. Ismail's move may
present one problem. Looking at him running around the building with his
cousins, a neighbour asked: "Who are these kids? They make so much noise. How
will we ever sleep?"


3 child labourers freed in Ajmer


Ajmer (PTI): Sixty three child
labourers who were brought here from West Bengal were on Saturday freed
from five houses, police said.


Most of them are likely to be minors, they said.


The children, mostly belonging to
minority community, were brought to Rajasthan by their relatives on the
pretext of giving good education but were engaged in handicraft works,
SHO Ajwar Gate police station Satish Kumar said.


In the raid conducted by police while
searching for the children the main accused person fled but five others
were detained, he said.


Medical check-up to confirm the age of the children is underway and further probe is underway in the case.








Berth for all in growth trip


-
Private parties to play key role
























New Delhi, July 3:
Mamata Banerjee today commenced her journey towards inclusive growth,
presenting a rail budget that kept fares and freight rates unchanged
and laid out the road map for public-private partnership in railway
infrastructure.





As
part of her inclusive-growth strategy, Banerjee promised to expand the
rail network and take development to every corner of the country.





An
expert committee will advise the railways on innovative financing
strategies to implement “economically unviable” but “socially desirable
projects” — an area where her predecessor Lalu Prasad was reluctant to
venture.





According
to Gaurav Dua, head of research, Sharekhan, “The railway budget is more
reformist than populist. Rather than the giveaways in the form of lower
passenger tariffs, the focus is on the productive utilisation of spare
land and development of infrastructure under the
public-private-partnership model.





“No increase in freight tariffs is also positive for many core industries such as steel and cement,” Dua said.





Clear signal





Other
analysts said the railway budget had sent a clear signal on the
government’s intention to pursue reforms, and the general budget on
Monday would lay down the road map.





In
public-private partnership projects, the land bank of the railways
would serve as its equity. Banerjee announced a new coach factory at
Kanchrapara in Bengal with annual capacity of 500 electrical multiple
units (EMUs) plus carriages for the Metro Rail.





Also
under the public-private-partnership ambit are cold storages and
air-conditioned centres for perishable cargo along with their
transporation.





The
economic slowdown has forced the railways to revise its freight
targets. The budget estimates for 2009-10 project a freight loading
target of 882 million tonnes, an increase of 49 million tonnes, and a
six per cent increase in the number of passengers.





Gross traffic receipts have been estimated at Rs 88,419 crore, which is Rs 8,557 crore more than 2008-09.





Target revision





“It
is very clear that the unrealistically high targets set in the interim
budget are not sustainable and warrant a midcourse correction. I have
now set more realistic targets for the year based on the continuing
trend of recession in manufacturing and exports,” Banerjee said.





She
proposed an outlay of Rs 40,745 crore for 2009-10. Of this, Rs 2,921
crore will be spent on new lines, Rs 1,750 crore on gauge conversion
and Rs 1,102 crore on passenger amenities, which is 119 per cent more
than the allocation in the interim budget.





A
Rail Board member said the higher revenue target of Rs 88,419 crore for
this fiscal reflected the railways’ perception of a revival in growth.





“In
the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, the freight
growth was over 5 per cent. In June, it was as much as 9 per cent.
Prospects are very good. There are signs of economy looking up,”
Railway Board member (traffic) Shri Prakash said.





Rail Board chairman S.S. Khurana said achieving targets was a big challenge.





“We
are aware of the difficult year ahead but have already geared up to
ensure that we not only achieve these targets but also improve upon
them.”


INDUSTRY SPEAK


All-inclusive
The pro-people,
pro-industry and
pro-economy railway
budget will create a

win-win situation for
all — the railways, the wagon manufacturers, heavy industries and

the common man.



Venu Srinivasan ,
CII PRESIDENT


Progressive
The Railway Budget 2009-10 is clearly a
progressive and a forward-looking budget. The
industry is pleased that the minister has not
increased freight tariff.



Harsh Pati Singhania,
FICCI PRESIDENT


Expansion cue
In totality, the budget proposals will provide for inclusive growth
and at the same time
ensure expansion of railways.



Sajjan Jindal,
Assocham president

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090704/jsp/business/story_11194743.jsp
CPI(M) Polit Bureau meets to discuss Kerala issue


New Delhi (PTI): The CPI(M) Polit
Bureau on Saturday met here to find an end to the disunity in its
Kerala unit with the two top State leaders — Chief Minister V.S.
Achuthanandan and State party Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan — sticking to
their stand.


Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayan are
understood to have presented their case in the meeting at AKG Bhavan,
the CPI(M) headquarters, here on the first day. Sources said they have
stuck to their position.


The two-day meeting is being attended
by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, S. Ramachandran Pillai and
Biman Bose, besides Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayan among others.


The extraordinary meeting comes in the
backdrop of intense factional fight in its Kerala unit where the Chief
Minister and Mr. Vijayan are on a war path.


Both Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayan have earlier demanded the removal of each other.


"We are meeting for two days. I cannot
predict the outcome of the meeting," Polit Bureau member M.K. Pandhe
told reporters when asked whether the party was contemplating action
against the leaders in Kerala.


He also said all issues regarding
Kerala, including SNC Lavalin graft case in which Vijayan is facing
prosecution, will be discussed in the meeting.


Both the Kerala factions have submitted
complaints accusing each other before the Polit Bureau which is
understood to have been deliberating on it.


After the Central Committee meeting in
June, Mr. Karat had said the high decision-making body had decided that
the wrangling must be settled soon.


This is the second time in past five
years that the Polit Bureau is meeting to exclusively discuss Kerala
issues. The first such meeting was held on February 13, 2005 in
Kolkata.


The Kolkata meeting had come prior to
Malappuram State conference of the party when factionalism was at the
peak. The Polit Bureau had then asked the factions led by Mr.
Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayan to bury the hatchet and work unitedly.


But two years later, both the leaders
were suspended from the Polit Bureau for taking their fight out in the
public domain. Their suspension was later revoked.


Powerful sedative found in Michael Jackson's home


LOS ANGELES (AP) The powerful sedative
Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement
official said, as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's
memorial service.


Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used
in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol,
it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.


The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.


A Los Angeles Police spokesman, Lt.
John Romero, declined to discuss the case. ``It's an ongoing
investigation,'' he said Friday.


The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.


At the downtown Staples Center, where
Jackson's memorial will be held Tuesday morning, Assistant Police Chief
Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try
to reach the arena, even though only 17,500 tickets will be available.


City Councilwoman Jan Perry urged
people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. There will not be a
funeral procession through the city.


Tickets to Jackson's memorial service
will be free. They can be obtained by registering at Staplescenter.com.
There will be 11,000 tickets for seats inside Staples Center and 6,500
for seats in the adjacent Nokia Theatre, where fans can watch a
simulcast. On Saturday night, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to
receive two tickets each.


No details about the memorial service itself were released.


Jackson was known to have suffered from
severe insomnia. In the weeks before his death, Cherilyn Lee, a
registered nurse who was working with the singer, said Jackson pleaded
for Diprivan amid the stress of preparing for a massive series of
comeback concerts.


Lee said she repeatedly rejected his demands because the drug was unsafe.


Told Friday that Diprivan had been found at Jackson's house, she said, ``I did everything I could to warn him against it.''


Jackson had trouble sleeping as far
back as 1989, said one of his former publicists, Rob Goldstone, who
spent a month on the road with Jackson during the ``Bad'' tour.


``He had very bad nightmares, he found it very difficult to sleep,'' Goldstone said.


Diprivan, which has a milky appearance,
is sometimes nicknamed ``milk of amnesia.'' Last fall, doctors from the
Mayo Clinic warned at a conference that in rare cases, Diprivan can
trigger an irreversible chain of events leading to heart dysfunction
and death.


They said three patients receiving
Diprivan to treat severe seizures had suffered cardiac arrest, and two
died. The doctors said the clinic stopped using Diprivan to treat such
patients because of the danger.


The drug's manufacturer, AstraZeneca
PLC, warns that patients using Diprivan should be continuously
monitored, and in a tiny number of cases patients using it have
suffered cardiac arrest, although it was not clear the drug was to
blame.


Authorities are investigating
allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming
painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. Any criminal charges would
depend on whether Jackson had been overly prescribed medications, given
drugs inappropriate for his needs, or if doctors knowingly prescribed
Jackson medications under an assumed name.


Edward Chernoff, an attorney for
Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said on Friday through a
spokeswoman that he had agreed with investigators not to comment until
information is released through official channels. Murray was in
Jackson's rented mansion when the singer went into cardiac arrest in
his bedroom on June 25.


Murray has spoken to police and
authorities say he is not a suspect. In an earlier interview, Chernoff
said Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or
OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop
star drugs that contributed to his death.


Chernoff would not discuss what drugs
the doctor administered to Jackson, but said they would have been
prescribed in response to a specific complaint.


UNCTAD Chief calls for Asian monetary fund


Beijing (Xinhua): Asia should have its
own monetary fund to better ensure financial stability of the region, a
senior UN official has said.


"Ultimately Asia should have its own
monetary fund," Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was quoted as
saying by the China Daily Saturday.


Supachai said it was necessary to
further strengthen bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation in
the region and a monetary fund for the Asia could better help cushion
the impact of economic downturns for Asian nations.


He was speaking at the Global Think Tank Summit in Beijing Friday.


Supachai, an economist-turned
politician, was Thailand's deputy prime minister and commerce minister
during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. He was elected
director-general of the World Trade Organization in September 1999 and
was appointed UNCTAD head in 2005.


Budget bounty for infra, social sectors

4 Jul 2009, 0725 hrs IST, Mahendra Kumar Singh,
TNN

NEW
DELHI: Though under tremendous pressure to manage resources, the UPA is expected
to enhance social sector and infrastructure spending in its

budget for 2009-10 ,
in line with its strategy to beat the impact of global economic downturn.




Sources pointed out that
UPA-II budget is all set to provide an additional Rs 40,000 crore gross
budgetary support from the interim budget (Rs 2,85,000 crore) and a significant
increase of Rs 81,617 crore from the last fiscal (Rs 2,43,386 crore) for
development programmes. According to top government sources, the sectors likely
to get major focus would be social sector and infrastructure which will get
major chunks of the additional allocations.




Finance minister Pranab
Mukherjee, reiterating the government’s commitment to give a boost to
economic activity in rural areas , is expected to enhance further funding to the
rural sector with an additional Rs 10,000 crore going to meet the growing demand
of the flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) which turned
out to be major vote-catcher for UPA. Sources indicate that expansion of the
programme as well as raising the wages under NREGA have been kept in abeyance
since the scheme is already taking around 12% of the national spending.




Another pet scheme during
UPA’s last tenure—the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)—is
likely to get an additional Rs 1,000 crore so as to provide better health
services to the rural India. This will be in addition to the Rs 12,070 crore
already allocated in the interim budget.




With renewed focus on winning
rural masses , the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana is likely to get an
additional Rs 1,500 crore which has already been allotted Rs 6,000 crore in the
interim budget. The scheme will focus on house-to-house electrification which
would boost rural economy, sources said.




The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya
Suraksha Yojana is likely to be allocated Rs 1,100 crore. Under the scheme, the
government envisages setting up of six new AIIMS-like institutions and
upgradation of 13 existing government medical colleges. A provision of Rs 647.92
crore had been made for the scheme in the interim budget.




Another flagship programme,
the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which has seen
initial successes and is considered important for modernising urban areas, will
get an additional Rs 1,200 crore against Rs 11,842 crore allocated in the
interim budget. A chunk of this money would go for providing housing for the
urban poor, sources said.



The
flagship programmes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and
the rural sanitation programme, may not get a substantial hike in allocations
beyond what was given in the interim budget. SSA had got an impressive
allocation of Rs 13,100 crore while Rs 8,000 crore was given for the Mid-day
Meal Scheme. The rural sanitation programme had got Rs 1,200 crore in the
interim budget.



With the
President highlighting the need to focus on women’s literacy and
education, the government is likely to earmark Rs 7,000 crore to set up model
schools in backward blocks and improve quality of education under SSA.


















Non-stop trains will hit low-cost airlines hard

4 Jul 2009, 2050 hrs IST,
TNN














 Print  EMail  Discuss Share Save CommentText:









NEW DELHI: Railway minister Mamata
Banerjee’s ambitious proposal to run nonstop trains between big metros
could prove to be the biggest challenge

to lowcost carriers (LCCs), when the
proposal becomes a reality.



For almost a year now, airlines,
including LCCs, have been hiking fares. While higher fares have seen a sharp
erosion in number of fliers, airlines still bet on two facts to survive, train
journeys take much longer and getting confirm tickets is difficult.




“Thankfully, she did not lower fares and add to our problems
of traffic drop leading to fall in yields. But as and when, and most importantly
if, the concept of economical non-stop trains does become a reality , we will
face even tougher times,” said an official at a LCC.



The
success of LCC’s in initial stage came from the fact that their fares were
comparable to Rajdhani AC III and lower than AC II levels. This led to a sudden
shift of that voluminous segment to LCCs. “Those fares were unsustainable
and LCCs that insisted on retaining them folded up. When fares started to rise,
people started going back to trains and we have been registered negative growth
for many months now,” said an airline CEO.



Despite higher
fares, LCCs get traffic simply because the journey time offered by planes
can’t be matched by trains. Now Mamata is targeting the sectors where
Rajdhanis and Shatabdis were anyway offering tough competition, in fare, to
airlines. In her Budget, she spoke of launching nonstop trains from Delhi to
places like Jammu, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Allahabad, Bhubaneswar an
Ernakulam.



The ‘Duronto’ nonstop service are proposed to
have both AC and non-AC classes and run once to thrice a week. “That
service will take some years to come, if it comes. Our big worry right now is to
survive till that time,” said a senior AI official.

















RIL agrees to abide by PSC, seeks to avoid petro min penal action

4 Jul 2009, 1244 hrs IST,
ET Now














 Print  EMail  Discuss Share Save CommentText:









Even as
the RIL-RNRL litigation over KG Gas is landing in the Supreme Court, Reliance
Industries has informed the petroleum ministry that it will

abide by the
production-sharing agreement (PSC) signed with the government. Both Reliance
sources and highlyplaced petroleum ministry officials confirmed the
communication on condition of anonymity.


ET Now and ET have reported that
the government was considering penal action against RIL for the pact with RNRL
for supply of KG gas, which government sources say could be a violation of its
production-sharing contract with RIL. This is the first communication from
Reliance to the petroleum ministry after the recent Bombay High Court order
directing supply of KG gas to RNRL. The letter means that RIL will not agree to
any gas supply agreement with RNRL without the government’s approval.




A copy of the letter — written by PMS Prasad, president &
CEO of RIL’s petroleum business, to petroleum secretary R S Pandey —
has been sent to Niko Resources, 10% partner of RIL in the D6 block of KG basin.
The communication is significant since it follows recent discussions in the
ministry on the need for penal action against RIL for entering into the
controversial agreement with RNRL. In a way, the Mukesh Ambani-owned company is
telling the government not to penalise it as there was no intention of deviating
from the production-sharing agreement which specifies that no gas supply pact
can be executed without the government’s approval.



Moreover,
RIL has formally emphasised that it was in agreement with the government’s
thinking that gas was a natural resource and the gas allocation policy and the
PSC should prevail over any family agreement or court ruling based on such an
agreement. RIL also seems to be indicating to the government that it did not
want to violate the PSC, but the government should provide clarity on the court
order.



... Fails to reach agreement with NTPC



NTPC and
Reliance Industries (RIL) on Friday failed to finalise a gas sales purchase
agreement (GSPA) with six hours of discussions failing to break the logjam,
reports Our Bureau from Mumbai. The meeting, held in New Delhi, ended late
Friday evening. This abortive outcome was confirmed by the executives of both
the companies who did not wish to be named. However, both the firms declined to
comment on the issue. The dispute relates to supply of 2. 67 million metric
standard cubic metres of gas per day (mscmd) at the rate of $4.2 per million
metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) for NTPC’s gas-fired power plants,
other than the once located at Kawas and Gandhar.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Economy/Budget-bounty-for-infra-social-sectors/articleshow/4736686.cms











Our Bureau



New Delhi, July 3 Ms Mamata Banerjee, at one level, seems to be
a more realistic Railway Minister compared to her predecessor, Mr Lalu
Prasad.


This is clear from her projections of resource mobilisation through
the public private partnership (PPP) route. In his Interim Rail Budget
for 2009-10, presented on February 13, Mr Lalu Prasad had envisaged
investment of Rs 3,400 crore via the PPP route to fund an overall Plan
size of Rs 37,905 crore.


In contrast, Ms Banerjee has provided just Rs 100 crore under this
head, while noting that anything beyond this “would just not
materialise.” Yet, she has set an overall Plan target of Rs 40,745
crore — Rs 2,840 crore more than the Interim Budget figure.


To finance the higher Plan size, Ms Banerjee is looking at market
borrowings (Rs 9,170 crore) and Exchequer support (Rs 15,800 crore),
which are pegged above the corresponding Interim Budget provisions of
Rs 7,190 crore and Rs 10,800 crore respectively. These two
tried-and-trusted sources will fund more than 60 per cent of the
budgeted Plan of Rs 40,745 crore.


The ‘realistic’ approach of Ms Banerjee is apparently the outcome of
the realisation that the economic slowdown has hit the Indian Railways’
(IR) finances much more than what was anticipated even a few months
ago. At the time when the Interim Budget was presented, the IR’s total
freight loading for 2008-09 was placed at 850 million tonnes (mt), with
goods revenues at Rs 54,293 crore according to the Revised Estimates
(RE).


But the ‘actual’ figures now available show last fiscal’s loading at
only 833 mt and goods revenues falling short of the RE by Rs 860 crore.
The IR’s ‘actual’ gross traffic receipts in 2008-09, at Rs 79,862
crore, fell short of the RE of Rs 82,393 crore by over Rs 2,500 crore.


It is in this light that Ms Banerjee has chosen to be more
conservative on revenue projections. Mr Lalu Prasad’s Interim Budget
assumed a freight loading of 910 mt for 2009-10, with goods revenues of
Rs 59,059 crore and gross traffic receipts of Rs 93,159 crore. Ms
Banerjee has pared these down to 882 mt, Rs 58,525 crore and Rs 88,419
crore, respectively.


“I have now set more realistic targets for 2009-10 based on the
continuing trend of recession in the manufacturing sector and exports,”
the Railway Minister said in her Budget speech


The investible surplus available after dividend and all other
appropriations is also pegged much lower, at Rs 8,631.04 crore, against
Mr Lalu Prasad’s more ambitious Rs 13,532.33 crore. , But despite this
Rs 4,900 crore-plus lower projection in internal resources, Ms Banerjee
has managed to target a bigger investment plan on the back of enhanced
Budget support and higher market borrowings.












Related Stories:

Rail Budget: Tall claims, but short on substantial efforts

Lalu cuts fares by 2% across all classes
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070451960100.htm

Mamata’s track record





More Stories on :
Railway Budget |
Railway Budget








Bengal milestones in budget












Mamata before presenting the railway budget. (Rajesh Kumar)











New
Delhi, July 3: Smiling at the enemy, Mamata Banerjee today used her
railway budget to salt the Left’s wounds with development promises for
Lalgarh, Nandigram and Singur and benefits for the voters she is trying
to steal from the Marxists.





Mamata
promised a railway line to Lalgarh in keeping with her claims that
development is the only way to wean Bengal’s poor tribals away from the
Maoists.





“Lalgarh,
Belpahari have been linked on the proposed Salboni-Jhargram route to
connect extremely remote tribal areas,” she later told reporters after
unveiling what was as much a thanksgiving budget for voters as a
you-owe-me for the Bengal Assembly polls two years away.





If
her intention was to show up the CPM for having let the remote,
poverty-stricken block fall off its radar, she rubbed it in. Looking
straight at CPM Lok Sabha leader Basudeb Acharya, seated two rows away,
the railway minister smiled as she elaborated: “You know, Lalgarh...
the place on the border between Bengal and Jharkhand….”





Acharya,
who headed the just-dissolved House standing committee on railways,
later said: “If she is so interested in the uplift of tribals, she
could have also looked at other tribal areas (outside Bengal).”





Mamata
also proposed a 1,000MW captive power plant in Adra, Purulia. “Adra is
a tribal area. This project will help in providing employment and
bringing the tribal people into the mainstream.”





The Adra project makes economic sense too since it is near the coal-bearing areas of Bengal and Jharkhand.





In
a similar symbolic announcement, Mamata promised to build another line
from Singur to Nandigram, sites of anti-Left movements that had paved
the way for her triumphs in the 2008 panchayat polls and the recent Lok
Sabha and municipal elections.





If
those land protests, against the Tatas’ Nano factory and a proposed
chemical hub, gave her an “anti-industry” image, she tried her best to
limit the damage today.





She
handed a sop to Bengal’s industry — a dedicated Calcutta-Ludhiana
freight corridor that will come with industrial and cargo corridors set
up on railway land. “We are setting up a committee to make a business
plan for the industrial corridors. Railway land will be made available
for industry,” Mamata said.





The
offer of railway land is being seen by many, including the chambers of
commerce that are being drafted as advisers on the project, as “a
masterstroke to build industry in Bengal and rub away the stigma of
being called anti-industry by the urban elite”.





Some
of her promises, such as the new railway lines, will take years to meet
but Mamata has just two years before the Assembly polls. Which is
perhaps why she announced a mix of projects that can be finished within
this period along with more visionary ones that may or may not take off
after she leaves Rail Bhavan.





Among
those “doable in a short period”, according to railway officials, are
the plans to extend the Calcutta Metro to Barrackpore and Barasat, and
the city’s circular railway from Majherhat to Diamond Harbour via Joka,
from Dum Dum to Garia via Rajarhat and from Park Circus to Bantala. So
are the schemes to turn the Howrah, Sealdah, New Jalpaiguri and Kolkata
stations “world-class”.





Similarly,
the cheap, non-stop Duranto trains that will run at Rajdhani speeds —
she has gifted four of the 12 to Bengal — are to be introduced this
year. “Many can’t afford Rajdhanis, they can (take) these trains at a
far cheaper rate — 1500km at Rs 299 for a non-AC berth,” she said.





But
it is the jobs her projects can bring to Bengal — she was criticised
for costing the state thousands of jobs by driving the Nano away — that
can win her many urban and semi-rural votes.





One
key job-giver will be the coach factory announced at
Kanchrapara-Halishahar, North 24-Parganas. She also plans to take over
the wagon manufacturing units of Burn Standard and Braithwaite, a move
that can save jobs in the Hooghly-Asansol industrial belt and entice
workers to switch loyalties from the powerful CPM unions.





Mamata
did not forget the farmers and Muslims, whom she has won over from the
Left in large swathes of Bengal, and the ever-increasing youth vote
bank.





She
unveiled special trains that will carry fruits and vegetables to
markets, and promised railway cold-storage facilities. The youths have
got air-conditioned, sitting-only “Yuva” trains between metros at fares
of Rs 299 up to 1,500km and Rs 399 up to 2,500km. Madarsa students are
now eligible for the free students’ monthly passes.





Mamata quoted Tagore twice but ended her speech with an Urdu couplet as “today is Jumma”. “Kamyabi manvikta se hoti hai, zulm se nahi (success comes through humanity, not oppression),” she said, perhaps launching another barb at the CPM.





One
other target was her predecessor as UPA railway minister, Lalu Prasad.
Mamata accused him of setting “unrealistically high targets” for
revenues in the interim budget and cut the projected receipts by Rs
4,800 crore citing “the shortfall in performance of the railways in
2008-09”.





She also promised a white paper on the railways’ organisational, operational and financial situation and performance since 2004.





Lalu
Prasad said he was “not bothered” about the white paper and accused
Mamata of suffering from a “complex”, asserting she had based her
budget on his achievements.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090704/jsp/frontpage/story_11195164.jsp




Cos smell biz in wagon plan


4 Jul 2009, 0125 hrs IST, TNN


Wagon and coach makers are sensing new
business opportunities from Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's plan to start
projects under

private-public-partnership (PPP) model. Private sector companies
like Bombardier, Titagarh Wagons and Texmaco hope to grab higher businesses from
the Railways after the Rail Budget announced plans like introduction of
double-decker inter-city AC coaches and purchase of 18,000 wagons in
2009-10.



"We are the leaders in the manufacturing of double-decker
coaches globally and are interested in catering to the requirements of the
Railways as and when the process for it is kickstarted," Bombardier Transport
India MD Rajeev Jyoti said. He said Bombardier's factory at Vadodara in Gujarat,
where it makes coaches for metro trains, could be used for making the
double-decker coaches if the company gets orders from the
Railways.



Umesh Chowdhary, MD of Titagarh Wagons, said apart from
eyeing more wagon business from the Railways, his company is interested in
participating the Railways in various PPP projects. "Further we have also
entered into manufacturing of EMU and other coaches and are targeting that
business segment as a growth area," Chowdhary said.



Titagarh Wagons
hopes to form a JV with the Railways for passenger coach manufacturing facility
at Kanchrapara. "We are keen to participate in locomotive components park in
Dankuni and the ambitious world-class station project of railways," he
said.



Texmaco, a KK Birla group company that makes a range of
machinery as well as freight cars, also hopes to get more business. Texmaco CEO
Ramesh Maheswari claimed his company was in reckoning for modernisation of Delhi
station. We will bid for others too," he said. On the Kanchrapara project, he
said Texmaco could utilise the expertise of its JV partner United Rail of
Australia for the passenger coach project.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Cos-smell-biz-in-wagon-plan/articleshow/4736009.cms

Spend whatever required to ensure quality education’




By Ajim Premji


My views on allocation of funds for the education sector in the Budget
are in two parts. Firstly, India should spend whatever is required to
ensure quality education for every child without getting trapped in
percentages. Second, but equally important, that spending the money
effectively and with accountability, is absolutely critical at this
stage of our nation's growth.


Our education budget has averaged 3.22% of GDP between 2003-04 and
2006-07. For a long time, economists and experts in education demanded
that this budget should be at least 6% of GDP. To me, what is more
relevant and important is whether we are fully funding our overall
ambition of being a developed nation. Therefore, if pursuing certain
critical actions to achieve quality with equity means allocating 10% of
GDP as education budget, so be it. I am convinced that, as a nation ,
we have the ability to find funds.




http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4736900.cms



Mamata brings some cheer...


Expressindia.com - ‎18 hours ago‎

Pune In her “pro-people” budget presented on Friday, Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee gave the city some reason to cheer with her announcement of a ...






Mamata disappoints Orissa, doles out Rs 715 cr


Economic Times - Nageshwar Patnaik - ‎Jul 3, 2009‎

For a state, which provides revenue to the Indian Railways in excess of Rs 5000 crore, the railway minister, Mamata Banerjee seems to have put a stop to the ...

Naveen dissatisfied Calcutta Telegraph






Gravy train to Writers' Buildings


Economic Times - Tamal Sengupta - ‎20 hours ago‎

KOLKATA : Mamata Banerjee
has used the railway budget very deftly as a powerful tool to woo the
tribal and minority population in West Bengal in the run-up ...






Mamata bounty eludes coal belt


Calcutta Telegraph - Shashank ShekharPraduman Choubey - ‎17 hours ago‎

They were expecting Mamata Banerjee to fulfil their long-standing demand for a rail link to the south — the hub of technical and management studies. ...

Blue-chip zone not impressed Calcutta Telegraph






Industry hails Mamata's Budget


The Statesman - ‎19 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI, 3 JULY: Indian industry today termed Miss Mamata Banerjee's Railway Budget for 2009-10 as “progressive and forward looking” and welcomed her ...








Mamata boards ppps to boost development, revenues


Business Standard - ‎20 hours ago‎

''It is very refreshing even to think that Mamata Banerjee has gone into the PPP mode, given her background. She is talking about things, like stations, ...












Mamata turns her back on Lalunomics, pleases aam aadmi in Rail Budget


Hindustan Times - ‎17 hours ago‎

AP Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at Parliament house to present Railway Budget 2009-10 in New Delhi. No increase in passenger fares. ...












New coach factory at Halisahar


Times of India - ‎15 hours ago‎

KOLKATA: Through her railway Budget, Mamata Banerjee has succeeded in shedding the anti-industry image that she had earned in the past couple of years. ...






Eight new trains for State


Hindu - ‎20 hours ago‎

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced 57 trains in all. However, the State has not been included under the 12 new “Duronto” services. ...









Blasts near Lalgarh BDO office


Times of India - Caesar Mandal - ‎Jul 2, 2009‎

LALGARH: The Maoists made their presence felt in Lalgarh with a landmine explosion barely 50 feet away from a police checkpost, around 7.30 on Thursday ...






Lalgarh to be on rail map


Hindu - ‎Jul 3, 2009‎

New Delhi(PTI) Impoverished Lalgarh, in the news for Maoist violence and security forces' operations against the Left ultras, will be on railway map, ...












Lalgarh: Meet to decide future course of action


Hindu - ‎17 hours ago‎

LALGARH (PASCHIM
MEDINIPUR DISTRICT): A high-level meeting attended by the Director
Generals of both the West Bengal State police and the Central Reserve ...












Villagers in Lalgarh still in grip of fear


Hindu - Raktima Bose - ‎17 hours ago‎

At Birbhanpur, 21 km from Lalgarh, a young woman, when asked about her last venture into the adjoining Kalaimuri forest to collect “sal” leaves (making sal ...












Mamata calls for disturbed' tag on Lalgarh


Times of India - ‎Jun 29, 2009‎

KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee has called upon the Centre to call an emergency meeting to review the Lalgarh situation and declare the area "disturbed". ...








Liberhan report, Lalgarh set to come up in Parliament


Times of India - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎

While the report will see
non-BJP parties closing ranks, the main Opposition may try and take up
the operation against Maoists in Lalgarh which will see UPA ...








Between her lines, reads Bengal Assembly campaign speech: Singur ...


Indian Express - ‎19 hours ago‎

For, her agenda captures a grand
sweep across West Bengal, from the Darjeeling foothills to the sea
resort of Digha, from Belpahari to Lalgarh and from ...






Lalgarh shock for govt staff


Times of India - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎

LALGARH/PIRAKATA: Stacks
of rice bags piled up in block offices, yet out of reach of many
villagers. Senior government officers learnt it the hard way after ...






Lalgarh: is it liberated or ruled by fear?


Hindu - Praveen Swami - ‎Jun 25, 2009‎

LALGARH: Early this month, as police marched into the forests around Lalgarh, the adivasi residents of Salboni were told, by Maoists, to start building ...










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Aam aadmi looks up to the budget


1 Jul 2009, 1545 hrs IST,
AMITABH SINGH,
This year, let us see what are the various things that the govt could look at to bring a smile on the face of the aam aadmi.

Pranab has wind behind his back


3 Jul 2009, 0217 hrs IST,
ANDY MUKHERJEE,
Global investors have already made up their minds about India's medium-term growth prospects.

Farmers to reap good harvest from budget


3 Jul 2009, 1133 hrs IST
India's vital but antiquated farm sector may next week finally get the funding it needs to realise its rich potential.

In the end, it's the core that counts


2 Jul 2009, 0035 hrs IST,
ANDY MUKHERJEE ,
ET
NOW moderated pre-Budget debate bringing together Godrej chairman Adi
Godrej, Lafarge MD & CEO Uday Khanna and ET NOW consulting editor
Swaminathan Aiyar.
More >>



















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