Coal scam: Stormy session likely in Parliament again!!

Parliament proceedings are likely to be disrupted again on Wednesday with the BJP adamant in its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the alleged irregularities in coal block allocations.


BJP defended its decision to demand Prime Minister's resignation,saying it owes it to the people in the wake of "regular occurence" of scams and insisted it will continue to press for his removal.
"In both Houses of Parliament today, we demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation. We will continue to strongly press for it as the coal allocation issue is not an isolated incident. The 2G spectrum issue, Commonwealth Games scam, public-private partnership issue of airports and now the coal blocks," deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters on Tuesday.

He alleged these cases demonstrate that the Manmohan Singh government is one of "scam, shame, scandals, corruption and loot and that BJP is levelling these charges with all responsibility.

Government of India resolves Mathematecian Ramanujam's Birthday 22nd Dec as National Mathematics Day

December 22nd is to be observed as National Mathematics Day.

On the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of great Mathematician late Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Government of India have resolved to celebrate this day every year as the National Mathematics Day. It will seek to focus the attention of people to mathematics education and its applications not only in Science and Technology but also in other areas of life. Celebration of National Mathematics Day would connect Ramanujan’s life and work to the people of India and thereby inspire a large section of our young generation. Popularisation of mathematics and applied mathematics will enable to draw a larger number of gifted students to disciplines related to Mathematics which is essential in the growth of knowledge economy.

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has been playing vital role in propagating mathematics by way of supporting institutions of national repute, which have the mandate of education and research in the field of Mathematics. In fact some of these premier institutes like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Institute of Mathematical Science (IMSc), Chennai, Harish Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad, Homi Bhabha Centre of Science Education (HBCSE) are autonomous institutes fully aided by DAE. In addition, it also supports, Ramanujan Mathematical Society, Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), Kerala School of Mathematics etc. The Department has been promoting mathematics by way of granting Fellowship/Scholarships to various researchers/students of mathematics through its National Board of Higher Mathematics (NBHM). The Department has been successfully organising Mathematics Olympiads every year through NBHM/Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and our young participants have been regularly winning laurels in these events. The International Congress of Mathematicians, which is held once in four years was held in Hyderabad during August 19-27, 2010 which was attended by several thousand mathematicians from all over the world.

You are requested to give it a wide publicity in your esteemed Newspaper/Channel for the benefit of your readers/viewers.

IIT-Delhi India's top ranking institution

Indian Institute of Technology- Delhi is the country's highest ranking institution in world with a global rank of 218, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. 

Minister of State for HRD D Purandeswari said during Question Hour that as per the Quacquarelli Symonds global system of ranking of higher education institutions for 2011, IIT-Delhi is the overall highest ranking institution in India at serial number 218. 

"As per the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2011, IIT-Bombay is the highest ranked institution at serial 317, while the Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore at serial 321," she said. 

As per the 2011 QS Engineering & Technology Rankings, IIT-Bombay is at serial 43, IIT-Delhi at 50, IIT-Kanpur at 59 and IIT-Madras at 60 in Computer Science and Information Technology. 

In the same ranking system in Civil and Structural Engineering, IIT-Bombay is ranked at serial 30, IIT-Kanpur at serial 38 and IIT-Delhi at serial 43. 

As per QS Global Business School Report, 2012, Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad has been ranked second in the Asia Pacific region, next to INSEAD (Institut Europeen d Administration des Affairs), Singapore while IIM-Bangalore, Indian School of Business, IIM-Calcutta and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai figure in the top 20 institutes. 

According to Financial Times London Global Buiness School rankings, IIM-Ahmedabad is at serial 11 and Indian School of Business at serial 13.

VK Singh cools tempers, says no rift between Army and government

Retreating from his hard positions in the last few days, Army chief Gen V K Singh said "rogue elements" were trying to project a "schism" between him and defence minister A K Antony and made it clear that he was duty bound to serve the country.

Facing flak and demands for his removal over some of his comments and moves, Gen Singh issued a statement today trying to clear the air saying that projections of schism between him and Antony was "untrue and needed to be guarded against".

He said for the media to constantly project every issue as a battle between the government and the army chief is "misleading".

The Army chief's attempt to further cool tempers comes a day after Antony expressed government's confidence in the service chiefs.

Antony also vowed to give maximum punishment to those behind the leak of Gen Singh's letter to the Prime Minister in which he had spoken about lack of defence preparedness.

Gen Singh had also issued a statement calling the leak a high treason and its source should be treated ruthlessly.

The Army chief, who had lost his battle with the government over the age row, had recently raised the hackles of the government by giving an interview claiming he was offered Rs 14 crores in bribes to swing a sub-standard deal.

The leak of the letter to the Prime Minister raised tensions between the two sides.

"There have been a string of leaks culminating in the public airing of letter to hon'ble Prime Minister of India," Gen Singh said.

He said "we are duty bound to serve our country and to protect the institutional integrity of the army at all costs even if we sometimes have to look within. "He said that institutional corrective steps were taken earlier after his talks with AK Antony. Meanwhile, the government today said the defence minister has ordered a CBI probe into a case relating to public sector undertakingBEML even as inquiry was on into a complaint about an alleged scam in purchase of Tatra trucks.

Gen Singh said the army and by extension the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) are also a part of the government. 

"There are rogue elements in our society which have played an active role in trying to project a schism between the Defence Minister and the COAS. This is untrue and needs to guarded against," he said. 

Gen Singh said "we have to identify within the confines of the system and of the law and expose these (rogue) elements." 

He said freedom of speech and individual opinions need to be respected but frivolous and uninformed comments on these issue only muddy the waters. 

Referring to the recent controversy over his statement on bribe, he said the timing pertaining to the bribe issue has drawn considerable attention. "It is pointed out that after the matter was brought to the honourable Raksha Mantri's notice, certain steps had been taken institutionally to keep a wary eye on the retired officer who had offered the bribe. 

"18 months later, the person resurfaced in the beginning of March this year and launched a smear campaign under the veil of anonymity alleging that the army was snooping on the Defence Minister of India. 

"Once, the concerned individual has been identified by the army headquarters, his identity and antecedents were made public," he said. Earlier in the day, on a couple of occasions when journalists sought comments from Gen Singh, he parried questions saying he had made a statement yesterday and he had nothing much to add. 

"I think you people speculate too much," he said.

NRI kids row: Vayalar Ravi says India trying its best in bringing children from Norway

KOLKATA: Overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi today said the Indian government was doing its best in ensuring that the two children caught in a custody row in Norway, were handed over to their uncle. 

"Things are improving. The government of India is doing its best in having the children handed over to their uncle," Ravi told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. 

He, however, said he was not aware of the latest developments in the matter. 

Three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya are caught in a custody row after Norway's child welfare department sent them to foster care claiming that their biological parents Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya were violating the country's child rights laws. 

Although the Norway government agreed to award custody of their children to their uncle after prolonged diplomatic efforts by India, reports of martial discord between the parents has once again delayed the matter with the government postponing the hearing on the issue. 

Meanwhile, a city-based NGO has also appealed to external affairs minister SM Krishna to assist it in bringing the two children back to India. 

The NGO, 'India's Smile,' said they were willing to bear all expenses in bringing them up till they attain adulthood at the age of 18.

We are unperturbed by Anna Hazare's protests, our Lokpal Bill is one of the best: Government

NEW DELHI: The UPA government is "unperturbed" by protests as its Lokpal Bill is "one of the best" and it was following all Parliamentary procedures, Union minister E Ahamed said today. 

Asserting that Parliament's "importance cannot be reduced", the minister of state for human resource development (HRD), while replying to queries on Anna Hazare's token fast at Jantar Mantar today, said the UPA government "is committed" to checking corruption. 

"That's why we brought this bill, the Lokpal Bill is one of the best bills." 

"If you want to make a small issue a bigger issue, you can have it. But so far the UPA government is concerned, we are not perturbed ... Parliament is supreme ... We are always following Parliamentary procedures. Parliament's importance cannot be reduced," Ahamed told reporters here. 

He, however, added, "There may be some opinion about the provisions of the bill. Anybody may very well ventilate their sentiment. Anybody can move an amendment because it is a democracy."