Cheetah reintroduction

5 hits roadblock for

want of funds

We

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01, 2015

he State

RK Laxman
immortalised
6
passive, helpless
common man

India rely heavily

on Virat Kohli to
bat through the

10

middle overs

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Addl 5% subsidy to
investors if over
50% employees
from state: Raman

Kiran Bedis
old tweets
may create
problem

Vol-03. Issue-18. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

Katrina
shoots with
visually
impaired
photographer

11

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Analogue Semiconductor Fabrication

Investment Policy endorsed
Mp first state to frame this policy

NEWS MAX

CS for seeking help

from British for
Smart Cities in MP
Bhopal: Chief Secretary Anthony DeSa has said that
cooperation will be sought
from the British government,
Siemens, Sysco, DFID etc. for
development of Smart Cities
in MP. Smart Cities will also

requirement, uninterrupted power

5 thousand crore investment will

be developed under PPP

through 2 grids, sewage infrastruc-

provide jobs directly to about 1000

mode. He was addressing an

cabinet meeting chaired by

ture, quality road from unit to air-

highly skilled persons and 10 thou-

international workshop for

CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan

port, free trade zone at airport,

sand persons indirectly. The unit

development of Smart Cities

endorsed

Analogue

chemical firefighting near airport

will enjoy all benefits as per

in MP organised jointly by

Fabrication

etc. Each unit established with Rs.

Government of Indias policy.

MP and British governments

Bhopal

Semiconductor

Investment Policy-2015. MP is the

first state in the country to frame
this policy. The policy will help in

at Indian Institute of

Other decisions

in

The cabinet decided to exempt from stamp duty the companies given

Semiconductor fab sector in the

such exemption by high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

state. Electronic system designing

The companies which have already paid stamp duty, it will be refunded

and manufacturing (ESDM) sector

the same amount from departmental budget.

tapping

immense

potential

will also develop speedily with

The cabinet decided to constitute a cabinet committee to replace

establishment of industries in

apex investment empowered committee constituted under Investment

Semiconductor fab sector.

Promotion Act. An applicant distressed by decision of district/state-

Other units will come up near

level committee can now move revision application within 90 days

fab units including fabless design-

instead of 30 days. Cabinet committee may also consider revision appli-

ing companies, electronics produc-

cation even after 90 days in justifiable cases. Option for application or

tion units, electronics manufactur-

revision will be available only once, but there would be provision for

ing service, assembly, testing and

second appeal in cases of extension of period pertaining to start of com-

other units. State will have a new

mercial production.

identity in ultra high modern tech.

The cabinet decided to amend work allocation rules to place schemes

Foreign exchange will be saved

for welfare of transgender persons under Social Justice and Disabled

since microchips have to be import-

Persons Welfare Department.

ed from other countries at present.

The cabinet decided to amend the allotment of 50 hectare land allot-

As per the policy endorsed by the

ted at Fanda Farm for establishment of Indian Regional Pulses

cabinet, free land and 75 percent of

Research Centre, Kanpur.

building construction cost will be

The cabinet endorsed CMs order not to auction agriculture land of

provided to the unit investing min-

government-managed temples and place it under possession of priests

imum Rs. 3000 crore. The unit will

till May 31, 2015.

be supplied 24X7 power as per

Management at Indore.
Discussions were held on
developing cities of MP as Smart Cities as per conclusions
drawn at the workshop. DeSa informed that MP is readying
itself in the background of Prime Minister Narendra Modis
announcement for development of 100 Smart Cities in the
country. An action plan on its concept is being chalked out
with the cooperation of Britain. Result-oriented contemplation
is being made so that people get maximum benefit of Smart
Cities. The CS said that seminars will be held to develop
Smart Cities identified under states Vision Document-2018
and expand traditional basic facilities there. Old cities will
also be transformed under concept of Smart City. In-principle
consent for this has been obtained during Global Investors
Summit. Director General of DFID David Kennedy said that
Smart Cities are vital for economic development of cities.
Commercial activities, employment opportunities and economic development will be boosted with investment in Smart
Cities. Principal Secretary Urban Development and
Environment SN Mishra said that novel experiments of eMunicipal Corporation, e-Payment and communication revolution will be made under Smart City. Marshall Elliott, Richard
Plaster of Britain and officers of MP were also present on the
occasion.

Chhtissgarh Explore

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Naxalism a disease, will soon be

wiped out of C'garh, says Guv
RAIPUR
Terming naxalism as a "disease" which
is

standing

in

way

of

development,

Chhattisgarh Governor Balramjidas Tandon

said the state would soon get rid of the
Maoist menace completely. The Governor
said, "Some areas of Chhattisgarh are naxalaffected. It is like a disease which is a hindrance to the development of the state." He
said the state government has accepted naxalism as a challenge and with the coordinated efforts of Centre the menace will be wiped
out soon.
"I assure you, the day is not far when the
state will be completely free of Naxal problem," he added. Emphasising the need to
promote quality education, Tandon said,
"Today the world is looking at India for leadership...To emerge as a world leader, India
needed to impart high quality education to
its youths and develop their talent in a better way. Apart from this, there is a need to
focus on developing infrastructure of the colleges." On Clean India drive, Tandon said,
"Cleanliness is important to live a healthy

the target of 'Swachh Chhattisgarh-Swasth

completed in rest of the districts of the

to ensure skill development rights to youth.

life. There is a need to bring cleanliness

Chhattisgarh'." On Pradhamnatri Jan Dhan

state.

Chhattisgarh

They will be provided with the opportunities

itself in our work, behaviour and conduct. To

Yojna, he said, "The bank accounts of around

Government has launched its new industri-

to start their own business. At Naya Raipur,

make it successful, every citizen has to

99 per cent of families have been opened

al

in

'Electronic Manufacturing Cluster' and 'IT

actively contribute in the clean India cam-

under the scheme within five months in

Chhattisgarh' to meet the objectives of

Investment Region' are being set up which

paign. "I firmly believe, along with the Clean

Chhattisgarh. Except naxal-affected dis-

Prime Minister's 'Make in India' vision. It is

will open up employment opportunities to

India mission, we should also accomplish

tricts of Bastar division, the task has been

the first state in the country to enact a law

them," he said.

policy

Tandon
centred

said

around

'Make

Free seeds, fertilisers to tribal families

Raipur
The Chhattisgarh Government has been providing free
seeds and fertilisers to the tribal families holding forest
rights certificates. The arrangements for free distribution of
seeds and fertilisers have been made. Agriculture Service
Centres have been established in every development block
of the State from where the farmers are provided agricultural equipments on rent.
Soon Soil Quality Card Distribution Scheme will also be
started to inform the farmers about quality and type of soil
in their farms. Around 900 farmers were encouraged to
practice organic farming by fencing the fields from four corners to protect the crops. With this, there was gradual
increase in produce per hectare. Incidentally, the
Chhattisgarh Government embarked on an Organic
Farming Mission on an experimental basis in five districts
of the State namely Kanker, Koriya, Raigarh, Raipur and
Dantewada last year.
Under this scheme, soil quality cards will be distributed
to all 37 lakh farmers of state in coming five years. Around
900 farmers were encouraged to practice organic farming by
fencing the fields from four corners to protect the crops.
With this, there was gradual increase in produce per
hectare. Incidentally, the Chhattisgarh Government
embarked on an Organic Farming Mission on an experimental basis in five districts of the State namely Kanker,
Koriya, Raigarh, Raipur and Dantewada last year.
Dantewada district in the Maoist-hotbed of South Bastar in

Chhattisgarh, would be awarded with a national award

under Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee
Scheme (MGNREGS). CM Raman Singh expressed happiness over Central Governments decision to confer the
national award to the district. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi would confer Dantewada district with the award on
10th anniversary of MGNREGS on February 2 this year at

a function in New Delhi. The MGNREGS funds

are to be utilised for encouraging organic farming
under Mocho Badi Yojana and milk production
under Shirsagar Project in Dantewada to benefit
thousands of farmers. The National Agriculture
Development Scheme is being implemented since
2007-08 with objectives of expanding cultivation
area of fruits, vegetables and spice crops and supplying advanced high-quality seeds to farmers.
Earlier under Shakhambari Scheme, subsidy was
provided for only electricity and diesel based irrigation pumps but now farmers using petrol based
irrigation pumps are also eligible for availing
subsidy under this scheme, they stated. The
State Governments Kisaan Samriddhi Yojana
has also proved to be a boon for farmers. Under
this scheme, farmers are provided section-wise
grant for tube-well digging. More than 75,000
farmers have been benefited under the scheme.
State Government is operating number of other
schemes, which have proved extremely beneficial
for the farmers. Besides cultivation, animal husbandry and fishery are the additional source of
income for farmers. Hence, State Government has included
animal husbandry and fishery under its all-round agricultural development policy. With the help of Government
schemes, large numbers of farmers have taken up employment-oriented activities to march ahead on the path of
progress, officials stated.

MADHYA PRADESH

771 Mamta Raths

flagged off for creating
health awareness

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

National Award to
MP for excellent
MNREGA works

Bhopal
................................................................................
MP will be conferred National Award for excellent MNREGA works. The state will be conferred
award for excellent works done for making available permanent livelihoods opportunities in rural
RAIPUR
As many as 771 Mamta Raths have
been flagged off from Republic Day for
creating health awareness and taking
care of health of women and children in
villages. The Raths are disseminating
message about health programmes
from village to village.
Every Rath has 2 doctors who
apprise people about importance of lifesaving vaccines and health examinations from time to time. The Raths will
run throughout the year. Vehicles of
various health schemes are being used
as Mamta Raths. At present, 771 vehicles have been deployed and 194 more
vehicles will also deployed for creating
health awareness in urban slums soon.

In the second phase of Mamta Raths,

arrangements have also been made to
provide medicines as per needs of newborns, pregnant women and other people. Every vehicle will also have 2
assistants. Principal Secretary Health
and Family Welfare Praveer Krishna
has directed that all Mamta Raths
must be manned by doctors. Mamta
Rath teams are also increasing health
awareness among villagers and providing information and guidance about
first aid and treatment of various diseases.
Making health programmes villageoriented, efforts are being made to
enhance quality of services being delivered in rural areas. Efforts to reduce
maternal and infant mortality rate are

succeeding. Village-level health services

are being strengthened further to
ensure more reduction in mortality rate
of newborns and pregnant women.
Pregnant women are being provided
timely tests of blood pressure, haemoglobin, sugar etc and medicines. For
this, responsibilities have been entrusted to ANMs, MPW and ASHA workers
at village level.
The
state
government
has
described as important the distribution of iron pills and vaccination of
about 24 lakh women and 1.14 crore
children. Efforts are on for cent percent
coverage of this ambitious programme.
For this, help is also being taken
through MCTS software specially prepared for the purpose.

2-month drive launched to make anganwadis better

BHOPAL: A special2-month drive has been launched to

be mobilized at local level from government and private

make over 92,000 anganwadis better, more attractive and

sources. The department will provide funds as per requirement

strengthened. Senior officials of the Women and Child

if proposals are received. In the places where anganwadi cen-

Development Department informed that the drive was

tres are run in private buildings and additional rooms are

launched on January 20, 2015 and end on March 20, 2015.

available in government schools then anganwadi should be

Officials informed that need is being felt to provide better

transferred there. Where government schools are not available,

atmosphere for children and mothers at anganwadi centres.

a sum of Rs 3000 per month in urban area and Rs 750 per

Therefore, the department has decided to conduct this special

month in rural area will be provided to rent a building for

drive. During the drive, improvements are being undertaken in

anganwadi which has clean atmosphere and adequate space

existing aganawadis wherever necessary. For this, funds will

for sitting children.

areas through convergence of MNREGA with other

programmes and construction of permanent assets.
MP tops the country with construction of 74 percent permanent assets. Representatives of Uttar
Pradesh,

Maharashtra,

Gujarat,

Bihar,

Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Rajasthan and other states

have also visited MP to see the MNREGA convergence works ihere. Additional Chief Secretary
Aruna Sharma had given a presentation before
Central officers in December on implementation of
various rural development schemes through
MNREGA convergence.
Experts

of

National

Rural

Development

Institute have also inspected works done with

MNREGA convergence in the state. Permanent constructions made during year 2013-14 included
16077 cement-concrete roads, 16339 Kapil Dhara
wells, 55 Gram Panchayat & 41 Anganwadi buildings, 12946 animal husbandry/ goatary/ poultry
shades, 1666 gravel road under Mukhyamantri
Gram Sadak Yojana, 59519 toilets, 5196 sports
grounds, 786 crematoriums, 126909 soil conservation and augmentation works under Mera KhetMeri Mati Yojana, plantation of fruit-bearing trees
in 1304 hectares under Nandan Falodyan, sericulture production under Covered Sericulture Scheme
in 617 hectares and Covered Kar Vanya Sub-pan
1998 hectares. At present, 4 lakh 40 thousand 194
construction works are in progress. The state has
1.02 crore MNREGA job card holders. Since launch
of the scheme, employment worth 179.11 crore mandays has been provided. Of this, 77.36 crore mandays worth of employment has been provided to
women.

Voluntary organisations to
be awarded in MP
Bhopal
Voluntary organisations with excellent consumer rights
awareness and consumer protection work and important contribution in the field will be given away state and division-level
awards by the state government. February 15 is the last date
for moving applications for the awards. Three prizes first, second and third prizes carrying Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs
10,000, respectively will be given at the state-level by Food
and Civil Supplies Department. The three division-level awards
will carry Rs 6,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 2,000, respectively.
Besides, citations will also be given away to selected voluntary
organisations. The organisations having worked in rural, tribal

and backward areas will be given preference in awards. The

selected organisations will be awarded on Consumer Protection
Day March 15.
District collectors have been informed about application
process. After February 15, applications received for state-level
awards will be sent with collectors recommendation to the
Directorate of Food and Civil Supplies. Applications for division-level awards will be sent to divisional office by February
20. Jury has been constituted for selection of state-level awards.
Chairman of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
will head the committee and members will include Principal
Secretary Food & Civil Supplies, Commissioner Food & Civil
Supplies and one non-government member.

M P gets National
Greentech CSR
Gold Award
MP has been conferred National Greentech
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Award-2014
for significant works towards development and
protection of local community and environment.
Managing Director of MP Forest Development
Corporation R.N. Saxena along with a team had
received the award at the annual function of
Greentech Environment and CSR in Kolkata. The
Forest Minister has congratulated and extended
best wishes to officers and employees for this
achievement.

RAIPUR TRAIL

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Suspected flu case in Raipur;

authorities on alert
RAIPUR
Following a swine flu case being reported in Raipur,
people in the district have been asked to be on alert. The
state health department wanted those suffering from
cold, cough, fever, throat pain and having difficulty in
breathing to immediately consult nearest government
hospital or doctor. The department has issued an alert to
all medical colleges and hospitals in state, following
detection of first suspected swine flu case in Raipur.
Director, health services, R Prasanna, said a medical
team has been constituted to examine people with whom
the patient, Col Dr PK Lahri, 58, had come in contact,
including his family members, in last few days. He said
the condition of the patient was stable and is being monitored round-the-clock. Dr Lahiri, a resident of Ramnagar,
Raipur, was admitted to MMI hospital four days ago with
complaint of high fever and breathlessness. Since the
symptoms were akin to swine flu, a sample was sent to a
private lab, which confirmed H1N1 virus. Head of critical
care department, MMI hospital, Dr Alok Swain said after
getting the confirmation from the lab, local authorities
were informed and the patient was quarantined. While
the patient has been put on Tamiflu, his family members
have been vaccinated to prevent any threat of swine flu to
them. Prasanna said blood samples of the patient have
also been sent to government laboratory in New Delhi, for
confirmation. He said medicines for treatment of swine
flu patients have been made available to all hospitals.

Has compensation been paid to Bilaspur

sterilisation camp victims, asks SC

Bilaspur

Chhattisgarh with regard to sterilization".

The Supreme Court has inquired if fam-

The court also said that the state will also

ilies of 14 women who lost their lives Nov 11,

ensure that the payments are made under

2014, following botched-up sterilisation

the indemnity scheme framed by the central

operations at a Chhattisgarh government-

government at the earliest." The court noted

sponsored family planning camp in Bilaspur

that only thing the Chhattisgarh govern-

hospital were paid compensation as directed

ment have done is suspended the officials. At

by its 2005 order. The social justice bench

this, senior counsel Colin Gonsalves told the

comprising Justice Madan B. Lokur and

court that "slowly they will come back", and

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit sought informa-

cited the "equally very bad" situation in

tion noting that the apex court by its March

Bihar. Gonsalves who appeared for the PIL

1, 2005 verdict had issued nine directions of

petitioner Devika Biswas told the court that

which the last provided for compensation to

Chhattisgarh government was now blaming

the victim of faulty sterilisation.

the drug companies and the drugs for the

"The ladies who died in Chhattisgarh in

deaths in Bilaspur.

November 2014 should be paid this amount,"

The apex court March 1, 2005 had issued

the court told Solicitor General Ranjit

nine directions to bring uniformity in the

Kumar as it gave him four weeks time to

steps to be taken to regulate sterilisation

furnish details on the steps taken by the

procedures. One of them said that the cen-

state government to comply with court's

the conditions of the persons who faced

court further sought details on the "action

tral government would lay down the norms

2005 directions. "We also direct the state of

recent tragedy in sterilization camps in

that has been taken against the doctors

for the payment of compensation and the

Chhattisgarh to file an affidavit indicating

Bilaspur where a large number of persons

involved and what steps have been taken to

same would be followed uniformly by all the

the steps that have been taken to ameliorate

are said to have died," the order said. The

educate

states.

the

people

in

the

state

of

MADHYA PRADESH

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Number of schemes for girl child in State

Bhopal
Under leadership of CM Shivraj Singh
Chauhan during last nine years, a number
of schemes and programmes for girl child
have been implemented in MP to create positive atmosphere in favour of them. These
schemes and programmes have not only
yielded impressive result, but have also
been replicated throughout the country.
Birth of girl child is a matter of pride and
not a curse. For creating this mindset, Ladli
Laxmi Yojana was launched first. The
scheme changed the mindset of considering
girls as curse. This is the only scheme in
entire country through which all responsibilities of girls from birth to marriage are
borne by government.
Till date, 18.50 lakh girls have been
benefited through this scheme. In their
families, these girls are a matter of respect.
The scheme sends the message throughout
the state to accept girls. Beti Bachao
Abhiyan was launched in 2011 to create
sense of respect towards girls in society.
CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan led an intensive campaign throughout the state for this
which succeeded in making society think
that there is no difference between boys
and girls. This scheme was given nationallevel recognition at Panipat in Haryana on
January 22, 2015 when Prime Minister
Narendra Modi launched Beti Bachao-Beti

Padhao Abhiyan at national level. Not only

this, Prime Minister Modi also declared
slogan of CM Chauhan Beti Naheen

Bachaoge To Bahu Kahan Se Laoge as

national slogan. Swagatam Laxmi Yojana
was launched in MP in 2014 to ensure that

Cheetah reintroduction
hits roadblock for
want of funds

Bhopal
An ambitious project to reintroduce cheetah in India in the
forests of MP has hit a roadblock
for want of funds. The country's
last spotted feline died in
Chhattisgarh in 1947. Later, the
cheetah - the fastest land animal
was declared extinct in 1952.
"MP forest department sought Rs
264 crore from the concerned
departments in Delhi to import
cheetah, that had become extinct
in India, from Namibia to the
state's Nauradehi Wildlife

Sanctuary in December 2013,

but we have not received any
response yet," Principal Chief
Conservator of Forest (Wildlife)
Narendra Kumar said. "In a
prelude to cheetah reintroduction, the Wildlife Institute of
India (WII), Dehradun, tailored
an action plan for Nauradehi in
Sagar district and sent its initial
blueprint of Rs 16.6 crore to us
for execution in November 2013,"
he said. According to WII, the
MP forest department needs to
reserve 700 sq km area for the
imported cheetahs to dwell in the

sanctuary, spread over 1,197 sq

km, forest officials said. Besides,
20 villages located in the 700 sq
km area for cheetah project in
Nauradehi need to be evacuated.
A whopping Rs 264 crore would
be needed to compensate around
2,640 families living in these villages, they said. The Centre paid
some money initially, but later
on the state government chipped
in and incurred the expenses for
shifting villagers and preparing
a habitat for Gir lions, that are
yet to be introduced in KunoPalpur Wildlife Sanctuary, they
said. Kumar had sought
finances from Ministry of
Environment and Forests and
National Tiger Conservation
Authority (NTCA) to kick-off the
project. Initially, the habitat for
the fastest spotted animal was to
be developed by shifting 20 villages from the sanctuary, building prey base, seven enclosures
and fencing of 150 sq km area,
Kumar said. But no headway
could be made due to non-availability of funds, he added.

girls are respected everywhere including

home, society, stage, hospital and school.
Now, a girl is given public reception as soon
as she is born. She is greeted when she
goes to school for first time. Objective
behind these exercises is to change peoples
mindset.
The state government has initiated concrete measures to ensure that girls are educated, empowered and capable. The state
government has provided free cycles to 20
lakh girls to help them imbibe education
and avail benefit of schemes. They are given
free books and 2 sets of uniform. The girls
joining higher education after passing class
XII in first division are given Rs 500 per
month scholarship. Pratibha Kiran Yojana
has been launched for their higher education. Female literacy rate in the state has
gone up to 60 per cent.
Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana has
been launched so that girls marriages are
not impeded. For womens economic and
political empowerment, they have been
given 50 per cent reservation in Panchayats
and urban bodies apart from 30 per cent
reservation in police force. For enhancing
womens respect in families, ration cards are
being issued in the name of woman head of
family. Women have also been given 30 per
cent reservation in allocation of fair price
shops.

Why Gwalior is among most polluted

cities of world, asks HC

Gwalior
MP high court has directed
state and central pollution control
boards to explain why Gwalior is
among one of the top four polluted
cities of the world. Gwalior bench of
MP high court comprising Justice S
K Gangele and Justice Sheel Nagu
expressed concern over rising pollution in Gwalior while hearing a PIL
filed by social activist and lawyer
Awadesh Pratap Singh Bhadauria.
He claimed local administration has
felled hundreds of trees in the name
of development but have not carried
out any compensatory plantation.
"They were supposed to plant five
saplings per tree felled, but nothing
so far," Bhadauria told the court.
Notices have also been issued to the
district collector and commissioner,
Gwalior municipal corporation
(GMC), senior superintendent of
police (SSP) and joint commissioner
(garden) over the same issue. All
respondents have been asked to
submit their reply within four

weeks. Petitioner had enclosed a

copy of a newspaper report which
revealed Gwalior in MP and
Chhattisgarh capital Raipur among
top four cities of the world with the
dirtiest air, according to a World
Health Organization (WHO) study.
Delhi led the pack in this score. Of
the 20 cities in the world with dirtiest air, 13 are from India.
As per the WHO report, Gwalior
has more than three times the
acceptable particulate matter levels
in air. The 2013-14 data of the
state's pollution control board substantiates WHO's report. MP
Pollution Control Board, which
monitored vehicles across the state,
found Gwalior leading other cities in
MP with 23% diesel and 6.9% petrol
vehicles emitting pollutants above
permissible limits. Official records
of MPPCB show that around 25,000
vehicles were monitored in last fiscal of which nearly 1,500 were violating norms by emitting pollutants
above permissible limits.

COMMERCE
EDITORIAL

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

RK Laxman immortalised passive,

helpless common man

Capturing the entire gamut of idiosyncrasies of Indian politicians in an innocuous newspaper box with his cartoons, RK Laxman immortalised the passive,
hapless common man with an uncanny perception and sarcasm in a daily commentary on his life that brought smiles to millions. Every morning for over five decades,
his fans waited for the Common Man who, with his signature checked jacket, dhoti,
Gandhi-glasses and twin tufts of gravity-defying hair, watched life and politics
in India. With his masterful strokes using the space of couple of inches, he
exposed the hypocrisy in politics, leaving many a politician red-faced.

he iconic cartoonist died in Pune

after prolonged illness at the age
of 94. The son of a school teacher
-- Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman ,
who rose to become India's best known
political cartoonist, was born in
Mysore on 24 October 1921. He was
one of the seven siblings that included
his elder brother eminent novelist RK
Narayan. With a penchant for drawing
since his school days, Laxman was
engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as "Punch", " Tit-Bits", "
Strand" and " Bystander" and came
under an early influence of world
renowned British cartoonist Sir David
Low.
A creative genius, Laxman was
known to have started doodling even
before he could read, using floors, walls
and doors of his house. His artistic
bent of mind was appreciated by a
school teacher who noticed a drawing
by him on a peepal leaf. In his autobiography "The Tunnel of Time", the legendary cartoonist recalls, "I drew
objects that caught my eye outside the
widow of my room--- the dry twigs,
leaves and lizard like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping firewood and of course, the number of
crows in various postures on the
rooftops of the buildings opposite?" The
crow was also a common figure in his
cartoons later on. Overcoming the setback in the death of his father, the
young Laxman completed high school
education and sought admission to
Mumbai's JJ School of Arts. Ironically
his application was rejected by the
dean who remarked that his drawings
"lacked the kind of talent required to
qualify for enrollment in our institution as a student". Laxman subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of

Arts from University of Mysore even as

he continued with freelancing and contributed cartoons to " Blitz", "
Swarajya" and an animated film based
on the mythological character of
"Narada". While at the Maharaja's
College of Mysore, Laxman started

illustrating R K Narayan's short stories in The Hindu and also drawing

political cartoons for local newspapers
and a Kannada magazine devoted to
humour titled " Koravanji", founded in
1942 by Dr M.Shivaram who encouraged the budding cartoonist. When he

took up his first full time job as a political cartoonist at Mumbai's Free Press
Journal, Laxman incidentally found
himself in the company of Bal
Thackeray who too worked in the same
paper as a cartoonist for a brief period.
But his legendary spell on the Indian
newspaper reader was cast after joining the Times Of India (TOI).The comic
strip "You said it" started in 1951,
unleashing his iconic "common man", a
silent witness to the tricks of politicians who were supposed to realise his
dreams, hopes and aspirations but
betrayed him
on most occasions. His association
with TOI continued through the six
decades even as he got back to work
after recovering from a paralytic stroke
in 2003 that incapacitated his left side.
A versatile artist, Laxman also
wrote novels -- Hotel Riviera and the
Messenger -- published by Penguin and
contributed distinctive illustrations to
many works including the Malgudi
Days stories penned by his brother RK
Narayan. His autobiography in
English The Tunnel of Time is translated into Marathi under title
Laxmanrekha. In a fitting tribute to
the "Common Man" who attained a cult
status, a commemorative postal stamp
was issued featuring it in 1988 on the
occasion of the 150th anniversary of
TOI. Among the honours bestowed on
the cartoonist are BD Goenka awardIndian Express, Durga Ratan Gold
medal - Hindustan Times, Padma
Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and the
Magsaysay award in 1984 for
Journalism, Literature and creative
communication arts. Laxman, married
to author Kamala, later settled down
at his Pune residence from where he
continued his work.

COMMERCE

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Addl 5% subsidy to investors if over

50% employees from state: Raman
Raipur
CM Raman Singh has said that
Single Window Clearance will be provided to investors in the state. Several incentives will be given like subsidy, capital
investment, land premium and electricity
charges. There will be subsidy on electricity charges till the end of 12 years. The
investors will be given an additional subsidy of 5 per cent if there are more than
50 per cent employees from the State, he
said. The proposed policy is far better
than most other States, Singh added.
As per the Cabinet decisions, interest
subsidy, which was 75 per cent of the
interest paid (maximum upto 60 lakh per
year for 7 years) has been upgraded to 75
per cent of the interest paid, maximum
upto Rs1.1 crore per year for 8 years.
Capital Investment Subsidy, which was
45 per cent, maximum Rs1.4 crore has
been revised to 50 per cent, maximum
upto Rs1.5 crore. Subsidy on land premium upto 80 per cent will be provided.
Further incentives of 5 per cent on
Capital Subsidy have also been provisioned, he said. Interest Subsidy on Land
premium would be provided to units
employing more than 50 per cent work-

force of Chhattisgarh domicile, or starting production within year 2015-16.

Keeping the requirements of small and
medium enterprise in mind, the policy
provides incentives such as 50 percent
subsidy on lease rent, reimbursement of
training cost of IT Professionals upto Rs
20,000 per employee and subsidy upto 30
per cent on Bandwidth charges among
others. The policy has been framed keeping the requirements of Electronics,
IT/ITeS Industry and is the most competitive policy amongst States of India.

Disproportionate assets
of govt employees to
be seized
The disproportionate assets of the
State Government officers and employees
will be seized under the Chhattisgarh
Special Courts Act -2015 and its Bill will
be passed in the coming session of
Chhattisgarh Assembly. There will be
zero tolerance for corruption and the corrupt will be dealt with sternly. A host of
other major decisions were also taken in
the cabinet meeting. The CM said that
the cases related to corruption will be dis-

posed off within one year. The disproportionate assets will be announced and the
concerned party cannot appeal in the
court of law. There is a provision to establish separate courts to handle graft cases.
The disproportionate assets will be
seized. Singh said the Cabinet passed the
Electronics IT and ITeS investment policy
for year 2014-19 and Chhattisgarh Right
of Way policy 2015. There were several
changes made in the Electronics IT and
ITeS.
In the Cabinet meeting, Singh gave a
detailed description of 'Right Of Way policy-2015'. The Union Government is laying the national Optical Fibre network to
connect all the village panchayats in five
years. The permission to lay cables has to
be taken from Public Works Department,
Water Resources, Forest, Agriculture
departments and local bodies at present.
There will be a single policy for clearance
in

future.

Information

Technology

Department will be the nodal agency to

implement the policy. He said the policy
of recruitment of Class-III and Class-IV
staff in Surguja and Bastar Revenue divisions from the area will be continued for
another two years.

Manufacturing companies honoured

for excellence in safety systems
New Delhi

like to follow them, he said, adding, sustain-

iving emphasis to safety at the

able growth can be achieved after meeting

workplace for achieving competi-

appropriate safety standards not only for the

tiveness and sustainable manufac-

workmen but also for the society as a whole.

turing growth, various small, medium and

It is important that we strengthen not

large manufacturing units were honoured for

just the implementation and enforcement of

their excellence in safety systems. Secretary,

the standards but also upgrade the existing

Department of Public Enterprises, K D

safety standards so that accidents are

Tripathi gave away the 4th FICCI Safety

avoided, he added. Offering his comments,

Systems Excellence Awards for manufactur-

Co-Chairman,

ing at a FICCI event here.

Committee

FICCI

and

Manufacturing

Executive

Director,

Speaking later at the conference on

Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Jubilant

Safety for Sustainable Manufacturing ,

Life Sciences Ltd, Shyam Bang said the

Tripati spoke of the importance of safety of

safety award was unique as it recognizes

the labour force, surroundings and the envi-

the workplace. It is important for manufac-

advanced and eco-friendly manufacturing

the robustness of safety systems in manu-

ronment as these have emerged as important

turers to initiate continuing improvement in

technology that will increase productivity

facturing units. While the previous editions

parameters for achieving global competive-

programmes with the aim to achieve zero

and reduce production cost. Equally impor-

of the awards looked at only safety aspects

ness and sustaining growth in the manufac-

accidents in their organisations along with

tant for manufacturing growth was the use

at the workplace, this year occupational

turing sector. Safety of lakhs of workmen

enhanced productivity, Tripathi said. He

of clean energy. While some PSUs and pri-

health issues have been examined and

engaged in manufacturing calls for robust

said a big responsibility rests with both the

vate sector companies have secured higher

given appropriate weightage in the selec-

systems to prevent accidents and injuries at

public and private sector to invest in

standards of safety and hence others may

tion of awards.

COMMERCE

India-US to cooperate in information &

communications technology, electronics

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

CII ties up with

Unicef to set up
CSR hub in Cgarh

New Delhi
As a follow up of the Indo US Joint
working Group meeting held at
Washington last week, when several US
companies had expressed interest for
their participation in India, India and
United States have signed a joint declaration of intent for cooperation in the
field
of
Information
and
Communications
Technology
and
Electronics
(ICTE).
The
Joint
Declaration of intent made for a period
of next five years would help in
strengthening industrial, technological,
research and innovation and economic
cooperation between India and US in
the ICTE sector.
It would also lead to US companies
exploring opportunities for collaboration in Indias ambitious Digital India
programme, Electronics manufacturing
and Human Resource Development,
through cooperation among private and
public entities in a focused manner
under the umbrella of the ongoing
India-US ICT Dialogue. The Joint
Declaration was signed by the
Secretary, Department of Electronics
and IT, RS Sharma, and the US
Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, at
a ceremony here. Speaking to the
media, Sharma said that the move is

RAIPUR

likely to increase partnership for the

Digital India programme, electronic
manufacturing, cyber security and several other such related fields between
two countries.
On the other hand, Verma expressed
hope that this declaration before the
arrival of the US president on Sunday
would further strengthen cooperation
between industries of both the countries
in the sector. During deliberations at
India US ICT Working Group meeting
held in Washington DC, it was agreed to
continue exploring opportunities for collaboration on implementing India's
ambitious Digital India initiative, with
the goal of enhancing digital infrastruc-

Fiji keen to cooperate

in animal husbandry,
fisheries, horticulture

New Delhi
Fiji is keen to boost ties with
India in the areas of animal husbandry, fisheries and aqua culture,
horticulture, revamping of rice
industry and root crop diversification. In this regard a delegation
from Fiji led by Minister for
Agriculture,
Fisheries
and
Forests, Inia Seruiratu called on
Union
Agriculture
Minister,
Radha Mohan Singh here. Fiji has
proposed to enter into MoUs in the
generic areas of - development of
the animal husbandry industry;
cooperation in areas of fisheries
and aqua-culture; horticulture

industry development; revamping

of the rice industry; and cooperation in root crop diversification, an
official release said. Earlier, a
MoU on development cooperation
was signed with Fiji by Ministry of
External Affairs in 2006 which
included agriculture, fisheries and
forests sectors as an item. Singh
assured the delegation that agriculture ministry will look into the
points mentioned by them, adding
that India looks forward to
strengthening the bilateral relation to new heights. He also
showed keen interest in training of
agriculture students of Fiji at
ICAR Institutes.

ture, deploying e-governance and eservices, and expanding the diffusion

and use of ICT as a tool to expand economic opportunities, boost productivity,
create jobs, and empower citizens.
Besides, a broad agreement was also
reached on the importance of policies
that promote innovation in the ICT sector, facilitate the flow of data across borders, and foster the global and open
nature of the Internet as a platform for
economic growth. Later, speaking to the
media, Sharma said that VISA issue
relating to Indian IT professionals
should be treated as an issue relating to
trade in services and not as an immigration issue.

Reduce value added

tax on jet fuel:
industry body

New Delhi: Industry lobby PHD Chamber urged

state governments to reduce value added tax (VAT) on
jet fuel to increase connectivity and passenger traffic.
The recommended cut in VAT on jet fuel from the average rate of 22 percent to less than five percent was
made as part of PHD Chamber-GMR Aviation Summit
2015 which was held here.
The white paper released on the occasion on
"Developing Regional and Remote Connectivity" by
senior government functionaries and industry representatives demanded that lowering taxes on ATF (air
turbine fuel) would fuel connectivity to regional air and
cargo hubs. The industry lobby cited the increase in
aviation activity in Chhattisgarh after the state
reduced the VAT on ATF from 20 percent to four percent. The connectivity and air traffic also increased
substantially in states such as Goa, MP and Jharkhand
as these states curtailed VAT on ATF. "Therefore, other
states should follow suit for which the central government can undertake persuasive initiatives and efforts,"
said Gopal Jiwarajka, vice president, PHD Chamber.
The chamber's chairman of civil aviation committee
K.Narayana Rao said that all stakeholders in the sector, such as the central and state governments, airports, regional airlines, need to work together on the
issue of regional and remote air connectivity.

CII eastern region has signed MoU with

Unicef to establish a Corporate Social
Responsibility hub in Chhattisgarh and monitor nutritional levels among pregnant
women and children up to six years of age.
The project, which would be on the lines of
work going on in West Bengal, is part of CIIUnicef venture being undertaken across the
country. Under this project, the CII-Unicef
would adopt few Anganwadi centres in state
and monitor their minimum nutritional
requirements. Talking to media, chairman of
CII- Eastern Region and managing director,
of Mjunction Services Limited, Viresh
Oberoi, said that nutrition among pregnant
ladies and children up to six years of age is
required and "we" will cooperate in this to
assess the present state and point out shortcomings. Meanwhile a CII team, led by
Oberoi, called on CM, Raman Singh and
briefed him on CII's efforts to promote industrialization in state and region. Oberoi was
accompanied
by
chairman
of
CII
Chhattisgarh State Council & executive
director of Godawari Power & Ispat Limited,
Dinesh Agrawal; Immediate past chairman
of CII Chhattisgarh State Council and partner of Beekay Engineering Corporation,
Manish Gupta and regional director of CII
Eastern Region, Saugat Mukherjee. The CII
team briefed Singh on CII's Initiatives over
the years, in the areas of agri & food processing, tourism, health care, skill development
and MSME facilitation. CII is planning a
major agro show - Agro Chhattisgarh in early
2015.

Toxin in Litchi
may be linked to
fatal brain disease
New Delhi: A toxin in litchi fruits may
be linked to a mysterious and sometimes
fatal brain disease that has afflicted children
in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and neighbouring districts since 1995, US researchers claim. An
association between the illness and litchi
fruit
has
been
suggested
because
Muzaffarpur is a litchi fruit producing
region, according to a report by the US
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). The Indian National Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC) and CDC investigated outbreaks of the illness in 2013 and
2014. "Clinical and laboratory findings in
2013
suggested
a
non-inflammatory
encephalopathy, possibly caused by a toxin,"
the report said. A common laboratory finding
was low blood glucose on admission, a finding
associated with a poorer outcome; 44 per cent
of all cases were fatal. A 2014 investigation
supports the possibility that exposure to a
toxin might be the cause, the report said.

Miscellaneous

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Controversies may play spoilsport

for BJP in Delhi polls
New Delhi
From party chief Amit Shah to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, everyone in BJP is
trying hard to win the upcoming elections
but the controversies which have erupted in
the recent past may play spoilsport for the
saffron party. BJP has come up with an
advertisement that targets Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal and
shockingly shows social activist Anna
Hazare dead with a garlanded photo. The ad
asks the voters to beware of Kejriwals
Politics of lies and constant U-turns. The ad
shows Kejriwal draped in his trademark
muffler swearing on the heads of his son and
daughter that he will not take support of any
party (Congress or BJP) to form the government. However, his muffler is shown tied in
a knot to sari of a lady wearing a Congress
cap in the background. Interestingly, social
activist Anna Hazare is shown dead with his
garlanded photo on the wall behind. BJP
asks from Kejriwal: Why did he take support
from Congress to form government in Delhi
when he had rejected any such option
throughout the political campaign? It also
warns Delhiites to beware of Kejriwals constant flip-flops so that Delhi could be saved.

Kiran Bedis old tweets

may create problem

There are some other controversies which

may hurt BJP.

Tea cups in Shatabdi having image of Modi, Amit Shah

A controversy has erupted after passengers were served tea in paper-cups having photos of PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah with a message appealing people
to become a member of the party. Bhajpa ke sadasya banein saath aayein, desh banayein
(Become a member of BJP come along, build the nation). According to news reports, there
was also a toll free number given on the cup.

Critically endangered gharials

released in river Gandak

Kiran Bedi was viewed as a game

changer by the
party and hence it
projected her as the
BJPs CM candidate. But her old
Tweets gave opposition parties enough
fodder to attack the
party. AAP even
blamed her of being
opportunist. Bedi had tweeted: One day
NaMo will need to respond with clarity
about riots massacre. Despite courts clearing him so far. According to sources in the
party, some senior Delhi BJP leaders were
not happy over the way Bedi has been projecting as the CM choice just four days
after her induction into the party. Weird
and controversial statements by party
leader has created problem for the party
time and again. Despite Narendra Modi
warning to leaders to watch their words, a
little seems to have changed.

Congress suspends two

Jogi loyalist legislators

Patna

s part of the restocking programme, 12 critically endangered gharials, comprising of

one male and 11 females, were
released in the Gandak River, Valmiki
Tiger Reserve in Bihar. The programme aspires to supplement the
existing population and ensure recovery of its population in the wild.
This is the second phase of the
restocking programme and aims to
build a viable population of gharials in
this pristine and suitable habitat free
from anthropogenic activities to a
great extent. The restocking programme is being implemented by
Bihar State Forest Department with
technical collaboration from Wildlife
Trust of India (WTI). The Gandak
River is in the distribution range of
the species and hence it was preferred
for restocking. In a multi-organisation
survey conducted in 2010, remnant
population of the species was recorded
in the river.
The geo-morphological condition
of the river and less anthropogenic
disturbance was also found suitable
for the species. Due to two protected
areas -- Valmiki Tiger Reserve and
Sohagibarwa WLS in UP -- along the
banks of the Gandak River, a significant stretch of the river is protected,
thus making it suitable for restocking.

Raipur

The second batch of the release stock

comprises of the gharials bred and
reared in Sanjay Gandhi Biological
Park, Patna, where captive breeding
program of the species was initiated in
2003-04. Bihar Forest Department
contemplated this idea of relocating
gharials, which breed successfully in
Patna Zoo, to wild where their population is too low, said S Chandrashekar,
Director, Sanjay Gandhi Biological
Park. Earlier in April 2014, six gharials were released in the Gandak River
in the first batch of the restocking pro-

gramme. Of the six individuals, two

were fitted with satellite transmitter
and are constantly being monitored.
We are committed towards the
restocking of the pristine Gandak
River with this glorious reptilian
species. They once occupied the banks
of the river and WTI along with the
Bihar Forest Department are working
together to ensure that our future generations get to see these beautiful
creatures in their natural surroundings, said Prof BC Choudhury, Senior
Advisor, WTI.

The prolonged tussle

within the Congress in
Chhattisgarh took a fresh
turn Wednesday as the party
suspended two legislators -known to be die-hard supporters of former CM Ajit
Jogi -- for "anti-party activities".
Jogi
and
state
Congress chief Bhupesh
Baghel are known to be bitter rivals. Both leaders have
spoken out against each
other in public in recent
months. "Baghel suspended
Siyaram Kaushik, legislator
from Bilha constituency of
Bilaspur
district,
and
Rajendra Kumar Rai, legislator from Gunderdehi of

Durg district, for their antiparty

activities,"
party
spokesperson Shailesh Nitin
Trivedi told reporters. Party
leaders said the decision
against the two Jogi loyalists
will further escalate the
rivalry. The decision to suspend the two was taken at a
meeting of the party's disciplinary committee chaired
by Baghel. Both the legislators cried foul and said they
were "victimised" for their
proximity to Jogi. They
alleged that Baghel "misrepresented" the facts before the
party high-command in New
Delhi. The Congress has
been out of power in
Chhattisgarh
since
December 2003.

SPORTS

10

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Ishant, Jadeja fit but we won't be pushing

players with niggles, says MS Dhoni
Sydney

thats banned in the Indian teams

Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja

aced with a must-win game they

context since a long time. We try to

are available though the latters

might be, but Indian cricket cap-

feature the best eleven and at the

selection is still under some doubt

tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni

same time, we like to get a lot of pos-

owing to his restricted fielding ability.

today said unfit players will not be

itives out of the game. At the same

"Both Ishant and Jadeja are available

risked in the ongoing ODI tri-series

time, whats the point looking to win

for selection. Whether we want to

keeping in mind next months World

games where you are pushing an

give them more time is something we

Cup here. India are staring at an

individual who has quite a significant

will have to consider because also

early exit from the tri-series against

niggle. You may end up winning the

both of them, they have not played

England and Australia after succes-

game but you may end up losing him

matches. They might be match-fit,

sive losses. Dhonis men have to win

for the World Cup. You have to take a

but again, there is a bit of speculation

against Australia, already through to

call. So close to the World Cup, there

when it comes to that," said the

the final, tomorrow to stay alive in

is no time for errors when it comes to

Indian skipper. When asked if there

the tournament.

actually

players

is a threat to Rohit's World Cup par-

In the last two matches, we were

because we want the fifteen to be part

ticipation, Dhoni replied with a firm

playing the best XI possible. But we

of the World Cup squad, he added.

no. The Indian team has enjoyed a

were also bothered by injuries, said

Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of

short mid-series break after playing

Dhoni in the pre-match press confer-

tomorrows game as he is still recov-

England in Brisbane on Tuesday.

ence. Experimentation is a word

ering from his hamstring injury.

They travelled here a day later and

managing

the

India rely heavily on Virat Srinivasan won't give up,

ready
to
sell
stake
in
CSK
Kohli to bat through the
for BCCI return: Reports
middle overs: Rahul Dravid B

India captain Rahul Dravid

F ormer
today said that Virat Kohli will need
to bat really well in the upcoming Cricket
World Cup as the current team is too much
dependent on him in the middle overs. "He
will need to bat well. He'll need to set the
tempo for the side. If you look at the Indian
batting lineup, they are in a sense heavily
reliant on someone like Virat Kohli to get
India through those middle overs which
allows the likes of (Suresh) Raina and
(Mahendra Singh) Dhoni to come at the
back end and finish off games," Dravid told.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith
termed Kohli an "outstanding player". "I
think he is an outstanding player, he is a
great player of spin and pace, that's a huge

advantage for him, and once he gets in, he

has a great conversion rate. He makes it
count," said Smith.
Dhoni might have retired from Tests,
handing over the captaincy to Kohli, but
Dravid feels that the limited-over format
suits the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman.
"He just gets the one-day game in terms of
having to make instinctive choices. I think
one-day cricket suits him because he doesn't have to plan long term," he said. Dravid
said he was not too bothered about India's
bowling in the death overs despite so much
controversy regarding it in recent times.
"Mohammed Shami we've seen has a
good yorker, and when he's on song he does
well. Ishant Sharma has blown hot and
cold in one-day cricket. Bhuvneshwar
Kumar is brilliant when the balls swings,
but again his death bowling has been good
on some days, not been great (on other
days); same with Umesh Yadav. So there's
no consistency in that," he insisted. The
former skipper also said that the presence
of four right-hand and three left-hand batsmen in the ranks would prove to be India's
strength while chasing.
"They do it well, and I think if you look
at their top seven, the expected top seven
to play, they've got four right-hand batsmen and three left-hand batsmen in that,
Dhawan, Raina and (Ravindra) Jadeja in
the top seven. "So it allows them a lot of
time to see through the middle overs
because they're always batting left-right,
left-right combination which is never easy
for sides to play against them," he
explained. Regarding India's opening
match in the upcoming World Cup against
arch-rivals Pakistan, Dravid said.

CCI president in-exile N

Srinivasan is not ready
to give up yet. According to
reports, Srinivasan is keen on
contesting for the upcoming
BCCI elections and has decided to give up on his Indian
Premier League franchisee
Chennai Super Kings. The
move comes following the
Supreme Court's directive
banning BCCI office bearers
to have any commercial
interests
in
the
IPL.
According to report in the
Indian Express, Srinivasan
will sell off his stake in CSK
in the next two weeks, and

file an affidavit in court,

declaring that there is no
longer any conflict of interest
post the stake sale. Firstpost
had reported earlier that
India Cements, of which

Srinivasan is the Managing

Director and Promoter,
recently hived off Chennai
Super Kings into a separate
entity in anticipation of the
court order. The idea behind
the demerger was that
shares of CSK can be easily
sold to any other company if
Srinivasan is asked to choose
between his BCCI post and
CSK ownership. So now if
India Cements were to sell
off Chennai Super Kings,
Srinivasan would no longer
have any commercial interest
in the BCCI and could in theory stand for board president.

Australian Open: Paes-Hingis advance,

Bopanna-Strycova crash out
Paes
and
L eander
Martina Hingis entered
the mixed doubles second
round, while the Indo-Czech
combination
of
Rohan
Bopanna
and
Barbora
Zahlavova Strycova faltered
in the first round of the
Australian Open on Sunday.
The Indo-Swiss pair of Paes
and
Hingis
defeated
Australian pair of Masa
Jovanovic
and
Sam
Thompson 6-2, 7-6(2), as
Bopanna-Strycova lost 2-6,
6-3, 4-10 against the FrenchCanadian third seeded combination
of
Kristina
Mladenovic and Daniel
Nestor at the Melbourne

Park. The Indo-Swiss mixed

doubles pair of Paes and
Hingis registered an easy
win in the first set 6-2. But
they were taken to task in
the second set but managed
to win it 7-6(2). Paes-Hingis
fired 21 winners to get the
better
of
Jovanovic-

Thompson, who managed

only 15. Paes-Hingis made
only nine unforced winners
as compared to 21 by their
opponents. In the second
round, Paes-Hingis will take
on Spanish combination of
A. Medina Garrigues and
Pablo Andujar.

GLAMOUR

11

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

I thought I wasn't smart: Jennifer Aniston

talks about her struggle with dyslexia

Horror queen
Bipasha to introduce
new season of 'Aahat'

ctress Jennifer Aniston has spoken about about her desire to

start a family with fiance Justin Theroux and her struggle with
dyslexia. Aniston, who is on the cover page of The Hollywood
Reporter magazine, even shared her thoughts on her split from actor
Brad Pitt that led to a persistent love triangle story involving
Angelina Jolie as well, apart from addressing her Oscar snub this
year. "That's a topic that's so exhausted," she said when asked if she
wants to have a baby. "I get nervous around that, just because it's
very personal. Who knows if it's going to happen? It's been a want.
We're doing our best. We don't have a date, (but) I wouldn't tell you if
we did," she added. Considering her failed marriage to Pitt, she said:
"We're not in daily communication.

Katrina shoots with visually

impaired photographer
A

ctress Bipasha Basu, who has done a string of

horror and supernatural films, will reportedly
make her small screen appearance once again
with an upcoming season of horror TV show "Aahat".
According to a source, the actress has been
approached for the first episode of the horror show
aired on Sony Entertainment Television channel.
"Bipasha, who has of late done a lot of horror movies,
has been approached to narrate the introduction
episode of the upcoming season of the popular horror
show 'Aahat'," said a source. She was previously seen
in TV shows like "Fear Files" and "Comedy Nights
with Kapil". In an interview earlier, Bipasha had said
that she is happy with the tag of "horror queen". She
has been part of horror films like "Raaz", "Aatma"
and "Creature 3D" and more recently "Alone". The
show is likely to go on air mid-February.

Happy time for women in

Indian cinema: Shabana
eteran actress-social activist Shabana Azmi
has expressed hope for women in
Hindi cinema, observing that
roles are becoming substantial for them and are
being written for all age
groups. "I am very
hopeful. I feel the roles
are becoming substantial in films that
are women-centric,
but even within the
films themselves,"
Shabana said here
Sunday evening at a
special session of the
Kolkata Literary Meet.
The multiple National
Award winner highlighted
the fact that the current crop of
films are incorporating characters of working women,
and that women artists are demanding meatier roles.
"Today even in gangster movies, women are working...I think there is a greater understanding within
the women artists themselves where they are demanding more meat if not necessarily in terms of the
length, but definitely in terms of what the character
is," she said. Also, various age groups are being portrayed in Hindi cinema today, Shabana said.
"I think it is a very important time for Hindi cinema
because roles are being written for all age groups.
Earlier 30 was the end of a women's career. But today
the roles are opening up and they are available, so I
do think that happy times are here," she said. The
reason, according to Shabana, is the advent of multiplexes."The advent of multiplexes has thrown up
choices.

ctress Katrina Kaif posed for a photoshoot with visually

impaired photographer Bhavesh Patel for a global beauty
brand. The photographs, which bring out the feminine

sensuality of the actress, were captured by Patel for Lux. A

video of the photoshoot was launched on video-sharing
website Wednesday. The video, titled 'Perfume
Portraits', features Katrina posing in a purple gown.
It also shows the photographer feeling the actress'
photographs with his hands. With every photograph I
took, her fragrance formed a vision in my mind,
Patel said in a statement. Patel, born visually
impaired, not only has a nose for fragrances and
ears to catch sound action, but an acute sense to
judge distances between his camera and subjects
and how to use new technology for good shot. On
the film front, Katrina will be seen next in
Phantom opposite Saif Ali Khan and in
Jagga Jasoos with Ranbir Kapoor.

Asha Bhosle showers

praise on Narendra
Modi government
elebrated singer Asha Bhosle on Wednesday showered
praises on the Narendra Modi government for doing
"exceptionally well" and
also hailed former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who is the
BJP's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming
Delhi elections. "Praise to
Modi government for good
governance... Salam, Salam,
Salam... We must give some
time to the new government (to deliver)," Bhosle
said. She was here to
participate in the
Nagpur Festival and
will also perform at
a concert organised
by the city municipal corporation
tomorrow. The
renowned playback singer also lauded Bedi for her
"role in society". Asked if she was aspiring to enter
Parliament or join any political party, Bhosle,
however, replied in the negative. "God has given
me so much.

NATION

12

JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 01 , 2015

(MP & CG)

Minister motivates states to

launch smart cities initiative
New Delhi

inister of Urban Development

M.Venkaiah Naidu has plainly asked
the states if they were ready to make
their cities and towns smart under the centres initiative of building 100 smart cities.
He posed this straight question during his
inaugural
address
here
at
the
Consultation Workshop with States and
Stakeholders being organized his ministry,
to take states on board before launching
smart cities initiative.
Laying bare the challenges and issues,
Naidu has sought to motivate the states
and urban local bodies to rise to the occasion by reorienting their mindsets and
approaches towards urban management
and make a success of smart cities initiative in the larger interest of the country
and its people. He asserted that Building
smart cities is challenging but doable. He
said building smart cities is all about 4 S
and 4 P. Smart Leadership, Smart
Governance, Smart Technologies and
Smart People make a city smart. The
resource challenge can be met if we make a
success
of
Public-Private-People

Partnership. Elaborating on the concept of

4 S, Naidu said, Smart Leadership should
be guided by a vision and mission, have

courage to take quick and bold decisions,

adopt best practices and attract investments. Smart governance is needed to

ensure transparency and accountability

through adoption of technology platforms
to reduce human to human interface and
ensure online delivery of services and real
time information besides promoting participation of citizens in decision making and
execution.
Smart technologies will enable efficient energy, traffic, solid waste and waste
to wealth management, real time information and service delivery etc. People
should be smart enough to partner in the
city development by willing to pay for the
value addition to the services, able to
question the authorities and enforce
accountability. The Minister said that
smart cities shall be liveable, workable,
inclusive and sustainable. Venkaiah
Naidu also made it clear that states and
urban local bodies have to play the key
role in building smart cities while the central government could do the handholding
as an enabler besides providing some
financial assistance. The states and urban
local bodies have come out with required
policy and procedural innovations for
attracting investments.

Superbugs immune to antibiotics:

India faces severe health crisis

New Delhi

ntibiotic resistance in bacteria is spreading. India

faces serious repercussions. For nearly a century, bacteria-fighting drugs called antibiotics have been saving
millions of lives across the world. But, in recent decades,
several tried-and-tested medicines have reached their
expiry date and no longer work as they are rendered ineffective by certain types of bacteria. These strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics are called superbugs.
Researchers have blamed it on a new gene called New
Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1, or NDM-1, which produces an enzyme that makes bacteria highly resistant to
almost all antibiotics.
These include the most powerful type of drugs called
carbapenems, which are usually reserved for emergency
and to treat infections caused by other multi-resistant
bugs. NDM-1 was identified by a team of doctors led by
Timothy Walsh in 2010 in British patients who had travelled to India or Pakistan (on medical tour) for affordable
medical care, particularly for procedures such as cosmetic
surgery. When these people were later treated in UK hospitals, NDM-1 passed to other patients, the doctors had
concluded.Walshs study, published in the British medical
journal Lancet, had found that NDM-1 was becoming more

common in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan and was also

imported in Britain through patients returning after treat-

ment.The study on superbug caused intense controversy

because of its repercussion on Indias popular medical
tourism industry.
The Government immediately refuted the findings.
Since then, cases have reported in several countries
including the United States, Canada, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Austria, France, Germany, Kenya, Australia,
Hong Kong and Japan. Following the spread of superbugs,
doctors and scientists raised an alarm leading to a worldwide scare. Doctors are worried that superbugs are
increasingly challenging antibiotics. If there are no antibiotics to treat them, then routine procedures could become
life-threatening.
But, antibiotic resistance is a multifaceted global issue.
Last year, the WHO had in a report warned that antibiotic resistance is now a major global threat to public health.
Regrettably, the use of existing antibiotics is helping to
create new drug-resistant superbugs. Antibiotic drugs
save lives, but their excessive use, often for non-life threatening conditions like treating flu will make the drugs stop
working for everyone. The reason: the bacteria they target
grow more and more resistant, according to
RamananLaxminarayan, Vice President, Research and
Policy, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.
Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction