29 arrested in arson attack after tiger kills teacher in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh police on Saturday arrested 29 people over an arson attack after a school teacher was mauled to death a tiger in near Bandhavgarh National Park in Katni district on Friday.

The mob had attacked forest personnel, including local forest range officer while keeping some of them hostage, besides policemen and local journalists. They said forest officers were overlooking the fact that some tigers had turned into man-eaters. Two motorized vessels and a dozen vehicles owned by the department were also set on fire, said officials. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were issued to bring situation under control. Amod Lakda (55), posted at Karchulia village's government middle school, was attacked by the tiger in the buffer area near a water tank inside Khitouli range. He was a native of Chhattisgarh's Jashpur area.

Villagers claim this was the fourth incident of an attack by a big cat. Forest officers had been ignoring their pleas to shift the tiger. They say the matter was taken with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, but in vain.

"Extensive damage has been caused to forest department property. The death of a teacher following tiger attack provoked people to go berserk," said Narendra Kumar, chief wildlife warden.

Meanwhile forest officers have launched hunt for the tiger for shifting it to a safe location.

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Woman commits suicide over dowry harassment in Muzaffarnagar

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A woman allegedly committed suicide over dowry harassment by her husband and in-laws in neighbouring Shamli district, police said on Saturday.

The woman was found hanging from the ceiling at her house on Friday, they said.

The woman got married to Kunwerpal ten years ago and is survived by two children. She was allegedly being harassed by Kunwerpal for dowry.

A case of abetment to suicide and dowry harassment has been registered against Kunwerpal and two of his family members, a police official said.

The accused are absconding and a search for them has been initiated, he added.

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Tharoor leads sanitation drive in his constituency

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Days after facing party action for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday led a cleanliness campaign at Vizhinjam near here and said no political meaning should be read into it.

Tharoor, who was removed as AICC spokesperson based on the complaint from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee for lavishing praises on Modi and endorsing the "Swachh Bharat" campaign, removed garbages at a spot near Vizhinjam harbour in his parliamentary constituency.

Defending his active participation in the cleanliness drive, Tharoor said, "This is not the prerogative of any political party and the message of keeping one's surroundings clean was first given by Mahatma Gandhi."

"Gandhi had said sanitation was more important than independence. But for Gandhi, cleanliness of body and mind was equally important, which meant that ridding the heart of hatred and violence was also important," Tharoor said when asked whether his action would be dubbed as violation of party's warning.

The second-term Congress MP from Kerala capital said the AICC had also called upon Congress workers to join a month long cleanliness drive from Gandhi Jayanthi day on October 2.

When reporters asked whether he was joining the "Swachh Bharat" campaign, he said "You can call it by any name but what is important is to keep the country clean. You see, the local people around me. They include several Congress workers ...What is important is to make the country clean, irrespective of party politics," he said.

Tharoor had yesterday tweeted, "Vizhinjam beach, a splendid site ruined by filth and garbage; which I will clean with the help of the local residents tomorrow."

Congress leaders in the state chose to refrain from making any comments on Tharoor's move. However, in a dig at Tharoor, KPCC general secretary Ajay Tharayil said the party had decided to ignore his move.

Earlier this month, Tharoor was removed as a party spokesperson by AICC based on the complaint from KPCC against his repeated adulatory remarks about Modi.

He has, however, persistently held that his praise of certain initiatives of Modi did not mean that he ever backed the BJP's Hindutva agenda or that he was moving closer to the saffron party.

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PM Modi inaugurates Reliance Foundation Hospital

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the revamped Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai.

Located in south Mumbai, the hospital in its 90th year was rebuilt by the Reliance Foundation, led by its chairperson Nita Ambani, into a modern 19-storey tower with two heritage wings, the foundation said in a statement.

Nita Ambani termed it "a historic day" in the life of the hospital which was re-dedicated to the people of Mumbai.

"Narendra bhai, we assure that this hospital will become a centre of good health and global levels of health care, respect for life, modern technology combined with love and compassion, with dignity to all," Nita Ambani said.

"This will not be just a hospital but an institution of care," she said, adding that words like religion, caste, social strata, age and gender will not interfere with the kind of treatment patients receive.

"We won't just treat health, we will also respect life," and at this institution quality will meet affordability, she added.

Founded in 1925 as Mumbai's first general hospital, it has a rich heritage — it saw the freedom struggle and the Second World War, and Mahatma Gandhi was among its frequent visitors.

The hospital celebrated its silver jubilee with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as its chief guest and the golden jubilee celebrations were graced by Jayaprakash Narayan.

Now in its 90th year, the prime minister is inaugurating its new avatar, the foundation said.

The hospital has collaborations with Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Southern California. It is also equipped with robotic surgery and online video conferencing facility for global consultations.

The hospital's outreach programme currently covers over 310,000 individuals providing preventive and primary healthcare on a digital platform virtually free of cost. It has also initiated steps to adopt nearby areas as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

It has also adopted water recycling and rainwater harvesting programmes, making it one of the greenest health care facilities of its size in the country.

The 345-bed, multi-specialty tertiary care hospital has six thrust areas: cardiac sciences, nephro-urology, neuro sciences, oncology, orthopaedics and spine, and women and child health.

Earlier, Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita and other family members welcomed Modi near the entrance to the hospital, along with Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao.

Present at the inauguration were Kokilaben Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, Gulzar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Paresh Rawal, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Praful Patel, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Sonali Bendre, union minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra BJP leaders Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde and other celebrities.

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Amit Shah to address Madhya Pradesh BJP meet on Thursday

BHOPAL: BJP national president Amit Shah will be in Bhopal on Thursday to inaugurate the two-day "Sankalp Adhiveshan (pledge convention)" of state party workers to be held at the Dussehra Maidan in BHEL area. Madhya Pradesh BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan said that 23,000 BJP workers will gather for the convention to get guidance from central and state leaders before the urban civic body polls scheduled for November.

"This will be a unique convention with our workers and office bearers before the municipal corporation, municipality and nagar parishad elections," the state BJP chief said. The BJP has 2,500 town centre offices from where 5,000 office bearers will reach Bhopal for the meeting. There will also be 17,000 polling booth heads of the party who will join the convention. In addition all MLAs, MPs, district office bearers and state leaders have been invited for the conference.

"Giving the whole event a family gathering atmosphere will be 12,000 BJP homes in the state capital. Families of BJP leaders and workers in Bhopal will play host and lodge the invitees in their residences. The municipal ward offices of the party will turn into control rooms and help in making the arrangements," Nandkumar Singh Chouhan said. "The present ward councillors have been given the responsibility of working out the lodging arrangements. Staying for two days in a BJP house will send a strong family bonding message to our workers," he added.

While Amit Shah will give the inaugural speech, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will give the valedictory address on Friday and conclude the meeting. Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Narendra Singh Tomar and Thavar Chand Gehlot have agreed to address the meet. Newly appointed state party in-charge Vinay Sahastrabuddhe will be unable to attend because of prior engagements abroad.

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Veteran Tamil actor SS Rajendran dead

CHENNAI: Tamil cinema's yesteryear actor SS Rajendran, who was battling for life at a private hospital, breathed his last on Friday. He was 85.

"He was admitted to Meenakshi Hospital on Thursday in critical condition. He passed away this morning due to issues related to lung infection," a family source told IANS.

Earlier this year, Rajendran was hospitalized again for lung infection.

Rajendran, who made his cinematic debut with 1952 Tamil film "Parasakthi", has also starred in films like "Ratha Kanner", "Rangoon Radha" and "Sivagangai Seemai".

Having acted in over 50 Tamil films, Rajendran was treated on par with legends such as MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganeshan.

For nearly two decades, Rajendran was actively involved in politics. He was known as the first actor-legislator of Indian politics.

Under the establishment of SSR Pankajam, Rajendran's wife Pankajam and he had built a cinema theatre, film studio and recording theatre.

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Canadian couple accused of spying in China held in near isolation

BEIJING: A Canadian couple accused of spying near China's sensitive border with North Korea has been kept in near isolation for more than 80 days, their son said, and they have repeatedly been denied access to legal counsel.

Treatment of the couple, who are being held without charge at a remote facility in the border city of Dandong, has seriously strained China's ties with Canada ahead of a planned visit by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a multilateral summit next month in Beijing.

Kevin and Julia Garratt were allowed to meet briefly for breakfast last week — the first contact they had with each other during their detention.

"It's not their physical health I'm concerned about, it's more their mental health," said their son Simeon Garratt. "You put anybody in a situation like that for 80 days, where you can't talk to anybody else and with no outside contact, and you don't know what could happen. It's not about food or water."

The Vancouver couple had opened a cafe called Peter's Coffee House in Dandong in 2008. State media has reported they are suspected of stealing national security secrets, but no formal charges have been made and it is unclear what exactly they are accused of.

Kevin Garratt told a congregation in Canada last year that he ran a prayer and training facility frequented by North Koreans, many of whom became Christians before returning to the isolated country.

Hundreds of Christian aid workers near the North Korean border have been detained or forced to leave in a crackdown this year.

Both Kevin and Julia are under 24-hour surveillance by two guards. Canadian consular officials visit with them every two weeks, Simeon Garratt said. They are frequently interrogated, he said, though the subject of the questions is unknown.

"Their daily routine is to wake up, have breakfast and wait to find out whether they'll be interrogated that day or not," he said.

The Garratts' children communicate with their parents through written letters sent through Canadian consular officials. But not all of them get through. A coffee-maker and other supplies sent by the Garratt's younger son was also never delivered.

Authorities have repeatedly denied the family's requests for access to legal counsel since the Garratts were detained August 4, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

The source added that authorities had said re-applying would almost certainly be fruitless.

"They remain detained and isolated from their family and legal counsel, and in conditions that are nothing short of demeaning and withdrawn from meaningful human contact," the person said. "Under such circumstances, any human being under the pressure of isolation could easily incriminate themselves."

The Canadian embassy in Beijing could not be immediately reached for comment.

It is unusual for foreigners to be charged with violating China's state secrets law — a serious crime that is punishable by life in prison or death in the most severe cases.

In September, Canada ratified a foreign investment protection agreement with China after a two-year delay in a move that could help ease tensions with China.

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Uttar Pradesh records slowest GSDP growth amid Bimaru states: Assocham study

LUCKNOW: An industry study on the gross state domestic product of the four BIMARU states suggests UP has clocked the slowest compounded annual growth rate of about 6.9% among BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan) states. The study, a compendium of the states' performance over nine years, between 2004-5 and 2012-13, has been compiled by Assocham.

According to the study, Bihar has registered the highest growth rate at 9.3%, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 8.8% and Rajasthan at 8.2%.

The report says that though UP's share to the Indian economy remained highest during this period, its share has dipped from 8.8% to 8.1% from the start to the end of the study period. The other states, however, have maintained status quo.

UP's performance has been laggard in the agriculture and allied sector, clocking a CAGR of 2.9%, and below the national growth rate of 3.7%. The share of agriculture and allied sector in UP's GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) has dipped from 29.7% as of 2004-05 to 21.9% as of 2012-13. "On the industrial sector front, UP has registered just 6.9 per cent growth rate during the said period while India clocked 7.4 per cent CAGR in the industrial sector," the Assocham study said.

The share of industry sector in UP's economy has dipped from 23.3% as of 2004-05 to 23.2% as of 2012-13, it has increased considerably in other BIMARU states of Bihar (from 13.8% to 19.2%), in MP (27.1% to 27.9%) and in Rajasthan (30.6% to 31.3%). Though, nationally the share of industry sector has declined from 27.9% to 26.7% during this period.

In the services sector too UP has also clocked slowest growth rate of nine per cent during 2004-05 and 2012-13, which is not only below other BIMARU states but also the national average of 9.6%. Bihar has registered highest growth rate of over 10 per cent followed by Rajasthan (9.7%) and MP (9.6%), the Assocham study added.

UP recorded the highest growth in terms of services sector's contribution to the state economy as it rose from 47% to about 55% in 2012-13. At 4.8%, UP has also registered slowest per-capita income growth rate during 2004-05 and 2012-13, while Bihar topped with 7.6% CAGR amid other BIMARU states followed by MP (7%) and Rajasthan (6.1%). Nationally the per-capita income grew by 6.2% during this period.

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Venkaiah Naidu adopts Hudhud affected village in Andhra Pradesh

NEW DELHI: Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu has adopted Chepala Uppada village of Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam district for rehabilitation and development in the aftermath of recent cyclone Hudhud that ravaged north coastal districts of the state.

This fishermen village and the surrounding hamlets were severely affected by the cyclone.

Naidu has decided to donate his one month salary besides a contribution of Rs 25 lakhs from MPLADS funds for rebuilding of Chepala Uppada village and adjoining hamlets.

Resources will also be mobilized from other sources like Trusts and NGOs in this regard, according to a close aide of Naidu.

Nellore based Swarna Bharati Trust offered Rs 10 lakhs for rehabilitation of this village.

Over the last two days, Naidu has extensively toured the cyclone-affected areas of north coastal Andhra Pradesh for an assessment of the ongoing rehabilitation efforts.

He convened a meeting of representatives of over 20 central government departments and agencies at Visakhapatnam and reviewed the measures being taken for restoration of different kinds of services to the public.

Naidu also reviewed the progress on the rehabilitation front with Collectors of Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts.

He also discussed the situation with Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant(VSP) management handed over a cheque of Rs five crore to Naidu for rehabilitation of Hudhud affected areas.

Four grand children of Naidu also contributed Rs 5,000 each to AP chief ministers' Relief Fund.

During his discussions with AP chief minister, the Union minister suggested that a separate entity may be created for integrated development of Visakhapatnam with representation from the Centre for promoting 'Smart City' features.

Naidu spoke to finance minister Arun Jaitely over phone and urged him to direct the concerned authority for speedy settlement of insurance claims and rescheduling of bank loans of all the cyclone-affected people and Jaitely assured him that needful would be done.

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Black money scandal a broken BJP promise, says Trinamool

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Friday blamed the BJP-ruled Centre for playing the politics of blackmail on the black money scandal. "Who is the Government trying to protect in the black money scandal? Is it playing politics to blackmail the culprits? BJP ministers not being transparent," Trinamool Congress said in a statement.

Trinamool demanded, "BJP Government must come clean on black money and reveal names in one go. The selective leaking, rumour mongering and innuendo will not do." Claming that the black money scandal is another one in the long list of promises made by BJP and now broken, it alleged, "So, finally... the cat is out of the bag. Looks like the BJP is petrified about belling 'the black money cat'."

Earlier the Trinamool Congress had dubbed the alleged BJP u-turn on the blackmoney scandal as shocking. It said, "Betrayal of anti-UPA corruption sentiment. Shows BJP and Congress are part of same cosy Delhi nexus. Legalistic arguments about black money by Government are a cop-out. What concrete steps has BJP taken? Setting up toothless Committee not enough."

On October 17, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had targeted the BJP for raising the infiltration bogey, "Infiltration is a central subject. It is not our responsibility. Borders are manned by central agencies like Border Security Force or Seema Suraksha Bal — they are responsible for infiltration," Mamata told reporters. "How much fencing has been completed on the borders? I personally remember that I had to write to Centre for a SSB guard at Pashupati market along the Bengal-Nepal border," she added. "It is the Centre's responsibility to check illegal migration. If any infiltration has taken place, it is their responsibility," she said. Admitting that "some infiltration" has indeed taken place, she explained that the state government would take action whenever "we are informed", but "they do not inform".

The other issues on which Mamata had critised the Centre are:

1) 33,000 blocks country-wide which benefitted from the 100-day work scheme is being cut down to 2,000 odd. Why?

2) Rs 900-crore of NREGA funds is yet to be given to us.

3) JNNURM projects are non-functional for the want of a new name? Do we suffer due to it?

4) The land acquisition act was passed by the UPA-2; but the BJP government hasn't framed rules. So land acquisition even for rehabilitation and railway work is stopped.

5) IAS-IPS officers are being given extension at Central posting without the state in loop.

6) The Centre has scrapped all UN-bound all-parry delegation even without informing the parliament.

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