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| PM reshuffles Cabinet, Pranab to be Foreign minister | | | |
NEW DELHI, 24 Oct
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's much-awaited reshuffle of the Union Cabinet took place on Tuesday evening with senior Congress leader A K Antony on Tuesday staging a comeback into the Cabinet along with yesteryear Kannada hero M H Ambareesh and Rashtriya Janata Dal parliamentarian Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav.
Antony will take over as Defence minister from Pranab Mukherjee who has been appointed the next External Affairs minister. Yadav will take over as the MoS for Water Resources while Ambareesh has been assigned as MoS for Information and Broadcasting.
Also, Oscar Fernandes, who was minister without portfolio, has been given independent charge of Labour and Employment, while Chandra Sekhar Sahu has been moved to Rural Development from Labour as Minister of State.
The three were administered the oath of office and secrecy at a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Cabinet ministers among others.
With Tuesday's induction, the strength of the Union Council of Ministers goes up ... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| 82 graft cases registered in J&K | | | |
JAMMU: The state vigilance organisation has registered 82 graft cases and seized properties worth crores of rupees as part of its drive to rid Jammu and Kashmir of the dubious tag of being one of the most corrupt states in the country.
After Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad took over, the first step he initiated to stem the rot was to make the anti-graft law more stringent so as to make public servant more accountable, media advisor to the chief minister KB Jandial said on Tuesday.
The J&K Prevention of Corruption Act was amended to empower the state government/svo to attach, during investigation, property acquired by a public servant through corrupt means, he said
Under this pr... | |
| | | | Shias divided over Eid celebrations | | | |
Srinagar, October 24, 2006
For the first time, the Shia Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir would be celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr on two different days as a section of people confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon even as the rest, along with the Sunnis, would observe it on Wednesday.
Followers of Aga Syed Hassan Budgami, an executive member of Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Moulvi Iftekhar Hussain Ansari, member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), offered Eid prayers on Tuesday marking the end of Ramzan, the holy month of fasting.
People in the Shia-dominated Kargil area of the state too reported seeing the crescent moon and offered prayers.
However, most other Shia factions, inc... | |
| | | | ITBP to fight militancy in J-K and Naxal menace | | | |
New Delhi, Oct 24 Traditionally seen as the guards of the India's border with the Tibet, the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) may soon find itself in a new role -- fighting naxal violence in the hinterland and militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
While the proposal has already been set in motion, Union Home Minister, in his speech at the 45th raising day celebrations of the ITBP, also gave an indication to this effect saying "the force might also be used for other purposes which included fighting militancy." Though the officials preferred to remain silent over the issue, sources in the ministry said that ITBP should be roped in to tackle militancy in the Kashmir valley as well as fighting n... | |
| | | | Mush satisfied with progress of Indo-Pak dialogue | | | | Islamabad, Oct 24 Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved by the Indo-Pak dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue but said Islamabad will not accept New Delhi's "domination" in the region.
"The talks between India and Pakistan on Kashmir issue are underway, which is a welcoming development. The two countries exhibited in this regard a positive attitude in the Havana Declaration. Now the process should move forward," he said in an interview with a private TV channel.
"I respect Indian Prime Minister but it is regrettable that India wants to keep its domination in the region and wants Pakistan to be weaker force. Indian should c... | |
| | | | Azad visits Dargah, Eidgah, other parts of city on eve of Eid | | | | Srinagar, October 24 – Chief Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad today visited Dargah Hazarartbal. A large number of people assembled when they saw Chief Minister arriving there on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr. He was accompanied by Union Minister for Water Resources Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz and a team of senior civil and police officers.
The Chief Minister paid obeisance inside the Dargah and prayed for peace and prosperity of the people of the state.
Later, the Chief Minister visited the surroundings of Dargah shrine and reviewed the arrangements made for offering of Eid prayers. He also reviewed the Dargah expansion plan which has been envisaged by him immediately after taking over as ... | |
| | | | Ten SSP’s to be elevated to DIG rank in Janurary 2007 | | | | Srinagar, October 24: Between eight and ten SSP’s may have to wait for another two-three months for getting elevated to the rank of DIG after the state government has deferred filling of eight posts of DIG police lying vacant.
Official sources said here today that the Government has decided to discuss the issue pertaining to the elevation of eight senior superintendents of police to the rank of DIG at its cabinet meeting either in December or January.
Earlier, reports had indicated that soon after the adjustment of 57 officers of the rank of Superintendents of police the eight vacant posts of DIG would be filled. Yesterday 57 officers, who had been elevated from the DSP ra... | |
| | | | Govt contemplating raising retirement age of employees to 60 years | | | |
Jammu, October 24 :- Can the Jammu and Kashmir Government afford the luxury of raising the retirement age for the employees from 58 to 60 years ?This question has assumed significance following the Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad’s desire to bring the state at par with the central services where the retirement age is 60 years.
The issue of increasing the retirement age assumes added importance in the light of unemployment problem in Jammu and Kashmir assuming alarming dimensions.
Official sources told Kashmir Independent press in Jammu on Tuesday that the Chief Minister would get the matter of raising the retirement age discussed by the state cabinet only after he received an ... | |
| | | | Thought-provoking message from Lahore | | Cousin marriages among Muslims can prove hazardous | | | B L KAK
NEW DELHI, OCT. 24: Cousin marriages among Muslims can prove hazardous. This has been pointed out by the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Lahore. The institue is primarily designed to study enzymes, hormones and immunogenetics--all causing cancer, leukaemia and allied disorders and other maladies including breast cancer.
Seven laboratories of genetics, cells and tissue culture, immunology, biochemistry, enzymology, hormones and microbiology have been equipped with the latest sophisticated instruments and gadgets to undertake these studies.
Among the Muslims in several countries, especially in Pakistani society, marriages with cousins and close relatives are pre... | |
| | | | Taboo on sex in Ladakh's Durchik valley | | | |
B L KAK
***‘Temporary’male partners of the foreigner females were locked up in a house until the unceremonious exit of the visitors from the village. ***
NEW DELHI, OCT. 24: Restrictions have been imposed on the people residing in Durchik in Ladakh. They cannot have sexual intercourse with foreign nationals.
Durchik is a border village, 70 km away from Kargil in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. People of the village are all Buddhists. They consider themselves to be the purest livng survivors of the Aryan race.
The inhabitants of Durchik and Garkum villages of the Kargil sector and adjoining hamlets of Dah and Hanu in Leh district of Ladakh are unique: They do no... | |
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