officer-pawar

 For Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, an IAS
officer  having a record like  the controversial Haryana cadre Ashok
Khemka is a strict no-no.
" If I am given a confidential report of an officer to be appointed
for my ministry which speaks of 20 transfers in 40 years, I will not
consider him", he said in an informal chat with reporters at the NCP
state level convention here.
Pawar said he would not consider this as a " good qualification" for an officer.
In reply to a question, he said civil society members had a right to
articulate their opinions but not to level  "wild allegations".
" Very bright" was his sarcastic response when asked how did he view
the future of IAC activist Arvind Kejariwal's political party.

COURT-BAIL

A Special CBI Court here today granted interim bail to VD Rajagopalformer vice-chairman and MD of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation in Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) Case.

The Court granted 15 days interim bail to the former bureaucrat on the grounds that the demise of his father –in-law today morning, B Ravindranath Deputy Legal Advisor to CBI said adding Rajagopal has to surrender before the court on November 4.

“Earlier he was given bail  to visit his ailing father-in-law with escort. This time he can go without escort. He should surrender before the court on November 4.”

The CBI which is investigating the case arrested Rajagopal on November 13.

Rajagopal, also former Director, Mines and Geology, was managing director of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation from 2004-09, during the tenure of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

He is the third person to be arrested in the OMC case, after former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, who owns OMC, and the firm’s managing director B Srinivasa Reddy. The two were arrested on September 5.

Industries in state to observe one day bandh on October 25, to protest power hike,,,,,,,,,will also not not pay power bills

Nearly one lakh industries in the state are on war path to protest against the rise in the power tariff and have taken an unanimous decision here today to observe a days state wide bandh on October 25.

This was announced here today at a joint news conference by President of the Chamber of Small Industries Association (COSIA) M R Appa Khambete and Coordinator of the State level Co-ordination Committee Pratap Hogade of the Industrial and Consumer Power consumers.

Representatives of all the Industries Associations from the all over the state today held a day long delibration on the steps to be taken due to the increase in the power tariff and also the ill effects of the same.

The members temper ran high as the industries will have to face undue hardships running their business and industry at this high tarrif the members said.

The industries will perish if the government does not not give a second though to the rise and roll back the rates the members opined.

Ulteimately the consumers are the people who will be worst hit and hence it is absoltutely essential that the increase in tariff is withdrawn they demanded.

They said that there were nearly 58000 LT consumers and 13000 HT consumers of power in the industry using more than 27HP of power who will participate in the bandh and protest the rise in the tariff.

Some of the presidents of the associations from Kolhapur, Pen, Murbad, Bhiwandi, etc etc. said that if the government is adamant and bulldozes through the decision then some of the insustries will surely perish as they cannot sustain the rise in the price.

They pointed out that in the neighbouring states the power was much less than that in the state of Maharashtra as a result of which some of the industries have already started shifting to these states and the trend will continue and intensify with this high tariff.

“Mind you the members said we contribute almost 50% of the revenue earned by the Power Distribution company this fact should not not be ignored by the government”, they said.

They also pointed out that in the last three years there have been revision in tariff at least a dozen times which was unwarranted and this proved a death knell to the industries which are already in the red and suffering due to various factors.

The meeting today also decided that the industries will not not pay their power bill for this month and hereafter till a final decision is taken on the issue of the increase in the tariff.

Asked what next if the government does not not pay heed to their demand the industries representatives who were present for the conference in chorus declared that they would take out a morcha to press for their demands on the Mantralaya and intensify their stir.

5 day old female neonate found in Hingoli district Aurangabad

A 05 day old female neonate found in the Hingoli district had been admitted to the hospital. The incident had created sensation in the region. Police sources said that the Kalamnuri police had admitted the neonate, found in the bushes, to the Hingoli government hospital where, it is recuperating said medical sources. The incident of forced abortion and female foeticide in the Beed district had already struck the headlines since last four months and dozens of USG centers were sealed in the Marathwada region in the recent past.

Pawar’s cancer would have won

 A steely resolve to fight cancer ultimately saw NCP
supremo Sharad Pawar emerging triumphant in his battle against the
deadly disease which had also caused a turbulence in his political
career.
" i got cured of cancer because of a strong will to fight the disease.
If I had given up the fight and stopped work,  cancer would have won",
Pawar said in an informal chat with reporters at the two-day NCP state
level convention which was inaugurated on Saturday.
Pawar who was first diagnosed with mouth cancer a decade ago,
recounted his battle against the disease saying it was important to
defy it by remaining mentally strong.
" Investigations started when a doctor friend of mine noticed a
swelling on my cheek and suggested a biopsy. The treatment started. It
was painful as the skin inside my mouth was burnt making it difficult
to take food", he said.
After he underwent a surgery, he was sworn in as Union minister within
a month, he said, and added with a smile that the members of the house
cooperated with him by not addressing  too many questions to him.
Asked whether he considered that period as critical in his life, Pawar
said apart from his will power, he had a  strong family  support in
his wife and daughter.
"What I was more worried about during this period was the emotional
vulnerability of my party workers who are  attached to me".
The Union agriculture minister said he drew his mental power from his
mother whom he described as a  "very strong woman" who fought against
all odds.

Movie hurt sentiments of people in the region

The Committee appointed by the Andhra Pradesh Government to examine the controversial movie 'Cameraman Gangatho Ramababu', advised 9 modifications in the flick.

According to RV Chandravadan head of the 8-member committee recommended the modifications including cuts and removing audio from certain scenes.

The movies starred by Pawan Kalyan, brother of Congress MP Chiranjeevi kicked up a row alleging that the film ‘hurt’ sentiments of Telangana people and movement.

“We have given our report to the minister. The movie can be screened after the modifications” Chandravadan told.

Pro-Telangana activists yesterday stopped screening of the Tollywood movie at theatres here and at different places, claiming that some dialogues and scenes in the movie hurt sentiments of people in the region.

A group of pro-Telangana activists also allegedly attacked the office of the movie's director Puri Jagannadh at Madhapur over the issue, demanding his apology and immediate stopping of the movie's screening.

Jagannadh had come forward to remove some scenes and dialogues if  people found them objectionable.

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