Fake degree cases reported to Mumbai University on rise: RTI

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August 18, 2015

The Mumbai University (MU) has received 136 fake degree cases in just four months of the academic year 2015-16, surpassing the number of similar cases reported in the last three years.

In its reply to an RTI query, the Marks and Certificates Unit of Examination section of the varsity stated that the number of such cases jumped to 136 in the first four months of this (academic) year compared to 2012-13 (252 cases), 2013-14 (242 cases) and 2014-15 (274 cases).

The reply to the query, filed by a Pune-based activist Vihar Durve, has also revealed that number of such cases per month has gone up to 34 as against 21 in 2012-13.

These cases of fake degrees were reported to MU by means of complaints filed with police, correspondence, letters and various e-mails from different offices, courts, police departments, other universities and citizens between 2012 and 2015 so far.

All the cases have been further reported to Bandra Kurla police station for further action, stated the reply.

“This rising trend of procuring fake degrees is adopted not only by politicians, but also in the recruitment of lower grade appointments,” Durve said.

He alleged that despite “rampant” procurement of fake degrees and knowledge of such incidents, neither ministers nor education officers have taken corrective steps to check the menace.

Prominent politicians who are under cloud over fake educational qualifications are Union HRD minister Smriti Irani, Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde, his cabinet colleague and water supply minister Babanrao Lonikar and former Delhi Law minister Jitendra Tomar.

Pawar indulging in dirty politics over award to Purandare: Raj

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

MNS chief Raj Thackeray accused NCP president Sharad Pawar of indulging in ‘dirty politics’ over state government’s decision to confer the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan award on historian Babasaheb Purandare.

The award ceremony is slated to be held on Wednesday at Raj Bhavan.

“Pawar had felicitated Purandare on a few occasions. Did he not think then that what Purandare has written is not right,” Raj said, addressing a press conference at his residence in central Mumbai’s Dadar area.

Pawar had said he respects Purandare, but he (Purandare) is not a historian.

“Pawar is indulging in dirty politics. Babasaheb Purandare is just an excuse for that. He is doing so because a brahmin (Devendra Fadnavis) has now become chief minister of Maharashtra,” the MNS chief said.

“If anyone touches Purandare, I will create ‘tandav’ (havoc) in Maharashtra. Some people in BJP are also responsible for this controversy over the award to Purandare,” he said.

He also criticised Jnanpith award-winning Marathi author Bhalchandra Nemade, who in a letter to chief minister, has opposed the state government’s decision to confer the Maharashtra Bhushan award on Purandare, accusing him of making derogatory references about Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“Nemade should learn how to behave after receiving the Jnanpith award,” he said.

Bal Thackeray has created ‘fear of Hindus’ in national interest

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday defended its founder Bal Thackeray’s ideology saying he created “a fear of Hindus” solely in “national interest” and hit out at a weekly magazine for its article against the late party supremo.

“People have lot of love and respect for Balasaheb Thackeray and feel proud of his nationalist ideals. He surely instilled the fear of Hindus among people,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said, rubbishing the contents of an article published in the magazine.

Sena workers had on Monday staged protest at Nariman Point area in South Mumbai against the magazine, tearing and torching its copies. A case was also filed in adjoining Thane district in connection with the article.

The outfit said, “Hindus should be able to live in this country with pride and his (a Hindu’s) voice should roar like that of a lion. If an answer has to be given to Pakistan extremists, Hindus will also become highly religious.”

“To answer Pakistan, Hindus need to become human bombs and invade their country,” it said in controversial remarks. Defending the thoughts and ideology of Thackeray, the Sena said, “If his stand that Pakistani extremists should be responded to in their own terms can be called as terrorism, then this kind of terrorism was in the national interest.”

Thackeray considered all religions equal and so, after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, he appealed for calm in the state, the party said. “It was because of him that the Sikh community could live in peace in Mumbai and other parts of the state,” it said.

“Today, even if we don’t want a magazine to gain unnecessary publicity by publishing false information on Balasaheb, but if people’s anger rises then the already dead magazine will be further crushed by them in the market,” the Sena said.

Noted Marathi writer Nemade says extra-marital affairs not a taboo

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

Acclaimed Marathi novelist and Jnanpith awardee Bhalchandra Nemade has said that extra-marital affairs should not be a taboo.

“There should not be any objection if a married man or a woman has a lover,” Nemade, who is known for speaking his mind and stirring up controversies, said during a public interview in Pune on Sunday. He was talking in the context of Indian marriage system .

Critiques Avinash Sapre and Prachi Gujar-Padhye interviewed Nemade, a staunch supporter of indigenous values and traditions, at the inauguration of a book gallery. Explaining his stand on man-woman relations, Nemade cited the example of Draupadi from Mahabharat.

We have had an ancient tradition of open relationship. The definition of marriage did not change in accordance with the changing times. There shouldn’t be any objection if a married person has a love-mate (outside the marriage),” he said.

Nemade is known for creating new controversies.

Landslide near Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib in Himachal, 10 dead

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

A major landslide was reported at the famous Sikh shrine Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

At least ten people have died after boulders fell on the Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib building due to the landslide.

Some people are also feared to be trapped under the boulders, which are being removed to save precious lives.

Seven dead bodies have been recovered so far and the relief and rescue operation is underway.

Local residents, devotees present in the Gurdwara and government officials are involved in the rescue operation.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the dead could be more than ten in number as a large number of people had taken shelter in the building, close to the Gurdwara, when the tragedy struck.

The district administration has sought the assistance of the Gurdwara authorities for locating and identifying the bodies as most people staying in the building were outsiders.

People ran helter-skelter as boulders fell on the building and many were trapped as a huge portion of the three-storey building virtually collapsed.

The locals and the Gurdwara management immediately swung into action and started rescue operations while Additional District Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Kullu and other district officials rushed to the spot.

Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, also called as ‘Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib’ is situated in Manikaran, in Kullu District.

Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs, visited this place to spend time in meditation. A gurdwara that was built to commemorate his visit, is now a place of pilgrimage for the Sikhs.

High Courts face judge crunch with 384 vacancies

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

Most of the 24 high courts of the country are facing an acute shortage of judges with as many as 384 vacancies waiting to be filled up at a time when there is no system to appoint or elevate judges to the higher judiciary.

According to the latest data compiled by the Law Ministry, as on August 01, the high courts were facing a shortage of 384 judges as against the approved strength of 1017. Thus, the 24 high courts are functioning with a working strength of 633 judges.

As on May 01, there was a shortage of 366 judges in the high courts. The high courts then were functioning with a working strength of 651.

While the collegium system — where judges recommended names of judges for appointment and elevation — has been done away with by the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, the new body is yet to take shape.

The new law which scrapped the collegium system came into force on April 13 this year.

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgement on a clutch of petitions challenging the validity of NJAC. The Chief Justice of India has refused to take part in a meeting with the Prime Minister in the selection committee of the panel under the new law, thus leaving the new system in a limbo.

Therefore, no judge can be elevated as chief justice of a high court, transferred to another high court or elevated to the Supreme Court as there is no system in place for the purpose.

NIA releases sketches of Pakistani terrorist Naved Yakub’s aides

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has released sketches of two terrorists -Zargham alias Mohammad Bhai and Abu Okasha, who had infiltrated into India along with captured Pakistani militant Mohammad Naved Yakub.

While Naved’s accomplice Mohammed Noman alias Momin was killed in the gunfight with the BSF troopers in Udhampur, he himself was captured alive by local villagers and then handed over to the local police.

The Indian security agencies had prepared the sketches on the inputs given by Naved during his interrogation by the NIA officials.

The NIA has declared award of Rs. 5 lakhs each for the following absconding accused wanted in Udhampur terror attack.

Here are the details of the two terrorists

Zargham alias Mohd Bhai age 38-40 years, height 5.3, resident of Hazara Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan.

Abu Okasha, age 17-18 years, height 5.2, resident of Hazara Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan.

Naved and Momin had attacked a BSF convoy on August 5 at Narsu Nallah in the Udhampur district, killing two troopers and injuring 11 others.

While Momin was killed in the gunfight, Naved managed to escape to Samroli, 15 km from the attack site on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. He later took three people hostage in a house in Chirdi village.

The Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist was, however, overpowered by his hostages and handed over to the local police.

NIA chief Sharad Kumar, who returned from his two-day visit to Jammu, had earlier said that the agency has enough evidence of Naved’s Pakistani nationality and his links to LeT, which imparted weapons training to him and asked him to recruit cadres for expansion of the terror group.

After Delhi Police’s apology will PM Modi announce implementation of OROP on August 26?

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

The Delhi Police on Tuesday tendered an apology to the Army veterans for using force on August 14 and urged them to call off their agitation over One Rank, One Pension (OROP) issue.

While addressing a press conference at Jantar Mantar here, Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena said, “I want to speak on behalf of Delhi Police that we have full respect for Army servicemen and ex-servicemen. August 14 incident will not be repeated. We are here to provide them security.”

“What happened on 14th August was due to some confusion and misunderstanding, we are with you (ex-servicemen),” he added.

Meanwhile, the veterans who are still protesting at Jantar Mantar said that they are thankful to the Delhi Police but will not end their fast unto death.

Later, Major General Satbir Singh (retired), Chairman of Indian ex-servicemen Movement, met Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Nripendra Misra but there was no positive outcome.

The Major General (retired) said that Misra asked for time till August 25 to finalise the OROP scheme and its implementation and if there is no announcement till then, then a group of ex-servicemen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day later on August 26.

Earlier in the day, stepping in to pacify the agitating ex-servicemen, Prime Minister’s Office held talks with representatives of the protesters who have agreed not to escalate their agitation for next 10 days.

PM Modi announces Rs. 1.25 lakh cr special package; Nitish says it’s our right

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Afternoon Voice

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August 18, 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while visiting Bihar on Tuesday, announced a Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package for the state. In yet another trip to poll-bound Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a massive Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for the state, sparking sharp reactions from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, among others.

Barely hours after his arrival from UAE, the Prime Minister addressed a gathering in Arrah where he announced the economic package, raising the stakes in the high-pitched electoral battle.

“I am here today to honour my promise. I had said Rs. 50,000 crore…how much do you want? Rs. 60,000 crore, Rs. 70,000 crore, or 80 or 90,0000 crore? I am announcing a package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore. The government in Delhi will spend Rs 1.25 lakh crore to change Bihar’s destiny,” Modi had said.

Modi also used the occasion to attack Nitish Kumar, saying even he got the invite for the event but could not attend the same as he had “politics to look into”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also targeted Kumar over his ‘bimaru rajya’ remark, saying, “I welcome the fact that Bihar is not a bimaru state. But still the government keeps asking for something or the other.”

Amid high-stakes Assembly elections, the BJP is banking heavily on the Centre’s development package to wrest power from Kumar, its one time ally-turned-rival, who has now joined hands with Lalu Prasad’s RJD to take on the saffron combine.

Later, addressing a poll rally in Saharsa, the Prime Minister raked up JP movement and Emergency to target the alliance between JDU, RJD and Congress, Modi said that “it was the Congress that had jailed Jayaprakash Narayan”.

Hitting back at the Prime Minister later on Tuesday, Nitish said Modi talks of co-operative federalism but behaves just the opposite by insulting states. “Instead of patting on our back for the development in Bihar, the PM is making mockery of us,” he said.

Make youth employable

By

Mahendra Singh

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August 18, 2015

Our country India will surely develop because we are now paying attention to development of employable skills. Here, we need to be honest. Yes, we need to impart training to more lady electrical engineers by seeking support from foreign trainers who know the job better than us. It is heartening to see wind mill farms on foreign soil and waters. Let us also install the same in our country.

The biggest job in front of our cabinet ministers should be to find more and more foreign expert workers who will impart training to our youth. Our ITIs do not have proper instructors. Let us accept it and get help from some retired foreign technicians to serve as faculty. I had pleaded that BMC should be headed by a serving Army Brigadier in order to bring in discipline and then set good work culture by inducting some more expert workers from the forces.

The BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta is performing a good job. He is asking officers to go on the field. Show me an editor or a minister who is saying, Oh! Let us do something to control the population which is increasing day by day. Let us construct some parking lots for cars, taxis and tempos. All these tasks must be undertaken on a war footing basis. Taximen have been misbehaving with passengers and refusing fares for plying on short distances.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has adopted Pachgaon village in Umrer taluka, about 15 kms from Nagpur city, under the ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna’. The village has a population of 4,923, including 2,543 women, and has a total 761 houses with 454 having their own toilets. It’s agricultural produce mainly include cotton and cauliflower and the vegetable is a famous produce in the district. Gadkari has reportedly developed this village very well. Pachgaon has become the first Wi-Fi enabled village in the country. Let others ministers also emulate Gadkari.

Gadkari said that the government will soon come out with a policy offering financial incentives of up to Rs 1.5 lakh on surrender of vehicles that are over 10 years old to check pollution and ease traffic. A proposal in this regard is being formulated and the Finance Ministry’s nod will be sought on it. For small vehicles like cars it will be up to Rs 30,000. Besides, there will be exemptions in taxes and total benefits for big vehicles like trucks will be up to Rs 1.5 lakh,