News Digest: Farmers want power 24x7, not subsidy: Swaminathan

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, March 14, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Farmers want power 24x7, not subsidy: Swaminathan Punjab government may perceive power subsidy as a successful tool to please farmers, but this assumption was junked on Friday by world-renowned geneticist MS Swaminathan, who powered the Green Revolution in the state in the sixties. Fair, transparent e-auctions: Way to go The comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India estimated the loss to the exchequer from the allocation of coal blocks without auctioning them at Rs 1.86 lakh crore. Posts in SIT on black money vacant: Govt The government on Friday informed Parliament that it has not been able to fill vacant posts in the special investigation team (SIT) on black money even after granting an “extended period” for eligible officials to apply. More India News»

		Business
		SBI to put Kingfisher House on block Enthused by the widespread response to its mega auction of Rs 1,200 crore worth properties belonging to defaulters, State Bank of India is planning to include on the e-auction block Kingfisher House in the next round. Govt committed to power tariff reduction: Coal secy After the success of the first round of coal block auctions, Anil Swarup is a relieved man. As coal secretary, he oversaw the auctions that raised around Rs 2 lakh crore, which will go to the states and put at rest the controversy over allocation of resources. In an interview to TOI, Swarup details the road ahead. Trade deficit shrinks to 17-month low Driven by a sharp fall in oil prices, India’s trade deficit contracted to a 17-month low of $6.85 billion in February as imports shrank at a faster pace than exports. More Business News»

		Environment
		Webcast of turtles' mass nesting You can watch the Olive Ridley turtles mass nesting on the sandy shores near the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district at home without going having to go the site, which is about 50 km from here. Climate change to drastically alter face of Bengal Bay The Bay of Bengal region will undergo a dire and drastic transformation unless urgent action is taken to deal with the disastrous effects of global warming, climate change experts have warned. 'Fresh air birthright, in touch with Delhi govt on steps' The level of particulate matter (PM10), which can cause serious health problems, has exceeded prescribed limits over Delhi and five neighbouring cities, including Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut and Alwar, environment minister Prakash Javadekar admitted in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. More Environment News»

		World
		Sweden offers to quiz Julian Assange in UK Swedish prosecutors on Friday offered to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, potentially unlocking a stalemate in an almost five-year-old investigation into alleged sex crimes. ISIS accepts Boko Haram pledge of allegiance The leader of the ISIS militant group that controls tracts of Syria and Iraq has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigerian Islamists Boko Haram, his spokesman said, calling on supporters to fight in Africa. Obama meets parents of slain Islamic State hostage US President Barack Obama met with the parents and brother of deceased US aid worker and Islamic State hostage Kayla Mueller while in Phoenix on Friday, a White House spokesman said. More World News»

		Entertainment
		SRK, Kajol team up in Rohit Shetty's Dilwale It’s his birthday today, but blockbuster filmmaker Rohit Shetty has no time to count the bouquets that will arrive in huge numbers. Karanvir Bohra quits 2 shows in 24 hours Actor Karanvir Bohra, who had stepped into Bollywood actor Abhay Deol's shoes to host Gumrah, has quit over monetary differences. Actresses who wore bikinis in their debut films More Entertainment News»

		Science
		100 years on, DNA reconstructed using semen stains on hankie Forensic experts in Italy said on Friday that they had reconstructed the DNA of a national war hero and poet by analysing semen he left on a handkerchief given to a lover 100 years ago. Office messaging app may spell doom for email People in the tech industry have been digging a grave for email for more than a decade, but their predictions have always seemed a little out of touch. Part of brain that makes you go 'ouch' identified Oxford scientists have identified an area in the brain directly related to pain intensity, that can be switched off in patients suffering from uncontrollable pain. More Science News»

		Sports
		ICC World Cup Live Blog: India vs Zimbabwe Having already qualified for the quarterfinals with five victories, India are eyeing their sixth straight win in the tournament as they face Zimbabwe in Auckland. India can take Bangladesh lightly at their own peril: Sunny Terming Bangladesh a dangerous side on current form, Sunil Gavaskar has warned the Indian team to not take their eastern neighbours lightly. Bangladesh lose to NZ, likely to meet India in quarterfinals Guptill smashed a brisk ton before New Zealand huffed and puffed to a 3-wicket win over Bangladesh to sign off their league engagements unbeaten. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Employee bonuses decline at Cognizant IT major Cognizant will pay lower bonuses to its associates this year as it seeks to take advantage of oversupply of talent. Xiaomi Redmi 2 launched in India: First look We went hands-on with Xiaomi Redmi 2 at the India launch event to see how it works and how well it stacks up against the rivals. 10 things Samsung Galaxy S6 can do, iPhone 6 can't Samsung may not have added as many new features to its latest Galaxy phones as it has with previous devices, but there are a few things Galaxy S6 and S6 edge can do that the iPhone can't. More Technology News»

		Education
		Three IITs still headless, process to begin afresh After a long delay, appointment of directors of IITs of Ropar, Bhubaneshwar and Patna looks set to begin from scratch as HRD ministry has decided to call 37 candidates for interaction with search-cum-selection committee headed by HRD minister Smriti Irani on March 22. Amritsar inspired Manto but city has no trace of him It was not in Mumbai or Lahore that Partition's best known story-teller Saadat Hasan Manto wrote his first story. PU's high-energy physicists were part of international projects Among the list of names that are to receive their doctoral (PhD) degrees at the 64th convocation of Panjab University (PU) on Saturday, there are a few who have represented the university at international projects. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		BJP to keep its promise of reducing industries' power tariff from April 10 The tariff for industries will be reduced by Rs 1.50 per unit from April 10, energy department sources said. It will be reduced by 2-3% in case of commercial units. This is when new tariffs will kick in. Parishioners to write to BMC against church road The issue of a public road being proposed through a heritage church property in Bandra seems to be heating up further. TOI had first reported about the new road on March 12. State needs 200 acres for cattle, eyes Aarey If the threat posed to Aarey Colony by the BMC’s Development Plan 2014-34 was not enough, the state government now wants to take away 200 acres for housing cattle that can no longer be slaughtered. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Re-labelling scam: How price pushed up Different brands of cardiac stents from the same company are priced differently, leading patients to believe that there are qualitative differences between them. Cheaper ones of poor quality, they're told Illiterate 63-year-old Madan Lal (name changed), who does piece work for export garments, was told by the doctors in GB Pant Hospital that the reason for his chest pain was blockage in the coronary arteries, for which he would require cardiac stents. GB Pant rip-off: Doctors fancy costly stents With govt price ceiling fixed at lower rate, nexus helps big companies sell similar products to patients at much higher cost after re-labelling. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Mysuru cops rush brain-dead patient to B'luru Kalle Gowda, 50, from Hassan district, who met with a road accident in Somawarpet taluk of Kodagu district on March 9, was declared brain dead by doctors at the government-run Krishnarajendra Hospital (KRH) on Friday. Agumbe's Dodda Mane stands the test of time Firm Foundation: Pillars, Columns Still Intact In 150-Yr-Old Heritage House Cops clueless about cop-dad who beat up girl More than 24 hours after a policeman from Madurai mercilessly thrashed his daughter near Domlur flyover and photographs of the same went viral on social media, police here are clueless about the father’s identity. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Osmania Hospital goes to the dogs! Welcome to Osmania General Hospital, a place where patients have to share their bed with the stray dogs. No, this is not being done out of love for the canines. They are forced to share their bed because the animals are forcing their way into the hospital, with none daring to stop them. Delayed fund release irks traders In a much delayed step that serves little purpose, the Telangana government released an amount of Rs 95 crore for bankable scheme late Thursday night leaving just a fortnight for entrepreneurs to avail the benefit. Telangana govt to soon convene all-party meet on LRS Telangana government will convene an all-party meeting soon to review its land regularization scheme. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Now a woman, she wants sex change in docu A transgender, who was born Pradeep Kumar but became Pratika Yashini after a sex re-assignment surgery, has moved the Madras high court asking that her school and college level certificates and passport be updated by identifying her as a female with her new name. Corporation garbage truck mows down policeman's mother A 70-year-old woman, mother of a police inspector, was run over on Friday morning by a garbage truck operating for Chennai Corporation in Aminjikarai. HC refuses to stall mobile tower boom In the absence of clinching evidence to prove health hazards from mobile phone towers, courts cannot pass any orders as it is not wise to venture into unchartered territory of technical expertise, said the Madras high court refusing to order regulation of mushrooming mobile phone towers in the country. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		'Collaboration key to ensuring cyber security' Along with your smartphone, your other devices such as refrigerators, airconditioners and lighting system are getting ‘smarter.’ Cops play Holi colour on, hair gone Holi, the festival of colours, proved to be a rather hair-raising affair for the crime branch cops this year. Crime branch to probe Wahab aide Mulla for extortion A complaint for extortion of Rs 10 lakhs was lodged against a former aide of Abdul Wahab, Attikuzjama alias Jehangir Mulla, at Ellisbridge police station on Thursday. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Lawyer killed, another injured in court premises in Allahabad An advocate was killed and another seriously injured when allegedly a police sub-inspector opened fire in self-defence inside the district court premises, following which lawyers went on a rampage, hurling stones at police and administrative officials and resorting to arson. Pending dues: Teachers threaten to boycott evaluation work Teachers, who evaluated UP Board’s class X and XII answer-sheets in 2014, have decided to boycott the work this year if their pending dues were not cleared by the end of the ongoing board exams. Hindustani Academy's project hits fund crunch Fund crunch has put paid to Hindustani Academy’s ambitious plan of digitization of rare books in its library. The Academy had launched the project to facilitate research scholars, including young readers, from across the world and was hoping to revive its lost glory. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Minor girl opposes marriage, rescued A 14-year-old tribal girl was rescued by the district child protection office (DCPO) on Friday and kept in an open shelter after she opposed her forcible marriage. Puri priests yet to get identity cards Nabakalebara is barely four months away but the state government’s announcement to introduce identity cards for servitors of the Jagannath Temple is yet to make any progress. Over 1,700 servitors serve in the temple. Fire devours 30 hectare of Similipal Tiger Reserve Around 30 hectare of forest land has been destroyed in Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district by Friday in the fire that started last week, official sources said. The wildlife wing of the forest department has engaged 400 fire watchers, including 200 villagers, to contain the flames, which have spread to the core area of the reserve. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		3 fraudsters used IAS couple's a/c, booked Three people were booked on Thursday for fraudulently opening and operating a bank account to park ill-gotten money of tainted IAS couple Arvind Joshi and Tinoo Joshi. Only 14,939 registered factories in state Contrary to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's assertions about rapid industrialization, situation on ground shows that there are only 14,939 registered industries across the state compared to 3.62 lakh registered factories in Gujarat. 18 MPs from state shy away from spending on development works Nearly a year on, 18 out of the 29 Member of Parliaments from Madhya Pradesh have not spent a single penny out of their Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund, as per MPLAD website. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Punjab baratis to get cheaper peg Punjabi baraatis will have another reason to shake a leg at weddings, albeit at the cost of the cash-strapped state government. Dancing with doctors Nobel prize winner Kailash Satyarthi visited GMCH 32 on Friday where he inaugurated the Techno Fest.Instead of lighting the ceremonial lamp himself, he asked children present to do it. HC dismisses teachers' plea to work without salary Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday dismissed the plea of around 2,800 newly-selected Haryana primary teachers to work without salary till the state government completes verification of their documents. More Chandigarh News»

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