NEW DELHI, Aug 26(Agencies): The government on Thursday made it clear that BlackBerry services may be banned if its maker, Research-in-Motion, fails to provide a monitoring solution in the next five days.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Telecom Sachin Pilot said, "In case no solution is provided, those services which can not be intercepted and monitored in readable format may be banned by the government." The Department of Telecommunications has instructed all telecom service providers to ensure that a technical solution for interception and monitoring of Blackberry services in readable format is made available to the law enforcing agencies by August 31, 2010.
The minister's reply comes at a time when the security agencies and Canadian firm RIM are holding a crucial two-day meeting starting from Thursday to decide the fate of Blackberry services in India.
The smartphone-maker, has a subscriber base of one million in India.
Earlier, the Indian government has conveyed to the BlackBerry makers to install its server in India for tracking its messenger and enterprise mail service as the offer made by it to provide data from its Canada-based server could be detrimental to national security.
Officials of BlackBerry maker RIM (Research In Motion) had offered to provide information on a deferred basis after it faced the threat of a shutdown of the core features by August 31 if security agencies cannot gain access to heavily encrypted corporate email sent on a Blackberry handset.
The RIM had provided an option to the security agencies and officials of the home ministry that they could hand over the details of BlackBerry phones needed to be monitored and the firm in turn will decrypt the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Enterprise mail Service (BES) of the smart phones in question, sources in the Telecom Ministry said.
The RIM officials were ready to provide the information initially manually and later through a non-human interface using the 'cloud computing environment' method under which a separate wall created in the server and code and pass-code is handed over to the overall coordinator, in this case India, the sources said.
However, the proposal was rejected prima facie as security agencies claimed that handing over telephone numbers for monitoring was fraught with the danger of exposing the source to an outside company and thus can be detrimental to country's security, the sources said.
On August 12, the Home Ministry had demanded a technical solution by August 31 that would enable security agencies to peek into emails and chat messages sent via Blackberry Enterprises Server and BlackBerry Messenger.
IIPM not recognised, can't confer degrees: UGC NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): The country's higher education regulator, the University Grants Commission, has said that the privately run Indian Institute of Planning and Management, New Delhi, is not recognised by it and not authorised to confer degrees.
Without assigning reasons for its public notice brought out in dailies yesterday, the UGC said: "It is further clarified for information that IIPM is neither entitled to award MBA/BBA/BCA degree nor it is recognised by UGC." Spokesperson of IIPM, run by management guru Arindam Chaudhuri, was not reachable for comments, while the chairman's office did not entertain calls.
Calls to UGC Secretary Niloufer Adil Kazmi's office were not returned.
The apex higher education body, in the notice, also said that "IIPM does not have the right of conferring or granting degrees as specified by the University Grants Commission under section 22(3) of the UGC Act." The notice said: "It is hereby informed to the public at large and students that IIPM, New Delhi, is not a University within the meaning of section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956." It added that IIPM is not recognized by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, UGC or the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Environment not an issue of activism: Ramesh NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): As he faces criticism for blocking development projects over 'green' norms, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today asked industry captains not to look at environment as an issue of "activism" but of public health that affects all.
"I would request all the captains of the industry to please not look at environment as an impediment or bottleneck or for that matter as a speed breaker," Ramesh said addressing the who's who from the automobile sector at a summit here.
He asserted that "environment is very much an integral part of your expansion plan because increasingly we are having evidence that there is a very strong co-relation between environment quality and public health.
"As you tread environmentally benign growth path, please do not look upon it (environment) as an issue of activism.
It is an issue of public health," he said.
"It affects me and you as everybody else...," Ramesh said in an apparent bid to justify his decisions to halt several projects for violating green norms, the most recent ones being the Vedanta mining project in Orissa and proposed Navi Mumbai airport in Maharashtra.
The minister stressed on the need for fuel efficiency standards in the auto sector to ensure clean technologies.
He also questioned the automobile sector's plan to manufacture electricity-powered vehicles making it clear that forests cannot be destroyed for extracting coals to be used as power for locomotion purpose.
"From where is the electricity going to come for use for locomotion purpose?" he asked.
"There is no magic bullet.
We are stuck with the present fuel such as petrol and diesel.
In this background, we need to improve fuel quality and automobile standards," Ramesh said.
He also favoured deregulation of diesel prices as is being done in the case of petrol.
"We have ended subsidising diesel for automobile sector instead of for agriculture sector," he said.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> NSCN's self styled major killed in encounter SHILLONG, Aug 26 (Agencies): A self styled 'major' of NSCN (IM) was killed and five others apprehended in an encounter with a joint team of Assam Rifles and Territorial Army in Nagaland's Mon district today, Assam Rifles (AR) sources said.
The Assam Rifles and Territorial Army jawans observed movement of armed militants near the Tizet post at Punjma colony.
They asked the militants to stop but instead the militants opened fire and joint security forces returned the fire in which a NSCN(IM) self styled major was killed, Assam Rifles Spokesman Lt Col A K Choudhury told Agencies at the AR headquarters here.
Five cadres of the NSCN(IM), which is under ceasefire, were arrested in the operation.
Three AK56 rifles, two mortars guns, two single barrel guns, two grenades, 649 rounds of motor shells, 308 rounds of .303 rifle and 21 rounds of M16 rifle ammunition were seized from the militants, he said.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Satyam scam: Raju appears before local court HYDERABAD, Aug 26 (Agencies): B Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam computers and main accused in the Satyam accounting fraud case, appeared before a local court for the second time today after being granted bail by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Raju, who looked fragile and was accompanied by his doctor, appeared before the XXI Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court which is trying the case as per High Court's direction.
After being in the court for a few minutes, he took permission from the magistrate BVLN Chakravarti and left the court hall.
Speaking to media persons outside the court hall, Raju's counsel Bharat Kumar said as long as the magistrate grants Raju permission to leave the court hall after marking his appearance, they will not approach the High court seeking exemption to appear personally.
To a query, he said Raju's health was improving gradually.
Arguments on hearing of charges against 10 accused in the multi-crore Satyam Computers scam was posted for tomorrow.
Raju had been avoiding appearance in the court since September last year citing health reasons.
The former Satyam chairman, who was arrested on January 9 last year, was granted bail by the Andhra Pradesh High Court last week.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rahul visits Vedanta site, backs tribals LANJIGARH (ORISSA), Aug 26 (Agencies): Making a visit here against the backdrop of the Centre rejecting environment clearance for the bauxite mining project of Vedanta, Rahul Gandhi today hailed the decision as a victory for tribals of the area and vowed to fight for their cause.
"True development takes place by respecting interests of the poor and tribals and not by muffling their voice," he said refuting charges that Centre's action in negating bauxite mining in Niyamgiri was against development and progress.
Two days after the Union Environment Ministry rejected environment clearance to UK-based Vedanta's USD 1.7 billion bauxite mining project in the Nyamgiri hills citing serious violation of forest and environment laws, Gandhi arrived here on a brief visit to show solidarity with the tribals.
Addressing a tribal rally marking "Adivasi Adhikar Diwas" (Rights Day) in Jagannathpur village at the foothills of Niyamgiri hills close to Vedanta's alumina refinery, he said he would be their "soldier" in Delhi and continue their fight.
"In my religion, all are equal - whether it is rich or poor, dalits or adivasis.
Wherever an individual's voice is being stifled, that is against my religion," he said addressing the tribals but made no direct reference to the Vedanta project.
There has been criticism of the project to mine bauxite in the tribal dominated hills which the locals and the activists say would deprive them of their livelihood.
"This is your victory.
It is a victory of your voice, it is a victory of the adivasis," Gandhi said to the loud cheers of the assembled gathering which shouted slogans hailing him.
Citing examples of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and New Delhi, he said development in Congress-ruled states was taking place rapidly by hearing the voice of the poor and weaker sections.
Reaching out to the tribals, Gandhi said though he extended constant support to the tribals of bauxite-rich Niyamgiri who have tasted victory by saving their land, habitat and rights through their own peaceful battle.
Maintaining that his job as a soldier of tribals was not over, he said it was only a beginning as he along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi would continue to fight for the rights and interests of the tribals.
Recalling his visit to the area in the year 2008, Gandhi said a group of Adivasi youth had told him then that the hill is their God and that it is being destroyed.
They worshipped the hills as their God with utmost devotion.
It was their sole source of livelihood.
"The voice of the tribals was sought to be muffled in a bid to undertake mining activities in Niyamgiri and give pace to development at the cost of the poor," the Congress general secretary said.
"Then I had told you, though I stay in Delhi, I will be there to protect your voice....I am here to say that your voice has reached Delhi and you have saved your land.
Whatever I could do, I have done," he said.
Rejecting the criticism that Centre's decision to deny environment clearance was against development, Gandhi said in the name of development, rights of adivasis were being suppressed.
"It is not development when rights of the poor is taken away.
Development means to take everybody on board..We are for development, we will fight for development, we will fight for your voice," Gandhi said.
Noting that there exists "two 'Indias': one for the rich whose voice reaches everywhere and the second one is poor man's India whose voice is hardly been heard," Gandhi promised to be on the side of the tribals in their fight for justice.
"I am your foot soldier.
My job is not yet over.
It has just begun.
Whenever you need me, wherever I am, I am ready to be with you," he said.
Those seeking to pursue industrialisation must realise that development cannot be achieved by snatching away the rights and land of the poor, he said adding it was the UPA government which sincerely heard and honoured the voices of the poor tribals of Niyamgiri.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Northeast power ministers move centre on China dam SHILLONG, Aug 26 (Agencies): Power ministers of north-eastern states have asked the Centre to ensure that the dam over Bramhaputra, as planned by China, does not have an ecological and environmental fall-out in the region.
Though unsure about the actual design of the dam, the power ministers, who met Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora in New Delhi yesterday, said the Centre should talk to China to see that the Brahmaputra river does not get diverted.
"If the river is diverted, it will have a serious ecological and environmental impact on the region, particularly during the lean season," Meghalaya Power minister A T Mondal, also the Chairman of the North Eastern Regional Power Committee, told Agencies over phone from Delhi.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had earlier been assured by his Chinese counterpart that the hydel project over Brahmaputra river being built in Zangmu was a 'small project' which will have no impact on the river's downstream flow into North-east India.
Power Ministers of Assam, Nagaland and Tripura, who were part of the delegation, also sought a roll back of the fuel prices, contending the rise has affected the six gas-based projects in the region.
Mondal said the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas enhanced the price of natural gas from Rs 2122 per 1000 SCM to Rs 4580, including 10 per cent royalty charges to be effective from June.
"With addition of 12 per cent VAT, the revised price comes to Rs 5153 per 1000 scm.
This is going to substantially raise the per unit cost of power generated from thermal projects like the ones in Kathalguri (Assam) and RC Nagar (Tripura), apart from state-owned generating units," Mondal said.
Unless the Centre gives any subsidy, it will be difficult to sustain the projects, the ministers contended.
The delegation sought inclusion of Sikkim in the North Eastern Regional Power Committee, besides more share from the mega projects in the country and a comprehensive impact study on the big dams proposed in the region.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Arunachal govt dismisses Apang's charge of conspiracy ITANAGAR, Aug 26 (Agencies): The Arunachal Pradesh government today dismissed allegations levelled by ex-chief minister Gegong Apang that a political conspiracy was behind his arrest in the multi-crore public distribution system scam.
"The state government has no say in the independent investigation being conducted by the Special Investigation Cell which is being monitored by the Gauhati High Court," government spokesman and Power Minister Jarbom Gamlin told reporters here.
Gamlin said that though the SIC was constituted by the state government, it was investigating the PDS scam independently as per the court directives.
"The allegations are completely unfair and uncalled for.
To enable the remaining investigation to be conducted properly, independently and expeditiously, the court directs M S Chauhan to head the investigation team and will report directly to the court and not to any other state agency,” Gamlin said, quoting the court order of June 15, 2007.
He said the court had also directed registration of separate cases for efficient investigation of the scam to avoid any anomalies.
"To interrogate other accused, separate cases will be registered in different districts by the SIC and the state government has no power to intervene in any cases," he said.
Asked why the case was forwarded to district Session Judge court in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district, the spokesman said that it was done as per the court order for conducting a free and fair trial of the case.
Apang was arrested on Tuesday and remanded in seven days police custody for his alleged involvement in a scam relating to loss suffered by the public exchequer due to false and fraudulent hill transport subsidy bills which were cleared without financial concurrence.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LS: Legislation to protect whistleblowers introduced NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): A landmark legislation to protect whistleblowers who report corruption and provide for severe punishment to those who expose their identity or try to victimise such people was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.
The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill, 2010 also provides for setting up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants to cause "demonstrable losses" to the government.
The bill, introduced by Minister of State for Personnel Prithviraj Chavan, brings under its ambit employees of central and state governments, public sector firms, local authorities and societies among others.
According to its Statement of Objects and Reasons, the bill seeks to provide "adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public servant." While it sets the procedure to inquire into the disclosures and provides adequate safeguards against victimisation of the whistleblower, it also seeks to provide punishment for false or frivolous complaints.
The bill provides for punishment for revealing the identity, either negligently or with malafide intention, of the person who reports matters regarding corruption by a public servant.
The legislation was necessitated as it was felt that there were impediments in eliminating corruption in government due to "lack of adequate protection" to complainants, the statement said.
Government had earlier empowered the Central Vigilance Commission, through a resolution, to hand down harsh penalty to people revealing the identity of whistleblowers.
But it was felt that a standalone legislation was needed to protect the whistleblowers as the resolution empowering the CVC did "not suffice", the statement said.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Govt to soon notify fuel efficiency standards NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): After wranglings between the Power and Transport Ministries, the government has now decided to notify fuel efficiency standards for auto makers under the Energy Conservation Act which will come into force from January next year.
"The standards will be notified under the Energy Conservation Act 2002 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and not under the Motor Vehicle Act," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) summit here.
This has been decided, he said, "after considerable wranglings between different ministries and inhibition by the automobile sector.
"And since technical work has been done, only fine-tuning is remaining.
I would urge SIAM to work with the Power and Surface Transport Ministries to work with the clear objective of moving towards mandatory fuel standards from January next year." For quiet sometime, the matter had been a bone of contention between the Power and the Road Transport and Highways Ministries.
The SIAM has agreed to move towards voluntarily labelling from October this year under which all of its members declare mileage of their vehicles certified by the Automotive Research Association of India.
However, Ramesh felt that it was high time that the automobile industry move at the earliest from the voluntary regime to the mandatory fuel efficiency standards regime in the absence of which it is expected to be a major contributor to the country's total green house gas emissions.
"I had been fighting all along that we must move from voluntary to mandatory regime of fuel efficiency standards.
If the US could do it...
President Obama has done it even though he had legislation problem, he used the Environment Protection Act to move into the regime of mandatory fuel efficiency standards.
Let's also quickly do that," he said.
Presently, the transport sector contributes about 15 to 20 per cent of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions.
"But the rate at which the automobile sector is growing our own estimations are that by the year 2025-30 it could account close to 25 per cent of our GHG emissions.
"Hence not only because of the air pollution point of view but also the climate change point of view, environment-friendly transportation assume special importance," the Minister said.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Celebrating Mother Teresa's birth centenary KOLKATA, Aug 26 (Agencies): The year-long birth centenary celebrations of Mother Teresa began today with a solemn mass here where Pope Benedict XVI exhorted her order, the Missionaries of Charity, to draw inspiration from her in serving the poor, the sick and the abandoned.
"I am confident that this year will be for the Church and the world an occasion of joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime and continues to be through the affectionate and tireless work for you, her spiritual children," the Pope said in a message to MoC superior-general Sr Prema.
The Pope said Teresa exemplified the message of St John "...If God loves us, we ought also to love one another.
God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." "I encourage you to draw constantly from the spirituality and example of Mother Teresa and in her footsteps, to take up Christ's invitation: 'Come be my light'," he said.
The early morning mass at the first-floor chapel of Mother House was attended by Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi besides 60 priests.
Toppo said Mother Teresa's life was driven by a passion to build lives through forgiveness, healing, giving them respect and through making them true human beings in the image and likeness of God.
"That is precisely why she wanted to come to India and become a Loreto sister.
That is what she did through her teaching and forming girls of character in the school, the cardinal said.
He also said that before the Church became more conscious of its ecological duty, Mother Teresa realised her duty towards nature and wanted it to be included in her life.
"Her insistence on poverty in life is (also) a fine illustration of this," he said.
Archbishop of Kolkata Lucas Sirkar, Bishop of Baruipur Salvadore Lobo, Archbishop Emeritus Henry D'Souza were present as also Fr Brian Kolodeijchuk, the postulator for the cause of Teresa's sainthood.
Balloons and pigeons were released after the mass.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Uproar in Lok Sabha over 'Saffron Terrorism' NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): Home Minister P Chidambaram's reference to rise of "saffron terrorism" created uproar in the Lok Sabha today with Shiv Sena and BJP members demanding that he withdraw the statement allegedly projecting Hindus in poor light.
Shiv Sena members including Chandrakant Khaire, Subhash Wankhede and Ganesh Dudhgaonkar stormed the well during the Zero Hour protesting Chidambaram's statement that a new phenomenon of "saffron terrorism" involved in many bomb blasts has been uncovered.
Demanding an apology from the Home Minister, they waved copies of party mouthpiece Saamna and sought withdrawal of the statement contending 'how could a Hindu be a terrorist in Hindustan?' BJP members led by Ananth Kumar were on their feet to support the Shiv Sena members, who later staged a walkout.
Participating in the special discussion later on the situation in the Kashmir Valley, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi objected to the Home Minister's reference to 'saffron terrorism'.
Noting that 'saffron' is symbol of peace and cannot be linked to terrorism, Joshi warned that if such language is used against it, there would be a reaction.
"May be you are wanting that reaction and that is why you have said it." Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were also disrupted briefly when LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan demanded suspension of Question Hour to discuss the issue of rise in saffron terror in the country.
As soon as the House met for the day, Paswan stood up and wanted to know the fate of his notice for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the rise in saffron terror as pointed out by Chidambaram.
The Home Minister's comments came against the backdrop of investigators finding links between Hindu extremist outfits and at least five bomb blasts in recent years - at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, at Ajmer, Goa, Malegaon in Maharashtra and Modasa in Gujarat.
>>>>>>>>>>> Food inflation eases to 10.05% NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): Food inflation moderated for the second straight week in mid-August to 10.05 per cent as vegetables turned cheaper, but analysts said price volatility will continue till October when fresh crops arrive in markets.
Inflation in food items dipped marginally from 10.35 per cent in the previous week.
It was 13.45 per cent in the same period last year and had crossed 20 per cent in December 2009.
On year-on-year basis, potato became cheaper by over 50 per cent, while vegetables overall saw a decline of 14.23 per cent.
Onion prices fell by 7.29 per cent, official data released today showed.
Experts said food prices would ease further going ahead as normal monsoon would result in good kharif harvest.
"Food prices are on a declining trajectory, although some volatility in the mid course would be witnessed.
There would be up and down movement till October," Axis Bank Chief Economist Saugata Bhattacharya said.
With MET department predicting adequate rains in the June-September monsoon season, experts said kharif harvest would bring down prices.
Crisil Chief Economist D K Joshi said, "Around October there would be large dip in food inflation as kharif harvest would be good.
Also good fodder would result in better milk production which would bring milk cheaper." On an annual basis, milk prices soared by 18.22 per cent during the week over the same period last year, and fruits became dearer by 15.24 per cent.
Cereal prices, however, rose by 7.10 per cent, driven mainly by higher prices of pulses, rice and wheat compared to the same period last year.
While pulses became dearer by nearly 16 per cent, prices of rice and wheat rose by 7.72 per cent and 7.61 per cent, respectively, during the week under review on yearly basis.
Experts also said that the government decision to continue with the ban on export of wheat and non-basmati rice would help increasing domestic availability.
"As of now there is no proposal to roll back (export) restrictions on products, which include non-basmati rice and wheat," Commerce Minister Anand Sharma had said.
The government had banned exports of non-basmati rice in April 2008 in the wake of high inflation.
The wheat export is under ban since early 2007.
However, high non-food inflation remains a concern, analysts said.
"More than interest rates it is the excess liquidity and supply side constraints that are causing inflation to go up.
I expect that RBI would get more aggressive in its stance to control inflation," financial consultancy firm KASSA Director Siddharth Shankar said.
The Reserve Bank of India, which has been tightening the monetary policy to tame the rising prices, is scheduled to come out with its first mid-quarterly review on September 16.
However, Crisil's Joshi said, "I do not expect any policy action by RBI in its September review." Fuel inflation remained intact at 12.57 per cent, as the recent hike in prices of petrol, diesel and other related products have already been accounted.
The overall inflation, which include prices of manufactured goods besides, food items, fell to single digit at 9.97 per cent in July, after a gap of five months.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sohrabuddin case: Geetha Johri appears before CBI AHMEDABAD, Aug 26 (Agencies): IPS officer Geetha Johri, who was probing the 2005 fake encounter case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and killing of his wife Kausarbi, today appeared before the CBI for questioning.
Johri reached the CBI office in the old secretariat campus around 10:30 am.
The Central investigating agency had summoned the officer, who is currently posted as Commissioner of Rajkot, to appear on August 10, but Johri had then requested for more time as she had returned from a long leave.
In her request, Johri had said that since she had joined after a break she needed time to study the case, before answering any questions.
The CBI has already interrogated Johri twice, after it began investigation into the fake encounter case following the Supreme court order in January this year.
The apex court, while transferring the case to CBI had minced no words in expressing displeasure at the failure of the Gujarat police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Police Geetha Johri to identify the seven Andhra Pradesh police personnel, who assisted the local police in the fake encounter.
The SC had also come down heavily on Gujarat Police for failing to conduct impartial probe and attempting to "mislead" the apex court by filing conflicting action taken reports (ATRs) in the case.
The court had said that while one of the investigating officers V L Solanki was proceeding in the right direction, Johri had not been carrying out the probe in the right manner.
Former state DGP P C Pande was also summoned by the CBI in the same case but he has not been able to appear before the agency as he was out of station.
After taking over the case from Gujarat CID in January, the CBI has arrested former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, currently lodged in Sabarmati Central jail, along with other 15 accused cops in connection with the case.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ahead of CWG, Kiran Bedi's book on civic sense NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Agencies): Moved by the 'not so good' image of civic sense of Indians among foreigners, India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi has brought out suggestions for laymen to improve their civic behaviour ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
"There are article after article in foreign nations calling Indians unhygienic and dirty.
Being a true Indian, I wanted to change the scenario," says Kiran Bedi who has collaborated with socio-political thinker, Pavan Chaudary for the book Broom and Groom.
With an introduction by former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the hardbound book suggests globally accepted manners and etiquette and features a muppet and other illustrations on its pages.
"Foreigners hug and hold hands in public.
We should not stand and start staring at them, else they will carry a bad impression of us back home," Bedi told Agencies while releasing the book here last evening.
Co-author Pavan Chaudary says the government should stop tweaking and wake up before the games to provide good sanitation and hygiene conditions.
"India was the first cradle of civic virtue in the world as Indus and Mohanjodaro civilisations had irrefutable evidence of good sanitation and code of conduct," he says.
Invoking Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, he said,"Gandhi ji said our Swaraj will stink if we do not clean our backyards.
But, post-independence our governments have failed to provide education and infrastructure for good hygiene." According to the authors, the idea to write the book came due to the appalling living conditions in our country and from their desire of not seeing India lag behind other nations in terms of civility.
"The book tells that we are not giving up.
We are starting a revival and revolution of civility.
The book is for civil responsibility," says Bedi.
The book focusses on civic sense issues such as not spitting paan at public places, ogling at female co-passengers in an elevator or quarrelling in front of a guest at home.
Catering to a variety of sections ranging from the elite to government servants and domestic help, the book covers such issues such as restaurant and banquet manners, auditoria or airplanes must dos, gymnasium and sports field behaviour, greeting properly as well as being a good host or house guest.
Anu Anand, publisher, Wisdom Village(Publication Division) says, "We are happy to introduce the book just before CWG.
We hope our readers will learn and put their best foot forward before our guests from 54 countries during the Delhi CWG." The publisher has started a website and blog to get feedback from readers whose suggestions will be included in the next edition of the book.
The book would also be released in Hindi and other regional languages soon.
"Keeping a good hygiene has been brought out very nicely.
Each page in the book is useful to improve the way of life," says Kalam in his foreword.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Maoists attack police station in Giridih, torch trucks GIRIDIH (JHARKHAND), Aug 26 (Agencies): Maoists fired indiscriminately at a police station in Giridih, blew up a building and set on fire trucks on the Grand Trunk road in the wee hours today to protest the arrest of their two associates.
A group of armed Maoists attacked the Pirtand Police station around 1 am and started firing at random, Superintendent of Police, A V Homker, said.
The security forces returned the fire, he said, adding there was no casualty.
A couple of blasts were also heard nearby as Maoists destroyed a government building near the police station, he said.
Later, the ultras torched some trucks on the G T Road on the Dhanbad-Giridih border.
Police said the Maoists were protesting the arrests of two of their hardcore associates, Muktar Ansari and Dasrath Manjhi in Giridih yesterday.
In stepped up anti-Naxal operations, police have apprehended several Maoists across the state while about ten ultras have surrendered since July.
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