Discussion:
India's Superpower Euphoria CCLXVII
(too old to reply)
cogitoergosum
2011-02-25 17:42:40 UTC
Permalink
Everything you always wanted to know about India and more

India’s Superpower Euphoria CCLXVII
http://cogitoergosum.co.cc/2011/02/25/indias-superpower-euphoria-cclxvii/

25 Feb, 2011, 12.36PM IST,PTI
Economy to grow at 9% in 2011-12, inflation a concern: Economic Survey

Read more on »pranab mukherjee|parliament|economic survey|economic
growth

NEW DELHI: Indian economy is poised to grow by 9 per cent in 2011-12
despite risks of global events like volatility in commodity prices,
exacerbated by political turmoil in the middle east, according to
Economic Survey .

The Survey for 2010-11, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee , has pegged the economic growth at 8.6 per cent for
the current fiscal, helped by broad based rebound in agriculture and
“continued momentum” in manufacturing and private services.

Inflation, an area of concern which acts as a road block for the
growth, is expected to be 1.5 per cent higher than projected earlier,
it said. Food inflation, in particular, has come as major challenge
for the economy.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said yesterday that general
inflation would come down to seven per cent by March end from more
than eight per cent now.

Days ahead of the general budget, the Survey indicated the need for
fiscal consolidation. “Food inflation, higher commodity prices and
volatility in global commodity markets have been a cause of concern
underscoring the need of fiscal consolidation and stronger reserves,”
it said.

25 Feb, 2011, 01.56PM IST,IANS
Economic Survey gung-ho on growth, but predicts higher inflation

* Comments (2)

Read more on »reserve bank of india|pranab mukherjee|economic survey

NEW DELHI: India’s Economic Survey for 2010-11 has predicted 8.6
percent growth for the current fiscal and gross domestic product (GDP)
touching the 9 percent mark in 2011-12. It has also sounded concern
over inflation and the fall in factory output in the coming months.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee tabled the annual report on the
economy in the Lok Sabha Friday, which was gung-ho about growth
prospects and said that manufacturing and services sector had
registered impressive gains.

While industrial output was pegged at 8.6 percent, manufacturing
growth was 9.1 percent and services 9.6 percent in 2010-11. “The
growth has been broad based with a rebound in the agriculture sector,
which is expected to grow around 5.4 percent,” read the annual report
on the economy.

“Increased minimum support price along with various other steps taken
by the government have resulted in higher levels of food-grains,” it
added.

However, the survey has warned against inflationary pressures on the
economy in the coming months. “Inflation is expected to be 1.5 percent
higher than what would be if the country was not on the growth curve,”
it said and suggested that in order to check food inflation the
government improve delivery mechanisms by strengthening institutions
and addressing corruption.

It said programmes like the rural employment scheme had led to growing
purchasing power of consumers, which partly contributed to the high
inflation.

India’s food inflation rose to 11.49 percent for the week ended Feb
12, moving up again after falling for a few weeks. The annual
inflation based on wholesale prices stood at 8.23 percent in January.

The Economic Survey also advocated more monetary tightening by the
Reserve Bank of India , and said hiking interest rates would help in
reducing inflationary pressures. “The current growth and inflation
trend warrant persistence with and anti-inflationary monetary stance.”

The survey also sounded alarm on industrial output as there had been
no significant capacity expansion in core industries. The review
document said investment in infrastructure has reached 7.18 percent of
GDP in 2008-09 and is expected to increase to 8.37 percent by end of
11th five-year plan (March-end 2012).

“Slow rate of capacity addition in physical infrastructure sector is
constricting industrial sector growth. Capacity addition in core
sectors and renewal of bottlenecks would spur industrial sector output
in the medium to long term,” it said.

“Unmet gaps still remains large and accelerated investments will be
needed in the next plan period for addressing delays, cost overruns
and regulatory and pricing impediments.”

Readers’ opinions (2)

Lalgudi Saptarishi Ganapathy (Chennai)
7 hrs ago (02:40 PM)

We expect Incometax slab for seniors at Rs3.00 L, Expect that the
other savings for elder citizens are also not touched. Petrol price is
already high and Pranabda,shall not come out and say people have money
and let them pay. Pranabda, pl note most of the public are paying for
their fuel and are not previlegded like you , the politicians (ruling
party or in the opposition)

M.Kesava Rao M (Hyderabad)
8 hrs ago (02:27 PM)
Sr.citizen Income taxlimit should go up to 3.00lks

23 Feb, 2011, 09.38AM IST,IANS
India back on pre-recession growth path: World Bank

Read more on »world bank|india|global financial crisis|gdp growth
India

WASHINGTON: The Indian economy appears to be back to the growth trend
before the global financial crisis with particularly strong GDP growth
over the first half of the 2010-11 fiscal, but inflation is worrying,
the World Bank has said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to continue its policy of
cautious rate hikes in an uncertain environment, the World Bank said
in the second of its semi-annual series of India Updates released
Tuesday.

The signals are not clear whether core inflation is caused by more
general demand pressures, which would best be addressed with more
aggressive policy tightening, or by second round effects of earlier
food and commodity price shocks, for which the current monetary policy
stance is likely to be adequate, it said.

The December 2010 Update notes that India’s agricultural sector
bounced back strongly after the 2010 monsoon brought normal levels of
rainfall, and the industrial sector registered double-digit growth for
three consecutive quarters.

Inflation came down to 7.5 percent in November but then accelerated
again to 8.4 percent in December because of a renewed food supply
shock, it said.

The current account deficit in the 2009-10 fiscal year was the largest
ever in dollar terms and the monthly deficit widened further during
the first half of the 2010-11 financial year, but the trend then
reversed with import growth slowing and export growth accelerating in
September-December 2010.

With the significant inflation differential between India and its
trading partners, the rupee’s real effective exchange rate (REER)
strengthened, the update said.

On the fiscal side, massive windfall revenue from wireless spectrum
auctions and buoyant tax revenue are likely to be offset by two
supplementary spending bills. Monetary policy tightening continued
with increases in policy rates, it said.

Looking forward, the GDP growth looks set to regain the pre-crisis
trend of around 8.5-9 percent in this financial year and the next
(2011-12).

Assuming that the December resurgence in food inflation is temporary,
overall wholesale price inflation is likely to decelerate to seven
percent by end of March 2011 and further during the coming fiscal
year, although uncertainty over international commodity prices
persists, it said.

The widening trade deficit during the first half of the year could
result in a current account deficit around 3.5 percent of GDP in the
2010-11 fiscal year, although the recent decline in the trade deficit
augurs well for the coming year. Capital inflows are expected to cover
this gap in the current year, the update said.

The RBI is likely to continue its policy of cautious rate hikes in a
highly uncertain environment. While inflation has become more broad
based, capacity utilisation, industrial production, import, and credit
indicators do not point to overheating, the update said.

The signals are therefore not clear whether core inflation is caused
by more general demand pressures, which would best be addressed with
more aggressive policy tightening, or by second round effects of
earlier food and commodity price shocks, for which the current
monetary policy stance is likely to be adequate, the bank said.

Readers’ opinions (1)

Manoj (KL, Malaysia)
23 Feb, 2011 10:34 AM

Prerecession inflation was much lower than at present, the present
growth is the actual one, its the reciprocal of this high inflation….

25 Feb, 2011, 08.50PM IST,IANS
Green policy should not slow growth: Economic Survey

Read more on »pranab mukherkee|environment minister jairam ramesh|
economic survey

NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey released Friday called for careful
planning and customised policies to ensure that green growth
strategies do not result in slow growth rate.

The survey, tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherkee in both houses
of parliament, said: “The increasing importance of climate-related
issues should not shake the foundations of our inclusive growth
strategy.”

Concerns have been raised by the industry in the past few months over
the stringent implementation of green laws by the environment
ministry.

In an effort to allay fears that environment was acting as a hindrance
to growth, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in January announced
setting up of a joint advisory council to look into industry’s
concerns regarding environment and forest clearances for projects.

The ministry has delayed environmental clearances to several
infrastructure projects citing violation of green laws.

The prime pinister has formed a Group of Minister (GoM) to settle the
ongoing tussle between environment ministry and coal ministry related
to “go and no-go” area in coal belts of the country.

“I don’t believe environment is becoming a constraint. We will try to
find a way of addressing these concerns, fears and anxiety of people
that environment will become a barrier to faster industrial growth,”
Jairam had said after meeting the industry representatives.

25 Feb, 2011, 04.41PM IST,PTI
Economic Survey 2011: India moves to fifth rank in government economic
power list

Read more on »ministry of finance|economic survey

NEW DELHI: India has moved up to fifth position in a list ranking the
governments of 112 countries in terms of their ability to project the
economy into the international sphere, as per the Economic Survey
2010-11 released today.

In 2000, the country was ranked 10th in the Index of Government
Economic Power (IGEP), it said.

As per the IGEP, to be released shortly by the Ministry of Finance ,
the Survey said India was among the best performers on the globe in
terms of its ability to raise resources, credit-worthiness and
credibility in international financial markets.

According to the IGEP 2009, the US was at the top of the list,
followed by China, Japan, Germany, India, Russia, Brazil, France,
Italy and the UK.

“Among the top ranking economies, some of the most dramatic rises in
rank have been… India’s rise from 10th position in 2000 to fifth in
2009,” the Survey said.

The IGEP endeavours to capture the ability of a government to project
itself in the international sphere and is composed of four variables —
government revenues, foreign currency reserves, export of goods and
services and human capital.

The IGEP ranking, as revealed by the Survey, comes at a time when the
Indian economy is projected to grow by 8.6 per cent this fiscal and by
9 per cent in 2011-12.

25 Feb, 2011, 04.53PM IST,REUTERS
Economic Survey: India must invest to boost farm yield, growth

Read more on »pranab mukherjee|manmohan singh|economic survey|centre
for policy research

NEW DELHI: India needs to step up investment to boost crop yield and
farm infrastructure as the country aims for 8.5 percent agriculture
growth in the financial year from April, a finance ministry report
said on Friday.

The government allocated around 778.8 billion rupees ($17.1 billion)
for the farm and allied sectors in the current financial year to March
2011, about 7 percent of the total budget.

The report, presented in parliament ahead of Monday’s general budget,
said the farm sector grew at 2.87 percent in the first four years of
the current five-year plan from 2007.

“In order to achieve the plan target of average 4 percent per year,
the agriculture sector needs to grow at 8.5 percent during 2011/12,”
said the report, tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee . The
farm sector is likely to grow at 5.4 percent in 2010/11.

“It is impossible for farm and allied activities to register such a
high growth rate. It doesn’t appear to be a realistic growth target
set for the farm sector,” said Bibek Debroy of the Centre for Policy
Research , a policy think tank.

The report added fruits and vegetables, sectors which have seen
spiralling prices this year, needed to boost output. “Further, special
attention is required for achieving higher production and productivity
levels in pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, which had remained
untouched in the first Green Revolution but are essential for
nutritional security,” it said.

SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION?

The technological breakthrough achieved during the green revolution of
the 1960s is on the wane, it said. “The need for a second green
revolution is being experienced more than ever before,” the survey
said.

It said productivity has plateaued in rice and wheat. Despite
overflowing grain bins, the government needs to boost rice and wheat
productivity to feed a growing population and to meet any sudden spurt
in demand after emergencies such as flood and drought.

The government also anticipates a rise in demand for rice and wheat
after lawmakers approve a food security bill, likely to provide more
subsidised grains to the poor. The nation’s Feb 1 wheat stocks were
19.4 million tonnes, well in excess of a target of 8.2 million tonnes,
while its rice inventory rose to 27.8 million tonnes against a target
of 11.8 million, government sources say.

Analysts and economists say India, the world’s second-biggest rice and
wheat producer, needs high-yielding crops to overcome an expected
output loss due to shrinking acreage of farm land.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has been struggling to keep
a lid on high food prices, largely triggered by a spike in the prices
of vegetables and dairy products. Poor storage and transportation
facilities have significantly contributed to price rises.

“There are signs of food and fuel price increases spilling over into
general inflation,” the survey said. Unseasonal rains in late 2010
wrecked vegetable supplies and pushed the food price index to a one-
year high in December.

In India, the rate of food inflation is among the highest in Asia.
Despite projections that food inflation would fall to single digits,
it rose 11.49 percent in mid-February. On Thursday, Singh told
parliament that his government would take further steps to curb
prices, indicating some measures to be announced in the budget to rein
in high prices.

25 Feb, 2011, 03.14PM IST,PTI
Economic Survey: India’s forex reserves 4th largest in the world at
$297.3 bn

* Comments (10)

Read more on »india|foreign exchange reserves|financial crisis|
economic survey
Forex

NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey on Friday said India has the fourth
largest foreign exchange reserves, which helped the nation to tide
over global financial crisis .

India’s foreign exchange reserves touched $ 297.3 bn in December, 2010
from $ 279.1 bn in March. “It needs to be acknowledged that foreign
exchange reserves have helped insulate India from the worst impact of
the crisis,” it said.

Unlike many Western nations, India was relatively less affected by the
global financial meltdown in 2008-09 that had pushed many advanced
economies into recession. India had the fourth largest foreign
exchange reserves at $ 297.3 bn at the end of December 2010, it said.

At the same time, the foreign exchange reserves of Japan and Russia
stood at $ 1.12 trillion and $ 479.4 billion, respectively.
Neighbouring China’s foreign exchange reserves was at $ 2.45 trillion
in June, 2010.

According to the Survey, the country’s reserves mainly comprise
portfolio investment (FII), “which are more vulnerable to sudden stops
and reversals and borrowings from abroad”.

India’s foreign exchange reserves have increased over the years from
just $ 5.8 billion in March, 1991. “The reserves reached a peak at $
314.6 billion at May-end, 2008 before declining to $ 252 billion at
the end of March 2009.

“The decline in reserves in 2008-09 was inter alia a fallout of the
global crisis and strengthening of US dollar vis-a-vis other
international currencies,” the Survey said.

About the idea of having a multilateral option of a pre-arranged
credit line, the Survey noted such an option is necessary but is not
sufficient. “… (This is because) foreign investors often view the size
of foreign exchange reserves as a key input in taking investment
decisions,” it added.

Economic Survey: India’s forex reserves 4th largest in the world at
$297.3 bn

* Comments(10)

Recommended (5)

swamivas (Hong Kong)
25 Feb, 2011 09:31 PM

That’s indeed a remarkable improvement from the early 1990s when
India’s FE reserves hit the rock bottom and gradually it has been
built up again during the last two decades to reach the present pretty
impressive position despite which CAUTION should be the word of the
day!

Truth (India)
25 Feb, 2011 09:27 PM

If we take care of the Gold owned by Indian Household then I think
still India is the richest in the world. The only issue is the wealth
is not equally distributed. One more reason is some people are very
lazy to work and some people do not get the oppurtunity to study or
work.
Agree (2)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

Dhruba (Delhi)
25 Feb, 2011 07:34 PM

Composition of reserves is more important. high % of FII is not ideal
since it can be withdrawn at any point of time in case markets crash .
Long term policy is to increase FDI , incentivise Indians to bring
back their USD parked abroad, encourage higher remittances from
NRI’s . Besides our trade & current acct deficit has to be brought
down so that we don’t catch a cold wherever there is crisis.
Agree (2)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

J (India) replies to Dhruba
25 Feb, 2011 10:05 PM

Correct. Don’t know why are there couple of Disagree’s on your
comment. You’re right about the major chunk being FII’s which see
frequent entry and exit (talk about stock mkts volatility- anyone?)…
FDI is still quite less (unlike China)… and of course our CAD (current
a/c deficit) is ballooning unsustainably…

badegg (US)
25 Feb, 2011 06:09 PM

Don’t forget: India’s external debt is even larger than the reserves.
Agree (2)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

Neeraj (Chandigarh) replies to badegg
25 Feb, 2011 07:18 PM

You should talk about your country’s debt.
Agree (2)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

J replies to Neeraj
25 Feb, 2011 10:07 PM

Oh.. the US can print off…errr.. write off their debt :P Talk about
cheating in a game.. talk about US in the world.

Barot replies to Neeraj
25 Feb, 2011 09:51 PM

I bet, if given a chance to come to USA, you would jump and grab
anything that would get you here.
Disagree (2)

Dduckar (Bh)
25 Feb, 2011 04:12 PM

All the US of A dollars are fake money.
Agree (2)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

J (India) replies to Dduckar
25 Feb, 2011 10:09 PM

But theirs is the only fake money the world can buy oil in exchange
for…

52% infra projects running behind schedule: Survey

Agencies Tags : Economic survey 2010 2011, India Infra projects
Posted: Fri Feb 25 2011, 20:02 hrs New Delhi:

The pre-budget economic survey said that over 52 per cent of the
ongoing infrastructure projects are running behind schedule.

“As on October, 2010, out of the 559 projects, 14 are ahead of
schedule, 117 are on schedule and 293 are delayed,” the Survey said
quoting Department of Programme Implementation (DPI) data.

DPI monitors the progress in central sector projects costing Rs. 150
crore and above on a monthly basis.

In the road transport and highways sector, 51 projects have reported
delay of up to 36 months, 20 power projects up to 18 months over the
targetted schedule of completion. A total of 16 projects in oil sector
have reported up to 16 months overrun, the Survey, tabled in the
Parliament, said.

Stating the level of investment and capacity addition achieved so far
in the current Plan period is indicative of an “optimistic outlook”
for the entire infra sector, the Survey, however, said “several non-
financing” constraints needed to be urgently addressed to avoid time
and cost overruns.

Ads by Google Efffective IT Proj Mgmt Automate & Integrate All
Processes For Your IT Business. Free Demo!ConnectWise.com/ITPrGantt
Chart Software Free Trial – Leading Gantt Chart Software for Business
& Individualswww.Mindjet.comScheduling/Delay Analysis Experts in
construction schedules and critical path delay
analysiswww.SynergenConsulti

These include problems of tendering of unviable projects,

bad quality of engineering and planning at the Detailed

Project Report stage, lack of standardised and sub-optimal contracts,
land acquisition delays, slow approval processes and weak performance
of management in nodal agencies and PSUs among others.

Sensex, Nifty plunge 3% during the week
Source: IRIS (25-FEB-11)

Both the indices, Sensex and Nifty plunged around 3% during the week
on worries of rising inflation and current account deficit. Investor`s
confidence has still not recovered entirely as the unrest in Libya and
Middle East continues. Sectorally, BSE Capital Goods, Auto, Bankex,
Realty were hammered badly.

Indian equities plunged on Thursday on the back of rise in crude oil
prices to USD 100 a barrel in international markets, which could
increase India`s fiscal deficit and inflation in near term. Crude oil
crossed USD 100 in New York trading on reports that up to half of
Libya`s output is offline.

The 30 share index, Sensex tumbled 510.61 points, or 2.8%, to
17,700.91 in the week ended Feb. 18, 2011. On the other hand, the
broad based NSE Nifty dropped 155.4 points, or 2.85%, to 5,303.55 in
the same period.

Mid-cap stocks declined sharply by 308.13 points, or 4.63%, to
6,353.52 in the week. While small-cap shares plunged 339.44 points, or
4.18%, to 7789.47 during the week.

Major laggards over the week in the sectoral indices were BSE Capital
Goods (6.15%), Auto (5.35%), Bankex (4.73%), Realty (4.67%),
Healthcare (3.88%), PSU (3.59%), Power (3.46%), Metal (3.45%), Teck
(2.10%), IT (1.94%), Conusmer Durables (1.54%) and FMCG (0.29%).
However, BSE Oil & gas gained 0.80% during the week.

Food inflation rose marginally to 11.49% for the week ended February
12 from 11.05% in the previous week, driven by rising prices of milk,
egg, meat and vegetables. The marginal rise in food inflation for the
seven-day period ended February 12 snaps a fortnight of consecutive
decline during the weeks ended January 29 and February 5.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the equity
segment worth Rs 5.61 billion on both the BSE and the NSE on Feb. 25,
as per provisional data available at NSE. They bought equities worth
Rs 28.56 billion and sold equities worth Rs 34.17 billion.

For the coming week, couple of major events and data is scheduled and
their outcome will decide the further tone of the market. Technical
Indicators are mixed. Closing above the level of 5,340 can pull the
index to level of 5,550 with major resistance at 5,450. Any negative
close below 5,240 will have negative impact and which can drag the
Nifty to lower levels of 5,050 with minor support at 5,155 opined
Shrikant Chouhan, Senior V P (Technical Research), Kotak Securities,
while commenting on the outlook for next week.

“Market reversal stands at 5,550. Decisive close above 5,550 will
signal potential reversal in trend. Till that time medium term trend
stands down,“ he added.

SENSEX 17700.91 Up – 68.50 NIFTY 5303.55 Up – 40.85

BSE Top Gainers

Company Name High Low Last Price Prv Close Change % Gain

Tata Motors 1,115.60 1,071.60 1,105.10 1,058.25 46.85 4.43
ICICI Bank 995.90 966.00 987.30 953.45 33.85 3.55
ITC 156.50 151.50 156.15 151.60 4.55 3.00
SBI 2,617.40 2,531.70 2,583.90 2,530.95 52.95 2.09
Jindal Steel 650.00 618.30 645.55 633.70 11.85 1.87
Wipro 434.90 423.40 433.05 425.70 7.35 1.73
Jaiprakash Asso 81.15 77.10 79.80 78.70 1.10 1.40
Bharti Airtel 332.40 324.75 329.20 325.35 3.85 1.18
Tata Steel 611.50 592.70 608.00 602.15 5.85 0.97
Hero Honda 1,510.00 1,452.00 1,500.35 1,490.45 9.90 0.66
HDFC 632.50 613.60 626.60 623.20 3.40 0.55
Bajaj Auto 1,299.90 1,245.30 1,284.50 1,279.45 5.05 0.39
Reliance 981.15 954.00 965.95 965.85 0.10 0.01

BSE Top Losers
25 Feb 17:30

Company Name High Low Last Price Prv Close Change % Loss

Reliance Comm 94.35 85.20 87.55 92.55 -5.00 -5.40
Reliance Infra 679.65 617.10 638.00 668.65 -30.65 -4.58
Mah and Mah 628.50 587.65 595.10 615.90 -20.80 -3.38
Hindalco 208.95 194.70 200.20 205.30 -5.10 -2.48
Sterlite Ind 165.30 158.55 159.70 163.35 -3.65 -2.23
BHEL 2,030.95 1,960.00 1,975.00 1,999.60 -24.60 -1.23
HDFC Bank 2,089.90 2,021.00 2,046.35 2,068.75 -22.40 -1.08
Tata Power 1,199.45 1,155.00 1,175.65 1,188.15 -12.50 -1.05
ONGC 268.75 261.00 262.95 264.80 -1.85 -0.70
Larsen 1,545.75 1,481.10 1,513.10 1,523.10 -10.00 -0.66
Infosys 3,038.40 2,973.90 3,008.25 3,025.40 -17.15 -0.57
NTPC 172.80 168.60 170.45 171.15 -0.70 -0.41
TCS 1,116.90 1,089.20 1,111.20 1,115.10 -3.90 -0.35
DLF 218.00 209.00 212.85 213.45 -0.60 -0.28
HUL 280.90 271.60 279.50 280.20 -0.70 -0.25
Maruti Suzuki 1,197.00 1,145.50 1,170.75 1,173.35 -2.60 -0.22
Cipla 306.55 300.00 301.55 302.10 -0.55 -0.18

I-T Dept slaps Rs 450cr demand on Infosys

Published on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 14:53 | Updated at Fri, Feb 25, 2011
at 18:25 | Source : PTI

I-T Dept slaps Rs 450cr demand on Infosys

Infosys

BSE | NSE 25/02/11

The Income Tax Department has slapped a tax demand of over Rs 450
crore on software giant Infosys Technologies for wrongfully claiming
tax exemption on onshore services by declaring them as software
exports, Parliament was informed today.

Onshore software development is the practice wherein Indian companies
send their software engineers on short assignments (3-6 months) to
companies based in Europe, the US, and other nations.

“A notice has been issued to Infosys.. for the assessment year 2007-08
as demand of Rs 657.81 crore was created… which was revised to Rs
456.38 crore in a rectification order,” Minister of State for Finance
S S Palanimanickam said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He further said, “Revenue from software development activity and
technical manpower deputed abroad have not been considered as export
income eligible for deduction under 10A/10B/10AA of the Income Tax
Act, 1961.

New Delhi

CBI arrests NALCO chief for taking bribe
Agencies

New Delhi, February 25, 2011

First Published: 21:44 IST(25/2/2011)
Last Updated: 21:48 IST(25/2/2011)

Chairman and Managing Director of National Aluminium Company Ltd
(NALCO) A K Srivastava and three others arrested by CBI in an alleged
bribery case. The CBI arrested Srivastava, his wife Chandni Srivastava
along with two accomplices. Media reports say that Srivastava’s wife
Chandni was allegedly ca
rrying Rs. 3 lakh in her purse. The total cash is believed to be Rs.
30 lakh, according to reports.

Reports also say that 10 kg of gold was recovered from their house.
(With PTI input)

Malkangiri collector made a pitch for development during Maoist
captivity
Supriya Sharma, TNN, Feb 25, 2011, 05.58pm IST

Comments (7)

Tags:R Vineel Krishna|Orissa government|Maoist|Malkangiri collector|
Adivasis

MALKANGIRI: After eight tense but quiet days and nights in the forest,
district collector R Vineel Krishna woke up on Friday to media
cacophony on his official lawns. “Staying in the jungle and
experiencing how adivasis live has brought greater sensitivity to my
life,” he told reporters. “It was a life changing experience”.

The young IAS officer, a graduate of IIT, had been kidnapped by the
Maoists on February 16 and held hostage for eight days.

Personal transformation apart, it appears the jungle sojourn provided
Krishna an inadvertent opportunity to make a plea for the government
and its development initiatives.

On Thursday, after eight nights of constantly shifting location in the
forests, walking with a group of armed Maoists, Krishna sensed freedom
was close at hand, when his captors brought him to a large public
gathering, attended by 1500-2000 adivasis. First, the Maoist leaders
made speeches, hitting out at government failures. Then they asked
Krishna to respond.

“I said I cannot answer for what happened decades back.. I
concentrated on what I have done. I won’t say we have done great
things. But from the bottom of my heart, I can say we have been trying
to bring some development to the area,” he said, recounting his
speech.

Krishna had been abducted and held in what is aptly called
Malkangiri’s ‘cut-off’ area — 900 square kilometres rendered
inaccessible and atoll-like ever since the construction of the
Balimela dam in the 70′s.

Odisha government twice attempted to build a bridge to connect the
‘cut-off’ area to Malkangiri’s mainland. The last attempt failed when
a private engineering firm abandoned the project in the face of Maoist
threats.

Using the public meeting as a platform to elucidate the difficulties
this had thrown up, Krishna told the adivasis, “How do we take a rig
(to dig borewells) to provide drinking water? How do we bring
electricity? How are we going to ensure teachers stay there without
even minimum facilities?”

Krishna acknowledged the area’s underdevelopment was rooted in the
legacy of the dam. “It is now recognised everywhere that
rehabilitation issues should get priority”.

But he described the Maoists obstruction of roads and bridges — based
on the reasoning that it would lead to an influx of security forces —
as ‘very unfortunate’. “Those areas develop that are accessible,” he
said.

His speech appears to have struck a chord with the adivasis. Krishna
said the public response left him ‘surprised’. “I felt we have hardly
done anything, why are people responding (with so much support).”

Hinting that the denouement may have deviated from the Maoist script,
he said, “They did what they had to do and people of the area have
told them what they wanted to tell”.

Comments (7)

Recommended (2)

Ramesh Niyyogi (Hyderabad)
50 mins ago (09:23 PM)

IHis experience should be a wonderful eye opening for all the
bureaucrats who sit in A/C rooms and give lectures. All our corrupted
babus and their god fathers in the guise of powerful politicians
should be given the same treatment or even worse than what Vinyl
Krishna had experienced to make them come to terms what they have
given back to this country and in particular such innocent adivasis
who have been reposing confidence in them that though not to today
some day they would do some good to these people of our country. Once
the intellectuals like Mr.Assange of Wikileaks hand over the list of
Black money hoarders all that amount should be brought back to the
country and give the hoarders a holiday with these maoists in the AOB
jungles.
Agree (2)

Jone Immanuel (chennai)
53 mins ago (09:20 PM)

get the views of maoists and their sympathaisers to gauge the the real
problems of tribes. Hill and tribal concentrated areas should be given
separate representation by the tribes themselves. Funds should be
allotted and see the funds are utilised 100% for their betterment . A
volunteered dedicated officers be posted for short period on
rotational basis with special remuneratiuon. see the changes.

prakash (CHENNAI)
1 hr ago (09:06 PM)

Personal experience or misfortune made him unusual bureaucrat for time
being. Bureaucrat”s are selected by the stupid way —”they are
interviewed and selected by — who thinks different from the mass
thinking , and the first and best one is who never orients himself
with the mass “.. In India Bureaucrats thinks ,ordinary peoples are
idiots with no governing ideas,stupids- just like animals.; With their
government post as DIPLOMAT,ambassadors,chief secretary,collectors,IAS
and IPS posts they think they are the gods of INDIA. Thease all to be
changed.
Agree (3)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

Pratap Routray (Bhubaneswar)
1 hr ago (08:54 PM)

RV Krishna has showed some exemplary courage to stay with those
underprivileged who wanted him back from the clutches of Maoists.
Their mantra is rural development where India’s success lies there.
Every Indian should listen to this. Empowerment of poorest of poor
will take India to the top of the world. I salute him as a an
ambassador for those who are deprived of basic to basic amenities.
Thanks RV Krishna for your dedication to rural services. I being an
Oriya salute you again from Bhubaneswar, Orissa
Agree (7)

Ruchika Raotane (Mumbai (Bombay), India)
1 hr ago (08:35 PM)

We cannot blame the government alone for these backward conditions.
With what guarantees anyone can be sent there to work to teach those
children, develop infrastructure, medical facilities and other things?
It is for the maoist to work for the development of these people whom
they want to represent. However, they are making that area a private
Somalia which cries out for development but can’t do anything because
everyone there like guns, grenades and bombs. Form your council discus
the issues and find the answers. Guns and violence cannot solve any
problems.
Agree (5)Disagree (3)

Swarup Kumar (Lohore)
1 hr ago (08:29 PM)

The only comment that comes to my mind is a dialogue from Munna Bhai
MBBS (though from a different context) which goes “These are men of
Honor”. Not the politicians, but these dedicated officials who
sincerely try and do something good, long after the politician has got
his votes counted, elected, and vanished from the scene. Kudos to his
courage, poise, and dedication!!!
Agree (6)

Shankar (Manipal)
3 hrs ago (07:01 PM)

Vineel Krishna seems to have practiced the simple, yet profound, art
of listening… empathetic listening. Great. Seems like he is an unusual
bureaucrat.
Agree (24)Recommend (6)

2G scam: Raja’s aide, Shahid Balwa denied bail by Delhi court
PTI, Feb 25, 2011, 06.46pm IST

Comments (3)

Tags:Shahid Usman|R K Chandolia|A Raja

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday rejected the bail pleas of former
telecom minister A Raja’s personal secretary R K Chandolia and Swan
Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa arrested in the 2G spectrum case,
saying they can tamper with evidence and influence witnesses if let
out.

The court said while one of the accused was a public official, the
other was a businessman having potential to influence the witnesses.

“There is no doubt that R K Chandolia is a high ranking public servant
and accused Balwa is also an influential businessman.

“Accordingly, I find a merit in the submission of Special Public
Prosecutor for CBI that if these accused are released on bail, they
may tamper with evidence or witnesses may not come forward to give
statements, more so when no one came forward to complain against their
illegal acts,” special CBI judge O P Saini said.

Chandolia was arrested along with Raja by the CBI on February 2 while
Balwa was taken into custody on February 8.

Readers’ opinions (3)

Recommended (1)

Munnabhai MBA (Mumbai)
1 hr ago (08:56 PM)

He had offered to fly CBI officers to Mumbai to buy time before he was
arrested. On bail he could fly all the witnesses out of the country !!
The track of 206 crores from DB realty to Kalaignagar
(‘Kunningmozhi’!)TV) is very clear.
Agree (2)Recommend (2)

SHIVRAM GOPAL VAIDYA (PUNE)
2 hrs ago (08:10 PM)

Now Balwa will take this Bail case upto the Supreme Court and the main
case will be side tracked. The matter must be taken on fast track and
the culprits must be punished at the earliest. The delay in the
punishments help increase the moral of the criminals and inspire them
to more and more severe crimes. The Government and the Legal Systems
must take a note of this.
Agree (2)

ponnusamy (tittagudi)
2 hrs ago (07:49 PM)

if the CBI shows determination then guilty can not escape whatever the
political compulsions may be
Agree (7)

Hyderabad man kills wife, cuts body into pieces
TNN, Feb 25, 2011, 03.19am IST

Comments (68)

Tags:Narsingi police|LNR Residency|IPC

HYDERABAD: In a gruesome incident, a watchman suspecting his wife’s
fidelity, hacked her to death and cut her body into eight pieces at
their house in Poppalguda on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday
night.

The victim, S Ramanamma, 35, of Govindpally in Kurnool district, and B
Alluraiah, 40, fell in love and deserted their respective spouses in
2004. Later, they came to city for a living.

Since then, the couple began living together and used to do petty
jobs. A few months ago, Alluraiah joined as a watchman at LNR
Residency in Poppalguda near Narsingi.

According to police, Alluraiah used to suspect his wife of having a
relationship with another man and they used to quarrel frequently.

After a similar quarrel on Wednesday night, Alluraiah hacked his wife
to death and cut her body into eight pieces. A resident of the
apartment, who came home at 12 midnight, noticed the body parts piled
up in front of the watchman’s room and alerted other residents.

Based on a complaint lodged by apartment secretary Satyanarayana
Reddy, the Narsingi police registered a case under section 302
(Murder) of the Indian Penal Code ( IPC) and launched a manhunt to nab
Alluraiah.

Comments (68)

Recommended (38)

Vivek (Hyderabad)
2 hrs ago (08:05 PM)

I have a lot of time to read comments & you have time to write
Agree (4)Disagree (2)Recommend (2)

Raghav Reddy (Chicago)
2 hrs ago (07:39 PM)

A>P is fast becoming Bihar under the current government
Agree (11)Disagree (8)Recommend (6)

DS (US) replies to Raghav Reddy
1 hr ago (08:56 PM)

Mr Reddy – its very easy to show fingure to others. Look at your self.
You sitting in US trying your best to get GC talking about saving
nation and Bihar.
Agree (2)Disagree (7)

osman (Hyd) replies to DS
1 hr ago (09:10 PM)

Well, I could also see US in front of your name.
Agree (6)Disagree (1)Recommend (3)

Abhi (Bangalore) replies to Raghav Reddy
2 hrs ago (08:19 PM)

Hey Mr Reddy. Pls note that they are criminals are Criminals. So
please don’t drag in regionalism here.And pls note that there are many
things that is worst at AP.
Agree (4)Disagree (3)Recommend (2)

Kc (US) replies to Raghav Reddy
2 hrs ago (07:58 PM)

Pls mind your tongue. All such incidents happen in AP and not in
Bihar. We may be poor but not mad. Why don’t you set your house in
order first before shooting your mouth.
Agree (8)Disagree (3)Recommend (6)

mailemphy (delhi) replies to Kc
26 mins ago (09:54 PM)

AP is fast becoming Bihar, i agreed.why r u so mad abt it? tats a
known fact.
Agree (1)

Anon (USA) replies to Kc
44 mins ago (09:36 PM)

No you are both poor and mad. Except for high crime rates and
corruption rates in the enrire country, there is nothing much Bihar
can claim off. The capital city is worst than a smaller towns
elsewhere in the country.
Agree (1)Disagree (1)

Kc replies to Anon
31 mins ago (09:49 PM)

Have you forgotten the Tri valley Univ episode where the great ppl
from your place got India laurels in US with their honesty ????

cheema777 (liverpool)
3 hrs ago (06:47 PM)

Fool man will die now behind the bar for rest of his life. If wife is
loose knicer(slapper.cheap tart)just kick her off there are planty of
fishes in the sea.
Agree (18)Disagree (6)Recommend (6)

Rajit (Canada) replies to ***@hotmail.co.uk
17 mins ago (10:03 PM)

Are you describe all your family member i.e Mother, sister, cousins
are all fish Please think before write anything.
Disagree (1)

eat-my-opinion (India) replies to ***@hotmail.co.uk
2 hrs ago (07:39 PM)

Looks like there are many slappers, cheap tarts in liverpool too…hence
the language.
Agree (10)Disagree (1)Recommend (3)

cheema777 replies to eat-my-opinion
8 mins ago (10:12 PM)

sorry to say that India is left far behind westen countries on this
matter now. There are planty red lights district now in India.

winter-wine (India) replies to ***@hotmail.co.uk
2 hrs ago (07:28 PM)

Plenty of fish for good people, not for that scum who butchered his
wife. He deserves to die behind bars.
Agree (13)Disagree (2)Recommend (6)

Ravada (Houston)
3 hrs ago (06:33 PM)

Shouldn’t the headline read: “Kurnool man kills his wife IN
Hyderabad”? or “Kurnool eloped woman killed in Hyderabad by Paramor”,
or something like that? Get your Geogreaphy right, TOI….
Agree (9)Recommend (5)

vizi (Chile)
4 hrs ago (06:11 PM)

send him to us , we have so many watchmans in the IT companies , few
run IT companies too
Agree (12)Disagree (1)Recommend (5)

siraj (hyd)
4 hrs ago (05:43 PM)

its tragic! but dont spoil the name of a city ‘cos some migrant
criminal is caught!! or do u think unless the the city name is taken
no one would read your article?? and coming back, these intances will
keep happening if we dont accept the more “practical laws” available
with a religion, which most of us are fond of hating!
Agree (15)Disagree (7)Recommend (3)

k (US) replies to siraj
3 hrs ago (07:03 PM)

No. Thanks for your offer of “more practical laws available with a
religion”. You can take your laws and put it, you know where. Ask
Iranians how these practical laws are working for them.
Agree (1)Disagree (7)Recommend (1)

Mahesh (Mumbai) replies to siraj
3 hrs ago (06:28 PM)

The more’pratical law’ you are refering doesn’t give same rights to
women. Womens can’t say talaq,talaq,talaq and leave her husband.
Disagree (2)

Emkay (Hyderabad) replies to siraj
4 hrs ago (05:55 PM)

Will you shut up. Don’t bring religion into everything…
Disagree (1)

Swati (Delhi) replies to siraj
4 hrs ago (05:50 PM)

And I guess this even destroys country’s name.
Agree (6)Disagree (4)Recommend (3)

V.K. Sharma (Delhi) replies to Swati
4 hrs ago (06:09 PM)

Sweati Ji/ Think also, why this man has to take such a serious steps.
Thouh, it is tragic and so horrible steps and no doubt he should not
have done so. But,a senseless man in anger can not think all the
points.

JK (London) replies to siraj
4 hrs ago (05:49 PM)

Well I think city name is essential. Turning a blind eye towards city
crime statistics is not a solution.
Disagree (1)

mahesh (bangalore)
4 hrs ago (05:38 PM)

he wasted his life for a worthless lady. infidelity is quite common,
those who dont agree are just living in dreams… men shud learn to
accept this… then take decision either to get into marriage or not…
Disagree (1)

sanat (Pune)
5 hrs ago (04:56 PM)

GOOD.. Perfect end of a LOVE STORY !!!!!
Agree (1)Disagree (1)

Ashis (Delhi)
5 hrs ago (04:54 PM)

Please do not post this kind of news as breaking news or in front
pages of printed version. Thanks
Agree (1)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)

Jayshree (Mumbai.)
5 hrs ago (04:50 PM)

Its shameful to read some of the comments supporting and even praising
the horrifying actions. These ppl forget that the man also had
committed adultery as he LEFT his earlier wife. None of them talk
about punishing him while commending him of his brutal act on his mere
suspicion. He could have just left her as he did his first wife. Some
ppl have spoken of court etc. this does not apply to this section of
ppl, he merely would walk to another woman’s arms shortly.
Agree (11)Disagree (3)Recommend (1)

Sowmya (Oz Land)
5 hrs ago (04:43 PM)

We can’t blame one person. Both are equally to be blamed. He did the
same thing in 2004 to his wife!! He is not faithful either….why
complain?? This kind of barbaric act shows his possesiveness. Sick
man!!
Agree (13)Disagree (5)Recommend (2)

winter-wine (India)
5 hrs ago (04:33 PM)

Whoever justifies this gruesome killing needs to be sent to mental
asylum.
Agree (12)Disagree (3)Recommend (3)

ankur p (Mumbai)
7 hrs ago (02:30 PM)

I partially agree with some of the comments below. There is absolutely
no justification for what the man did and this savage act deserves
strong condemnation. But at the same time, Indian law is such that a
man does not have any option to divorce a bad wife as he could face
dowry, DV and maintenance cases, jail, lose his house, etc. This is
frightening but true and is a sorry reflection of our family laws,
which urgently need to be modified to some extent. It is crazy that a
man has to compulsorily stay in a bad relationship and does not have
any way out, while women have 100 ways out. This is not gender
equality and more rational laws could and definitely would have
prevented this crime. Once again, however, this is not a justification
for his crime.
Agree (25)Disagree (11)Recommend (8)

Subramanian (Bangalore) replies to ankur p
4 hrs ago (06:15 PM)

It does not mean that the man can commit such dastardly act!!!
Agree (2)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)

sohail (Seoul) replies to ankur p
6 hrs ago (03:50 PM)

You are right dear. Pl. refer to Islam at least in matter of marriage
and tilaq and I am hopeful you will get a reasonable answer. Thanks
for raising actual problem.
Agree (12)Disagree (19)Recommend (2)

Jyo (US) replies to sohail
4 hrs ago (05:46 PM)

Sohail: Refer Islamic Marriage for what? 4 Marriages which is the
right of only Men but not woman? Adultery punishment strict only for
woman but not men? You guys suck. Only muslim men talk but not muslim
woman.
Agree (2)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)

JayDude (India) replies to sohail
4 hrs ago (05:42 PM)

why do u guys lways bring in Islamic flavor..Boss enough of Islam, we
all know what Islam preaches…how they treat women in Islam…
Agree (1)Disagree (2)Recommend (1)

praveen (mumbai) replies to sohail
5 hrs ago (04:56 PM)

Sohail, why are you dragging this stuff into religion. Ankur is
talking about the law in India. No idea why you are bringing in the
Sharia law? Oh btw, I still believe it to be a heinous crime to take
away a life, whatsover the reason may be
Agree (10)Disagree (4)Recommend (2)

srs (Hyderabad) replies to sohail
5 hrs ago (04:54 PM)

We have the answer. 1.2 billion people due to mindless procreation and
4 marriages.
Agree (1)

Vinay (UAE) replies to sohail
5 hrs ago (04:53 PM)

Abe tu kahan ja rahan hain, mauka milte hi islam ka sabak sikah rahan
hain, Just chill sohail, be it islam or any other religion, it is the
individual who has commited mistake who is wrong & not the religion
Agree (11)Disagree (5)Recommend (2)

john (Delhi) replies to sohail
5 hrs ago (04:45 PM)

Very true point sohail.
Disagree (1)

san (mumbai) replies to sohail
5 hrs ago (04:29 PM)

Why do people always need to put their religion into everything???!!

Vikram (bhopal)
7 hrs ago (02:25 PM)

was he watching DEXTER?? completely disturbing and gruesome act..
Agree (9)Disagree (3)Recommend (3)

Avinash (India)
8 hrs ago (01:31 PM)

They both left their previous partners. So what happened isn’t too
much surprising…
Agree (23)Disagree (6)Recommend (4)

tejinder singh wadha (delhi)
9 hrs ago (12:32 PM)

This is only because through the court of law you can never get
justice. It is impossible to prove in the court that a woman is
unfaithful. In the eyes of law…hand holding,hugging and even smooching
is not a part of infidility. They need better proof. Now nobody can
produce a blue movie as a proof of adultry. i know women taking a oath
in the court describing her paramour as her brother …even photographs
showing her tieing rakhi to her lover. And as witness…the mother of
the girl standing next to them. This is the only way a hurt man can
get his revenge.
Agree (38)Disagree (36)Recommend (20)

Faulty system (pune) replies to tejinder singh wadha
6 hrs ago (04:12 PM)

I am prtly agree with you.. the thing could have done in different way
also.. Killing some one is not a solution.. system need to blame for
this kind of Gruesome act.. just tink about the mental condition of a
person who killed his loved one… think twice before any act i would
say…
Agree (4)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)

Rav (mEL) replies to tejinder singh wadha
7 hrs ago (03:14 PM)

No matter what no one gives you the right to kill anyone. Grow up,
haven’t you made your own choices? If he killed her because he was out
of control would not justify the killing and its because of people
like you that we have to put up with honor killing in this so called
advanced and shinning India
Agree (6)Disagree (8)Recommend (2)

Anita (Mumbai) replies to tejinder singh wadha
7 hrs ago (03:04 PM)

You are mentally retarded. Please ask your near and dear ones(in case
you have any) to get you treated.
Agree (14)Disagree (13)Recommend (4)

Ron (Mum) replies to Anita
5 hrs ago (05:06 PM)

Do you think Tejinder has any near and dear ones left. He might have
hacked them to death by now. You have rightly called him a mentally
retarded guy.

PadDADA (Bangalore) replies to tejinder singh wadha
7 hrs ago (03:00 PM)

O Jaat…pagalkhane se bhaag ke aya hai kya tu… Man chopped his wife for
mere suspicion…you are calling it justice???? Saale tere jese logo ke
liye kisi ki lyf ki koi value nahi hoti…I bet u wud favour honour
killing also… open ur eyes and realize u r in some society..dont apply
ur Jungle ka kanoon here…
Agree (18)Disagree (14)Recommend (5)

Vikram (pune) replies to tejinder singh wadha
7 hrs ago (02:42 PM)

Oh, man u really are sick,u need a mental treatment.
Agree (17)Disagree (12)Recommend (4)

DB (SG) replies to tejinder singh wadha
7 hrs ago (02:36 PM)

lol…this is called “jatt dimmaag”
Agree (13)Disagree (9)Recommend (4)

sachin (bharat) replies to tejinder singh wadha
9 hrs ago (01:20 PM)

forget alluriah. first put this guy tejinder behind bars. he believes
this is the correct way to get revenge?????
Agree (31)Disagree (20)Recommend (8)

mona (bangalore) replies to tejinder singh wadha
9 hrs ago (12:55 PM)

hello dude… does this mean every man who is cheating his wife should
be hacked too? if you say and stand by this argument, then i think you
are just a social threat than being of any use.. :)
Agree (33)Disagree (18)Recommend (9)

Swati (Europe) replies to tejinder singh wadha
9 hrs ago (12:53 PM)

So u mean if a man commits infidelity a woman can also chop him into
pieces and pile them up in front of the house ? Then even this
guys’ (ex)wife must have done the same with him as he committed
adultery by running away with another woman….
Agree (47)Disagree (13)Recommend (9)

Sagar (MK) replies to Swati
1 hr ago (09:07 PM)

I think you guys are missing the fact and truth that tejinder is
showcasing here. I totally agree it is gruesome act to do something
like this, either by a man or a woman. We need definitely and
expedited judiciary that we have faith in and can trust to resolve
issues. Since people have NO FAITH in JUDICIARY and there is
corruption everywhere, people have started to come out and take into
their hands. YES this is wrong. BUT unless we, the people of india, so
something to root out corruption and injustice that is prevailing in
our society, I think this is going to grow. People are going to take
things in their hands – good or bad, BOTH MEN & WOMEN. Don’t fight
about GENDER. Grow up INDIAn Citizens.
Agree (1)Recommend (1)

Chandan (Delhi) replies to Swati
7 hrs ago (02:55 PM)

Of course … she could have done it
Agree (6)Disagree (2)Recommend (1)

Shubha (pune)
9 hrs ago (12:23 PM)

Aur bolo Bihari,MP,UP ppl only do this wicked thing. Now wat happnd to
southern. everywhere men are similer in thinking. Cant blame state
wise.
Agree (37)Disagree (15)Recommend (11)

TOI Reader (Bangalore) replies to Shubha
3 hrs ago (06:32 PM)

Although ladies act very decent and daintily, once they enter any
professional colleges far away from watchful eyes of Parents…you can
see them dancing and prancing around African/Rich gulf students..see
them in pubs, resorts, and clubs each time with a new boyfriend, and
the photos of their acts on social networking sites! Talk of decency –
aren’t women the same everywhere??!
Agree (1)Disagree (1)

PadDADA (Bangalore) replies to Shubha
7 hrs ago (03:13 PM)

Hahaha..well done Shubha.. u have given gud answer to ppl who were
commenting on ‘man killed for 50 paisa in UP’…. now what,in UP at
least human value is 50 paisa..see ur south states its big ZERO here…
Agree (7)Disagree (5)Recommend (3)

tejinder singh wadha (delhi)
10 hrs ago (12:13 PM)

Marriage is a pious relationship. It has to be respected. Infidility
is intolerable.But there are better ways to get rid of a unfaithful
wife. Though all of them are illegal. Law will let a unfaithful wife
get away not with her sin but also with man’s assets.
Agree (27)Disagree (5)Recommend (13)

cheema777 (liverpool) replies to tejinder singh wadha
3 hrs ago (06:55 PM)

There are few men or women they are faithful for their marriage.Now is
christmas marriage and divorce on Easter.

HARDIK (AHMEDABAD)
13 hrs ago (08:50 AM)

Good lesson. People should be afraid of commiting infidelity once they
are under sacred bond of marriage.
Agree (31)Disagree (40)Recommend (18)

PadDADA (Bangalore) replies to HARDIK
7 hrs ago (03:08 PM)

ur name reminds me of the fellow who came in Roadies- Hardik from
Ahmedabad..Rhino circle.. R u the same guy as ur talks also resembles
him… anyway whoever u r ..u r mental retarded and a threat to
society..first of all people like u who advocate these acts should be
put behind bars
Agree (4)Disagree (2)Recommend (1)

shubha (pune) replies to HARDIK
9 hrs ago (12:24 PM)

U must have done something wrong wid ur wife or gilfrn. Ur mentality
shows ur cruelty.
Agree (17)Disagree (16)Recommend (2)

indian (India) replies to HARDIK
10 hrs ago (12:05 PM)

u r one crazy man
Agree (18)Disagree (16)Recommend (5)

faleiro.ivooscar (Margao – Goa, INDIA.)
13 hrs ago (08:48 AM)

Very, very sad. I can try to forgive this insane man for killing his
wife suspecting her fidelity, but will NEVER forgive him for cutting
the dead body into pieces. This is a highly barbaric act any human
being can ever commit. If he was suspecting his wife’s fidelity then
he should have divorced her. But there again comes a never ending
legal battle in the Courts. The laws are heavily tilted in woman’s
favor. Why only the woman should get maintenance, alimony, etc? Just
because of she is a weaker sex or just because there is a child born
out of the wedlock??? We are living in the 21st century where even a
man can raise a baby. Hence, the laws have to be changed to suit the
present scenario. – Ivo Oscar Faleiro. Former General Secretary, South
Goa District Congress (I) Committee, Margao – Goa, INDIA.
Agree (32)Disagree (12)Recommend (17)

TOI Reader (Bangalore) replies to ***@gmail.com
5 hrs ago (04:37 PM)

Hello Former General Secretary, South Goa District Congress (I)
Committee, Margao – Goa, INDIA, What are YOU doing to stop rape,
pedophilia, drug peddling, illegal massage parlors, casinos, Russian
mafia investments, and prostitution in your area/state?!
Disagree (1)

PadDADA (Bangalore) replies to ***@gmail.com
6 hrs ago (03:36 PM)

Chacha yaha pe politics ki bhasad na failao… how could u say ‘I can
try to forgive this insane man for killing his wife suspecting her
fidelity’… u r just one step behind the killer… if ur law is weak u
wud kill some one???? why law is like that or this is not the question
here…this man earlier also left his first wife..he could have left her
or divorced her instead of killing…
Agree (5)Disagree (3)Recommend (2)

TOI Reader (Bangalore) replies to PadDADA
5 hrs ago (04:31 PM)

Bahut sahi kaha bhaiyaji!

Kumar (Pune)
14 hrs ago (07:49 AM)

For all of you who comment about the West’s divorce rate & how India’s
is so low – please let’s look at this situation. I think divorce is a
better option.
Agree (31)Disagree (7)Recommend (11)

…and I am Sid H
cogitoergosum
2011-02-26 10:04:22 UTC
Permalink
<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main48.asp?
filename=Ws1602112g.asp">Fresh money trail emerges in 2G spectrum
case</a>

CBI thinks this might involve the ADAG, a Delhi realty group, and
Shahid Balwa

Ashish Khetan
New Delhi

Anil Ambani

The 2G spectrum scam is getting murkier by the day. A politician and a
Delhi-based real estate group have now come under the probe agencies’
scanner for their suspected role in the telecom scam.

This newest revelation takes the investigation to the doorsteps of
political parties other than the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Over
the past week, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has
interrogated at length senior officials of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group and Amit Sarin, the Delhi-based billionaire and real estate
tycoon, asking them to explain a string of suspicious transactions,
particularly one where Rs 100 crore was transferred to Shahid Balwa a
day after he applied for a telecom licence.

The CBI has unearthed a money trail of Rs 100 crore that starts from
the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, goes through the Delhi-based real
estate company Anant Raj Group and Mumbai billionaire Shahid Balwa.

This lends credence to the belief that 37-year-old Balwa was not the
only beneficiary from the windfall gains made by Swan Telecom—one of
the nine new companies to which former telecom minister A Raja had
allocated precious 2G spectrum at dirt-cheap rates.

It is now alleged that Reliance Telecom might have also made illegal
gains from Swan Telecom.

This startling disclosure has come within a week of the Supreme Court
instructing the CBI to go after the real beneficiaries of the scam
‘even if they are millionaires or feature in the Forbes rich list and
find out their role in the conspiracy.’

The CBI has already uncovered a massive fund transfer of Rs 209.25
crore from Balwa to Kalaignar TV—a Chennai-based media house owned by
DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s family—which the agency now claims was a
kickback paid by Balwa to the DMK.

In addition, the CBI has sent a letter rogatory to the government of
Mauritius asking for details of a dubious company to which Reliance
Telecom had sold the 9.81 percent stake it held in Swan Telecom in
December 2008, just two weeks after Raja gave ADAG the dual technology
licence.

According to CBI sources, Reliance Telecom had sold its stake to
Mauritius-based Delphi Investments for Rs 35 crore, which was a
pittance considering that Balwa sold his 44.7 percent stake to
Etisalat for a staggering Rs 3,218 crore. The agency suspects that the
undervalued Delphi deal was a pay-off.

The two deals—with Sarin and Delphi Investments—together have put
Ambani in a tight spot. Besides, the CBI is also looking into over a
dozen banking transactions between different ADAG companies on 18
October 2007—the day Reliance Telecom was granted 2G spectrum under
the dual technology policy.

TEHELKA sent a detailed questionnaire to ADAG asking specifically,
among other things, about its deal with Delphi and the Rs 100 crore
transaction with the Anant Raj Group. ADAG chose to not respond to
these specific queries.

A Raja

However, Sarin, Director and CEO of the Anant Raj Group, while
speaking to this reporter, admitted to having received Rs 100 crore
from ADAG and having transferred it to Sidhartha Consultancy—a company
originally owned by ADAG and whose ownership was transferred to Balwa
on 25 February 2007.

Sarin had promised to meet this reporter again after checking his
books so he could explain the transactions. But, he did not respond to
repeated SMSes seeking his formal response in the matter. The CBI in
the meantime has interrogated both Sarin and ADAG Company Secretary
Hari Nair.

The Rs 100 crore transaction between ADAG and the Anant Raj Group
happened on 3 March 2007—the same day when Balwa applied for a telecom
licence. Both the timing and the nature of the transaction are
extremely suspicious, say CBI sources.

This is only one among hundreds of complex banking transactions that
lie at the core of the 2G scam, which both the CBI and the Enforcement
Directorate have been trying to crack to conclusively establish the
beneficiaries of the scam, including the kickbacks that were allegedly
paid to Raja and senior officials in the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT).

The dizzying multitude of banking transactions stretches across dozens
of banks in different cities of India and over half a dozen offshore
tax havens and involve not just Swan Telecom but also other big
companies, both domestic and international. Like the Unitech Group,
ADAG, Datacom Solutions (owned by the Videocon Group), Loop Telecom
(owned by the Essar Group), the Tata Group and Dubai-based Etisalat
Telecom.

In January 2008, Raja gave away 122 unified access service (UAS)
licences and 35 dual technology licences, and with it the precious 2G
spectrum at 2001 prices, thus causing a loss of Rs 1,76,645 crore to
the national exchequer, according to the Comptroller and Auditor
General of India.

The 122 new UAS licences went to nine telecom companies including Swan
and Unitech, while a majority of the dual technology licences went to
Tata Teleservices and Reliance Telecom.

ADAG transfers Rs 100 crore to Shahid Balwa through Anant Raj Agencies
for no apparent reason

On 3 March 2007, an ADAG company named Sonata Investments transferred
Rs 100 crore to Oriental Buildtech, which is owned and controlled by
the Anant Raj Group.

Within a few hours, another Anant Raj Group company—Anant Raj Agencies—
transferred Rs 100 crore to Sidhartha Consultancy, which was at the
time owned by the Balwa-led DB Realty Group. So, in effect, Rs 100
crore that originated from an ADAG company landed with Balwa.

What is even more intriguing is that ADAG owned Sidhartha Consultancy
(earlier called Giraffe Consultancy), the company in which the money
was parked, till 24 February 2007. On 25 February, the company was
taken over by the Balwa’s DB Group. And six days later, on 2 March,
Balwa applied for the 2G licence.

It is alleged that Reliance Telecom might have also made stupendous
illegal gains from Swan Telecom

The big picture that emerges is that Balwa was not the only player
behind Swan Telecom, as ADAG has been insisting. It appears that,
seizing upon the opportunity to make a killing in the ongoing 2G
spectrum loot, many influential politicians and corporate houses made
money through proxies.

Swan is just one of the many companies that allegedly acted as proxy
for big corporate houses.

On 11 January, Ramesh Rathod, Telugu Desam Party MP from Adilabad,
wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh furnishing documentary evidence
that the Tata group funded the entire amount of Rs 1,700 crore paid by
the Unitech group for acquiring the UAS licence.

The agencies are also trying to lift the veil from companies like
Datacom (which was set up by HFCL Group along with Videocon) and Loop
Telecom (backed by Essar) and find out who the real beneficiaries
were.

Swan, Tiger, Parrot, Zebra, Penguin, Giraffe: A corporate menagerie

The CBI believes that the conspiracy behind the Swan Telecom was
hatched in early 2006 when ADAG created a web of newly formed
companies named after animals.

The following six companies were incorporated between March and
July 2006:

1. Swan Infonet (later renamed Parrot Consultants); incorporated
on 17 March 2006
2. Penguin International Ventures Pvt Ltd (later renamed Reliance
Utility Engineers) on 26 June 2006
3. Swan Advisory Services Pvt Ltd (later renamed Zebra Consultants
Pvt Ltd) on 21 March 2006
4. Giraffe Consultancy Pvt Ltd (later renamed Sidhartha
Consultancy) on 27 June 2006
5. Tiger Traders on 20 March 2006, and
6. Swan Capital Pvt Ltd (later renamed as Swan Telecom) on 13 July
2006

All these companies were incorporated with an initial share capital of
Rs 1 lakh each. Even these few lakhs allegedly came from the bank
accounts of top ADAG officials. Besides, either an ADAG company or
directors of ADAG owned equity in these companies. The addresses
provided in the incorporation documents were those of the registered
office of ADAG.

These companies had no substantial business activity except for
changing their shareholding pattern frequently till January 2007.

Shahid Balwa

Of these six companies, Parrot, Zebra and Tiger had inter-collapsible
shareholding. That is, Parrot and Tiger owned Zebra, Zebra and Tiger
owned Parrot, and Parrot and Zebra owned Tiger.

The shareholding pattern of Swan Capital Pvt Ltd, which was owned by
ADAG companies till January 2007, was suddenly changed on 20 January
2007, with Tiger Traders taking over all of Swan Capital’s 10,000
shares.

The January-February 2007 period was extremely crucial as Swan Capital
was about to apply for the much-coveted telecom licence.

Under DoT rules, an existing telecom player could not have more than
10 percent equity in a new telecom company. Hence, Swan and its
holding companies were gradually transferred to Balwa’s DB Realty
Group so he could successfully procure the UAS licence in his name.

But there was one problem. To be eligible, Swan Capital (later Swan
Telecom) had to ratchet up the required paid-up equity and net worth
in conformity with DoT guidelines. When Swan Capital and its holding
companies were transferred to Balwa, they had paid-up equity of Rs 1
lakh each.

ADAG finances Swan Telecom to the tune of over Rs 1,000 crore

In a bid to pump in massive funds into Swan (which was required to
meet the application criterion), Ambani left behind the money trail
that connects him to Balwa and the alleged illegal gains he made.

As explained above, ADAG transferred Swan Capital/Telecom to Tiger
Traders on 20 January 2007. Two days later, on 22 January, the share
capital of Swan was increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 crore. But even
this was not sufficient.

Swan wanted to apply for licences across 13 circles (the DoT had
divided the country into 22 telecom circles). To become eligible, Swan
needed a paid-up equity of Rs 103 crore and a net worth of Rs 1,030
crore (these figures were calculated as per DoT guidelines).
Additionally, Swan needed to amend its memorandum and articles of
association stating telecom as its core business.
Related
Raiders of the lost loot
2G scam trips billion-dollar realty mogul Shahid Balwa
Tata tele, RCom being probed

On 15 February, Swan Capital was changed to Swan Telecom. And on 1
March, the company’s paid-up equity was increased to Rs 110 crore,
divided into 10.9 crore equity shares of Rs 10 each and 99.2 lakh
preference shares of Re 1 each.

The 10.9 crore shares of Rs 10 each were divided between Tiger Traders
and Reliance Telecom, with the former taking 90.1 percent of the
shares and Reliance Telecom taking 9.9 percent, in conformity with the
DoT guideline of an existing telecom player not holding more than 10
percent equity in a new telecom company.

So now Swan’s paid-up equity was Rs 109 crore, a little more than the
required Rs 103 crore. But the net worth was still to be taken up to
Rs 1,030 crore. To do that, Reliance Telecom bought the 99,20,000
preference shares of Re 1 at Rs 1,000 each, paying a boggling premium
of Rs 999 per preference share, with each share overvalued by 99,900
percent.

All this was done on 1 March and a day later, on 2 March, Swan Telecom
moved its application before the DoT for the telecom licence. But in
this last-minute scramble, ADAG left its fingerprints behind.

When Swan Telecom applied for the licence, on paper Tiger Traders was
the majority stakeholder and Reliance Telecom a minor shareholder. And
Tiger Traders in turn was owned by ADAG-owned Parrot and Zebra. It was
only a month after the application that Balwa officially took over
Tiger Traders.

On 25 February 2007, the DB Reality Group took over ADAG’s Giraffe
Consultancy. On 26 March 2007, Giraffe was renamed Sidhartha
Consultancy. And on 4 April 2007, Sidhartha Consultancy bought the
stakes of Parrot and Zebra in Tiger Traders. Thus, Tiger Traders, the
majority stake holder in Swan telecom, finally came under Balwa’s
control.

This bewildering web of cross shareholdings lies at the core of the 2G
scam.

The CAG in its report tabled in Parliament in November 2010 had stated
that, ‘total stake of RTL (Reliance Telecom) in the Swan Telecom was
of Rs 1002.79 crore as against equity holding of Rs 98.22 crore by the
majority shareholder Tiger Traders Private Ltd. This raises doubts
about the intention of the RTL and the control it would exercise in a
new company incorporated barely few months ago. Hence the application
of such company to enter telecom sector goes against the intent and
spirit behind the UAS guidelines.’

Tehelka asked ADAG pointed questions on the specific issues of
changing shareholding pattern and the staggering investment done by it
in the shape of preference shares as explained above. But ADAG chose
to give vague replies without going into the details.

The dizzying multitude of banking transactions stretches across dozens
of banks in different cities of India and over half a dozen offshore
tax havens

In a statement emailed to Tehelka, ADAG stated: “Neither Reliance
Telecom, nor RCOM, nor any Reliance ADAG individual, company or
affiliate held even a single share in Swan Telecom Ltd., at the time
of grant of the 2G license to them in January 2008, or at any time
thereafter.”

Further, it claimed that “Reliance Communications has not violated any
of its license conditions at any stage, on account of cross-holdings
of 10 percent or above in any another Licensee, and is in full
compliance with all applicable DoT guidelines, rules and regulations.”

The CAG report had not minced words while calling Swan a front company
of ADAG. It had said: “Swan Telecom did not meet the eligibility
criteria on the date of application, its application should have been
rejected by the DoT and the company should have been directed to apply
afresh. Even if it was to be considered eligible on the basis of its
old application, the date of priority based on FCFS [first come, first
served] basis should have been revised from March 2007 to December
2007 in order to ensure fairness. Had it been so, the company would
have been out of the race as the department processed only those
applications which were received up to 25 September 2007.”

On 2 March, Reliance routes Rs 100 crore into Sidhartha Consultancy

By 25 February, Sidhartha (erstwhile Giraffe Consultancy) was already
taken over by Balwa’s DB Realty. The investigators are trying to crack
the intent behind the dubious Rs 100 crore that ADAG routed to
Sidhartha Consultancy through Delhi-based realtor Sarin.

Around the same time, another Rs 100 crore was transferred from the DB
Group to a company associated with a politician. The CBI is now trying
to connect the dots.

Sources have told TEHELKA that Sarin is ready to sing. He has already
provided the CBI email exchanges between him and ADAG officials.

The CBI has grilled at least five senior ADAG officials over the past
month. ADAG Company Secretary Hair Nair was grilled on 13 February.
Among other ADAG officials who have been examined so far is Gautam
Doshi.

Besides, senior executives from half a dozen other companies have also
been interrogated. Chief among them are Vinod Goenka, Chairman of
Dynamix Balwa Group; Sanjay Chandra, Managing Director of Unitech;
Sandeep Basu, Loop Mobile CEO; Arun Mandhana, S Tel’s Chief Financial
Officer, and Rupendra Kumar Sikka, its Chief Regulatory Officer;
Sanjay Ubale, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd CEO, and its CFO
Kishore Saletore.

The CBI is trying to crack a maze of complex shareholding patterns and
hundreds of banking transactions to identify the kickbacks allegedly
paid to Raja.

Ambani knew that Swan was certain to get the licence as Raja had made
it clear to the Prime Minister he would go ahead with his first come,
first served policy

A month before Swan is granted the UAS licence, Reliance Telecom sells
9.8 percent stake in Swan to a dubious Mauritius company

On 5 December 2007, Reliance Telecom sold 9.8 percent stake to
Mauritius-based Delphi Investments for just Rs 35 crore. The same
group had paid a phenomenal 99,900 percent premium just a few months
ago while buying preference shares in the same company.

Now when the company was all set to get 2G spectrum, he sold his 9.8
percent paid-up equity for a song. The market valuation of the stake
was around Rs 800 crore. Thus ADAG sold its stake at an estimated loss
of over Rs 750 crore. Investigators believe that the Ambani-Delphi
deal was a payoff to Raja.

Ambani knew that Swan was certain to get the precious licence as Raja
had already made it clear to the Prime Minister he would go ahead with
his first come, first served policy, according to which all those who
had applied for a licence till 25 September 2007 were eligible. Swan
had applied on 3 March and thus was ahead in the race.

The CBI is now trying to unlock the mystery behind Delphi. In the
second week of January this year, the CBI had sent a letter rogatory
to Mauritius seeking the identity of the people who control Delphi.
According to initial inputs available with the sleuths, Delphi is
connected to bank accounts in Switzerland and a few other tax havens
in Europe.

The alibi peddled by ADAG officials is that they don’t know the real
owners of Delphi because they dealt with merchant bankers while
cutting the deal.

Balwa and Goenka, his partner in the DB Group, made a stupendous
profit of Rs 3,217 crore when they sold their 44.7 per cent stake to
Dubai-based Etisalat Telecom.

Intriguingly, when Etisalat paid the money to the DB Group, they also
routed it through Mauritius instead of investing it directly through
their parent company in Dubai. A separate company in the name of
Etisalat Mauritius was floated just for this deal. In its letter
rogatory to Mauritius, the CBI has also asked for the bank details of
Etisalat Mauritius.

The point is: Will the CBI be able to join the dots and book all those
who made illegal gains, disregarding the high positions in the
government that they may hold? Can it break the vice-like grip that
big corporates like ADAG have over the government?

RELIANCE ADAG CLARIFIES

In reference to the report, ‘The Rs 100 crore trail that is worrying
India’s sixth-richest man’, the Reliance ADA Group Ltd. Has issued a
clarification. Daljeet Singh Group Vice President, Corporate
Communications, Reliance ADA Group Ltd., has said: “The comment on the
Tehelka website and in the magazine that a money trail has allegedly
been unearthed that starts from the Anil Ambani Group and ends with an
influential Maharashtra politician is factually incorrect and is
completely denied, because there are in fact no such connections or
links.” The company has also issued a clarification saying, “The
comment that Mr. Madhusudan Kela has been questioned by the CBI in the
course of ongoing investigations into telecom matters is factually
incorrect.”

***@tehelka.com

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main48.asp?
filename=Ws230211CWG_2010.asp">Top Kalmadi aides held over CWG
irregularities</a>

Both fail to give details on Rs 107 crore purchase of and scoring
system from Swiss company

Iftikhar Gilani
New Delhi

Suresh Kalmadi

The arrest of 66-year old Suresh Kalmadi, Congress MP from Pune,
appears to be only a matter of time after the arrest of the two top
officials of the Organising Committee that Kalmadi headed in the New
Delhi Commonwealth Games in October 2010.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the Committee's
Secretary-General Lalit Bhanot and Director General VK Verma after
they could not explain irregularities during interrogations on the
procurement of the ‘timing, scoring and result (TSR) system’ for Rs
107 crore from a Swiss company.

The arrests were made on the basis of a case registered by the CBI ‘on
the allegation that certain officials had entered into a criminal
conspiracy with representatives of a Swiss Company and awarded the
contract for TSR system at an exorbitant cost of Rs 107 crore in a pre-
mediated manner, thereby causing huge loss to the Government,’ a CBI
spokesperson said.

They were confronted with some of the documents they had allegedly
removed from the Organising Committee's office and which were seized
during raids at their residences on 30 November, the CBI sources said.

Both have been charged with criminal conspiracy (120B) and cheating
(Section 420) and would be produced before a special CBI court on 24
February, they said.

Bhanot was removed from the Organising Committee last year, after the
Games, on a complaint from the CBI to the Cabinet Secretary that
Bhanot was interfering in the probe.

The CBI has so far filed three FIRs in connection with the
irregularities and frauds by officials of the Organising Committee in
the conduct of the Games and the baton relay function in London.

Kalmadi's grouse against the agency is that it is focusing only on the
Organising Committee that spent five percent of the total money the
Games cost and is not looking into the scandals of the people who
handled 95 percent of the money for sprucing up Delhi and renovating
the stadiums.

Kalmadi says he and the Organising Committee officials are being made
targeted for the scams committed by others and hence he suggested a
Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into everything connected with the
Games.

He has been dropping hints that the government and the probe agencies
are trying to shield Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who, he says,
had a free run on government funds for the Games.

<a href="http://news.oneindia.in/2011/02/26/arun-shourie-turns-whistle-
blower-on-2g-scam-aid0113.html">Arun Shourie turns whistle blower on
2G scam</a>
Saturday, February 26, 2011, 12:41 [IST]

New Delhi, Feb 26: After senior BJP leader Arun Shourie aimed his guns
on the flawed policies of former Telecom Minister A Raja and allegedly
claimed of holding key evidence to prove that he had informed the
Prime Minister of the various discrepancies in the Telecom Ministry in
2008, Shourie has turned in to a whistle blower of sorts on the 2G
spectrum scam with his revelations.

After the allegations were made in the public space, the CBI summoned
Shourie to its offices to probe the matter further. He said after the
meeting with the CBI officials, “I pointed out to them (the CBI) the
things which were to happen in accordance with Cabinet decisions never
happened neither during Maran term and certainly not under Raja. And
they never went back to the Cabinet for changing the decision. That is
the telling point...Real issue is money was exchanged.”

Shourie added fuel to the already blazing issue when he said that the
Shivraj Patil Committee report was flawed and the whole exercise was a
cover-up attempt by the present Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal as a last-
minute face saving exercise for the UPA government. Shourie commented,
“Questioning industrialists and arresting few involved in the scam is
an effort to divert the attention from real issue. The CBI which has
shown some courage after Supreme Court monitoring needs to find out
the money trail. Who took the money, who was favoured and what were
the manipulations done by the officials?”

He also suggested that Raja should reveal the extensive money trail of
the 2G spectrum scam. He has also raised suspicions on the Dayanidhi
Maran regime.

Shourie also lambasted Raja's first-come first-serve policy and said,
“There were 167 applications for licenses pending when Raja took over.
Without going into the merits of these application, Raja invited 402
fresh applications and clubbed the pending application with the fresh
ones. Later, using clauses, he disqualified more than 300 applications
and laid new rules with letter of intent clause which required the
firm to deposit more than 1600 crores in a short span of time.”

Will Shourie be able to sound the death knell for the UPA government
with his revelations on the 2G scam? Will the whistle blowing Shourie
cause heartburn to the ruling UPA? Only time will tell.

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?
filename=Ne110910The_CWG.asp">‘The CWG will actually be remembered as
the Common Whore Games’</a>

In a freewheeling chat, Mani Shankar Aiyar tells VAIBHAV VATS how he
was forced out of the sports ministry and his radical document for
sporting revolution junked. And why we should not let ourselves be
bullied by Suresh Kalmadi

Mani Shankar Aiyar

In a freewheeling chat, Mani Shankar Aiyar tells VAIBHAV VATS how he
was forced out of the sports ministry and his radical document for
sporting revolution junked. And why we should not let ourselves be
bullied by Suresh Kalmadi..

There has always been discontent and a feeling that officials are not
fair to the athletes. There are persistent allegations of favouritism
in selection. These complaints are not new, but with the Commonwealth
Games (CWG) on the horizon, it is receiving more attention than
before. Unless there is a serious restructuring of the sporting bodies
and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), there is no hope. The rot is
too deep to be sorted out with just symbolic steps.

As sports minister, what were you trying to fix through your sports
policy?
Population-wise, the medals we have won are the lowest per capita of
any country in the world. Even small countries such as Cuba are way
ahead of us. But Cuba has shown the ease with which we can transform a
non-sporting nation into a sporting one. We just have to ensure that
facilities are provided to all segments. It is not possible to win
medals until all schools are equipped with sporting facilities.
Statistics show that almost 95 percent of our schools have no
facilities for sport.

What were the obstacles that you faced?
In April 2007, I made a detailed presentation opposing the bid for the
2015 Asian Games, after which the prime minister asked me to draft a
comprehensive sports policy. In about two months, we prepared what I
still regard as the most outstanding sports policy ever. From June,
when I started meeting with sport federations, Suresh Kalmadi
prevented the associate bodies of the IOA from having any interaction
with us. He refused to attend any discussions.

How were you removed from the job?
I was invited to deliver a talk in New Zealand on the draft policy. I
was hurrying back to India to attend a Cabinet meeting, hoping the
policy would be discussed. During my stopover in Hong Kong, I was
informed that I had been dismissed. In the Cabinet meeting two days
later, MS Gill withdrew the sports policy.
Commonwealth Games 2010 In Delhi

Why was the policy junked?
After my removal it was de-cided that the Sports Ministry should
become the CWG ministry. When it reverts to its original role, we may
have some hope. We were told that the CWG would help us showcase the
true picture of modern India. I must congratulate Kalmadi for having
successfully projected the real picture. It is an India of corruption,
inefficiency and, now regrettably, sex. The only sector thriving is
the call-girl industry, so much so that the CWG will actually be
remembered as the Common Whore Games.

How was your experience working with the CWG’S organising committee?
It was very distressing. At every step, the committee tried to
sideline the Sports Ministry. The Group of Ministers backed the
committee to the hilt, which almost sanctified the committee’s
approach towards the Sports Ministry.

You have been opposing mega sporting events and called for building
infrastructure at the grassroots. Why have we not been able to do this
until now?
The Planning Commission refused approval for Rs.6,000 crore to be
spent over a period of 10 years, while we were spending Rs. 60,000
crore on the CWG. The annual expenditure for panchayat-level sport has
been less than Rs. 200 crore. We need to have local complexes all over
India and then create a few specialised institutions. Just as we have
managed to conquer Silicon Valley with half-a-dozen IITs, we can
achieve excellence in sport as well. We have to turn ourselves into a
sporting nation and then host mega events.

How can we replicate the phenomenal success of China?
You have to think this through from the cradle to the grave.Now, the
sporting bodies take no responsibility for widening the talent pool.
When an outstanding talent comes through, they claim credit for it.
What they are doing is catching the occasional fish, instead of having
a talent pond in every village and school. China hosted the Beijing
Olympics, but also won the highest number of medals. At the CWG, we
are happy to beat the likes of Bermuda and Barbados. The CWG are a
good example of false pride, based on false values and priorities.

What ails the Indian Olympic Association?
The IOA belongs to a universe which doesn’t represent the real India.
More than 75 percent of our population is living on less than 20 a
day. IOA officials are spending 20 per second and have no
consideration for the common man. And they have defined a worldclass
event as spending more than anyone else did. No surprise, we have the
farce about the toilet rolls, treadmills and this lack of fiscal
responsibility. The IOA is a financial cripple, completely dependent
on the government. If they were self-financing like the BCCI, then the
public money won’t come into the picture.

How did you plan to put an end to that?
We made suggestions to form a Sports Regulatory Authority which may be
established by the government or an Act of Parliament, but will
function in an independent manner. We have the experience of
regulatory authorities in the financial and telecom sectors. There is
no reason why, without compromising the IOA’s autonomy, we can’t have
a regulator. If the government takes control, it won’t work. On the
other hand, if we leave them completely free, then the kind of
irresponsible activity we are seeing now will go on.

But you face objections from the International Olympic Committee...
It is because the minute Kalmadi is held responsible by the
government, he goes crying to the IOC and encourages them to send
threatening letters. These are then leaked to the media even before
they reach the ministry. Should we be putting up with this kind of
bullying? And that too from Kalmadi, who is the most discredited
person in India today.

How can politicians be kept away from the sport bodies?
They shouldn’t. But I object to a system which functions like a crony
democracy. Why is it that only sports officials are electing other
sports officials? The average sportsperson has no say in this. We have
a Parliament elected by 700 million people and sports federations
elected by 70 people.

Why hasn’t the government done anything to stop this? We see one
person holding several positions in many federations...
You can’t, as they are completely autonomous. But I don’t think there
is sanctity to autonomy. We must insist that the Olympic charter
cannot prevent our country from having a sports law, and create a
regulatory authority that is independent from government control.
Countries such as France have a similar sports law. But if the Indian
government is not ready to consider this, there is no hope.

What is the way forward?
Once these wretched Games are behind us, I hope the cabinet will look
at the sports policy draft. By having a 11-day jamboree in New Delhi,
the idea that you can become a sporting nation is nonsense. We had the
Asian Games in 1951 and ’82, did they make us a sporting nation? Even
if a percentage of the money spent on the CWG had been pumped into
real sport, we would have been producing champions. But we have put
the money into these tamashas.

PHOTOS: SHAILENDRA PANDEY

***@tehelka.com

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?
filename=Ne311009hoarding_the.asp">Hoarding The Common Wealth</a>

The recent spat between Suresh Kalmadi and Mike Hooper is only the
latest manifestation of the veteran politician’s legendary ego and
obsession with controlling the purse strings. SHANTANU GUHA RAY
reports

Village chief Suresh Kalmadi at a Commonwealth Games site
Photo: REUTERS

BARELY A week before the contretemps between the Commonwealth Games
Federation (CGF) and the Games Organising Committee (GOC) assumed
alarming status, a researcher made an informal presentation to GOC
Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on the state of preparedness of two cities –
Glasgow (2014 Commonwealth) and Amsterdam (aiming for the 2028 Summer
Olympics).

In that seven-minute presentation, which actually lasted for four
minutes before others trooped into his room with files requiring
clearance signatures, the 65-year-old Kalmadi was told that the two
cities’ preparedness was, in fact, better than the Indian Capital –
which has less than a year to host the Commonwealth Games. Those
present in the room say that Kalmadi, a four-time president of the
Indian Olympic Association (IOA), wasn’t amused.

Weeks ago, someone had told him that a book on the Commonwealth mess
will hit the stands next March and it could blow up in his face. A few
months ago, he drew flak for handing the Formula One contract to his
son-in-law, squarely bypassing the IOA (intended recipient). And then
there are charges that always accompany his marathons: that he has a
hand in every contract signed to organise the show.

But Kalmadi, a veteran of many battles, kept his cool. Uppermost on
his mind, perhaps, was the note sent by the coordinating commissioner
of the CGF that found the GOC lacking in as many as 20 out of 34
functional areas. In private conversations with confidants, Kalmadi
has boasted that the crisis number on the list will be reduced to zero
by the end of this year.

That Kalmadi is troubled is amply clear. Days after his public spat
with CGF CEO Mike Hooper made headlines across India, and in countries
that still view the Games with some amount of seriousness, he has a
government watchdog — former bureaucrat Jarnail Singh — scanning
almost anything and everything going in and out of the imposing NDMC
building that is home to the CGF in New Delhi. The joke doing the
rounds in the GOC office is that even the gigantic fibreglass statue
of the mascot, Shera the tiger, which towers imposingly in front of
the building, is wondering whether it too will be up for a scan.

At the heart of the crisis is a lot of bruised egos and the race to
control the humongous budget that stands at a whopping Rs 75,000
crore. On paper, Kalmadi, as chairman of the organising committee, is
seen as actually having the right to sanction budgets only for a
measly Rs 1,620 crore. But he also has a budget of Rs 1,000 crore that
the government has sanctioned to train athletes. The funds are
actually loans from the Centre and — till date — no one knows how it
will be refunded. The rest is, actually, in the hands of various
ministries and, of course, the Delhi Government, that is spending more
than Rs 60,000 crore to upgrade the city with 36 flyovers and
facilities such as 24-hour power and water backup. But Kalmadi’s word
is still supreme because he is the GOC boss and a lot of funds —
directly linked to the games — will pass through his table.

It is the very fear of misappropriation that has caused tensions
within the government. As an initial checkmate, it has been decided
that any sanction from the Rs 1,620 crore purse crossing the Rs 50
lakh mark must be vetted by a panel of experts drawn from a host of
agencies. And everything, of course, will now be overseen by Singh,
the new CEO handpicked by Union Sports Minister MS Gill (with ample
backing from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh).

So why is Kalmadi in a mess? It is mainly because he wants to control
all the strings and refuses to accept the fact that delays have
happened. That’s discontent number one, and it’s been aggravated since
a pompous Kalmadi has never felt the need to explain the reasons: that
funds came inordinately late from various governments. Interestingly,
the main tranche of funds for the games was received only after the
UPA Government came to power this year – before that, no one pushed
the files. And Kalmadi made little noise in the public domain.

KALMADI’S SECOND sore point is with Hooper. Many call it the main
point. The New Zealander — with his lavish farmhouse lifestyle and
salary that would put any decent CEO to shame — is frustrated because
Kalmadi wants his own favourites to handle some of the projects, and
not the 44 global consultants that have descended on New Delhi with
the thought of making the Games a super success. Kalmadi’s argument is
that the foreign consultants’ salaries could cross Rs 120 crore,
something that can easily be halved if locals are employed. Damn it,
global experts with vast experience are better, argues Hooper, with
some solid backing from the CGF chief, the Jamaican Michael Fennell.
On paper, Kalmadi appears weak because after the Asian Games in 1982,
India has not organised anything of such magnitude. What if the locals
fail – will you call the Army then, ask both Hooper and Fennell.
Kalmadi — in his typical style — has looked the other way. His ego is
legendary. Once, Kalmadi, a former Air Force pilot, walked out of a
government function to honour Indian medallists at the 2008 Summer
Olympics because he was not offered a chair next to the Vice-
President, Hamid Ansari.

Caught in the crossfire of darts are those working in the building. In
some cases Kalmadi has won — the worker always wins, he tells his
friends — and in some he has been embarrassed beyond shape by Hooper
and his men.

Consider this: Hooper favoured a marksmanships consultant, Greame
Hudson, also from New Zealand, to handle that part of the games, but
Kalmadi castled Hooper, saying the equipment Hudson favoured was sub-
standard. Kalmadi won here. He again won brownie points when he
pointed out, in a presentation to the prime minister, that Sports
Marketing and Management Private Limited (SMAM), an Australian agency,
could not get the required sponsors and that he had to rope in
companies like Reliance, Dabur, Hero Honda, Sahara and even cash-
strapped Air India.
DELAYS HAVE HAPPENED. AND THEY HAVE BEEN AGGRAVATED SINCE A POMPOUS
KALMADI HAS NEVER FELT THE NEED TO EXPLAIN THE REASONS

But Hooper bounced back when he told the CGF that the Australian
consultant, Steve Doran, who was handling the baton relay, was also
facing teething problems created by Kalmadi’s men. He also complained
to the CGF that Kalmadi was obstructing Hooper’s initiative to bring
in a global company to provide insurance and was, instead, suggesting
that the games be insured by an Indian company.

There are other tussles as well. Up for grabs is the lucrative deal –
any journalist would love it – to run the Games News Service (GNS)
that would offer reporters news of the games. Kalmadi wants an Indian
(or a team of Indians) to get the contract, but is facing protests
from Hooper, who wants an international outfit to handle the news.
Kalmadi wants to play the Indian vs foreigner card to boost his
political as well as public image. In the recent Maharashtra polls, he
could muster only a slender 25,747 margin of victory from Pune, down
from a 1 lakh margin in 2004.

On a parallel level, the prime minister is extremely upset with the
mess. He has often asked the finance minister how the initial bid
budget of Rs 330 crore shot up to Rs 75,000 crore. Delhi’s
development, replied the FM. Someone has slipped a note to the PMO
that the offer to provide hostels for students from Delhi University
in the Games village after the games are complete is bogus – the real
estate developer could sell the flats for big bucks. Singh, to
checkmate Kalmadi, the former railways minister, once even considered
promoting Rahul Gandhi to handle the crisis, but the proposal was shot
down by 10, Janpath. But that 10, Janpath is unhappy with Kalmadi is
fairly clear. In fact, under clear directions from the PMO, Sports
Minister Gill intervened in the Kalmadi-Hooper spat and offered to
mediate between the two during the Games’ baton ceremony, to be
conducted at Buckingham Palace in late October.
MANMOHAN SINGH CONSIDERED GETTING RAHUL GANDHI TO HANDLE THE CRISIS
BUT THE PROPOSAL WAS SHOT DOWN BY 10, JANPATH

Does that mean the bearded Kalmadi is totally down and out? The answer
is no. This master operator, who wishes to be known as the Indian
equivalent of Juan Antonio Samaranch, earned his gold during the
Commonwealth Games general assembly in Delhi when he got overwhelming
support from the African nations that unanimously backed him against
what they called the racist attitudes within the Commonwealth nations.
In fact, legendary Kenyan runner Kipchoge Keino gave some examples of
how such acts from white nations have often marred the games. Added to
this mix were Hooper’s reported racist remarks to Indians working in
the GOC. Kalmadi himself told reporters how once an infuriated Hooper
flung a bunch of keys at him.

So, in all probability, ‘Operation Scalp Kalmadi’ will have to take a
back seat. It is reliably learnt that Kalmadi will eventually have his
say, ease Hooper out and replace him with someone from the ‘global
South’, a term coined for developing nations. If that happens – and,
chances are that it might, during the baton ceremony – criticisms
against the Pune strongman will fade. Until, of course, the next
controversy hits the headlines.

WRITER’S EMAIL
***@tehelka.com

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?
filename=Ne280810coverstory.asp">Kalmadi once fought in two wars. So
how come he has turned into a national embarrassment?</a>

BY RAMAN KIRPAL
Kalmadi
Raman Kirpal

SURESH KALMADI, 66 years old and six feet tall, likes to live life
kingsize, though he doesn’t smoke or play any sport. He undoubtedly
sees himself as a colossus striding the national stage, conjuring up
sporting extravaganzas for an awestruck public that should be grateful
somebody had the gall and imagination to put India on the map. “I have
no time or inclination for small events. Anything big and massive
immediately calls for my attention,’’ he proclaims.

The high point of Kalmadi’s career was reportedly his closeness to
Rajiv Gandhi and Arun Singh during their heyday but he undoubtedly
doesn’t see his low point as the scandal-ridden run-up to the 2010
Commonwealth Games. “Don’t worry, we will explain everything to the
public,” he told the group close to him this month. All the delays,
incompetence and financial jugglery will be forgotten, he believes,
once the grand show unfolds on 3 October, a spectacle he says will be
grander than that of the 2008 Olympics at Beijing — the city where the
president of the International Olympic Committee, Dr Jacques Rogge,
gave him the ANOC Award (Association of National Olympic Committees)
for his contribution to the Olympic movement and for promoting Olympic
sports in India.

KALMADI, WHO built his empire on the good old Congress patronage
network, has an unflappable air even now, which goaded Sharad Yadav
last week to call him “thick-skinned” in Parliament. At a recent press
conference, Kalmadi parried a question on whether he intends to resign
as CWG Organising Committee chairman with the complacent reply: “As
long as I have the confidence of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, I
don’t need to resign.”

Though he lacks the panache of IPL czar Lalit Modi and the brashness
of Vijay Mallya, who too dreams of bringing F1 racing to India, what
he seems to have in common with them is a go-getting ability and deal-
making genius. His success, says a sports administrator once close to
him, rests on his ability to gauge the price of the man across the
table. But now that the public is talking of “height of greed” and
“height of corruption” instead of “height of success”, his entire
career has come under scrutiny.
Kalmadi

Holier than thou Kalmadi suspended Games joint director Darbari over
corruption charges

PHOTO: PTI

Kalmadi has stayed IOA chief for a decade by setting up 35 federations
for obscure sports like tug of war and roll ball, each worth three
votes

Pune, which sends him to Parliament, and where a high school is named
after his father, is Kalmadi’s home turf. After graduating from
Fergusson College, Pune, he went to the nearby National Defence
Academy at Khadakwasla and then trained as an air force pilot. He flew
fighter planes in the two Indo-Pak wars in 1965 and 1971. By 1977, he
was cutting his political teeth in the Youth Congress and in five
years he was ensconced in the Rajya Sabha as an MP with the help of
his mentor Sharad Pawar. He has been in Parliament, elected three
times to the Lok Sabha, for 30 years now. But he did not forget his
city, gifting it the Pune Festival and the Pune Marathon, the latter
one of the richest international events held every year.

Kalmadi’s personal fortune was built on the self-confessedly biggest
Maruti dealership in the country, the Sai Motors chain. He also owns
Bajaj two-wheeler showrooms and petrol pumps all over the city. He
also owns the most expensive commercial complex in Pune, and lives in
a mansion on Dr Ketkar Road in the heart of the city. Another
residence on Baner Hills, in his brother’s name, is the lone residence
on the edge of a biodiversity park being built by the Pune Municipal
Corporation. His brushes with glamour include frequent cocktail
parties featuring fashion shows and the Bistro restaurant in Delhi’s
Hauz Khas village, run by his wife Meera and socialite Bina Ramani.
(The government declared the place unlicensed and sealed the premises
five years ago.) Despite these signs of prosperity, Kalmadi declared
his assets at just Rs. 10 crore while filing his papers for the 2009
Lok Sabha.

As undisputed king of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the
past 16 years, he seems unfazed by the outrage over the CWG consuming
nearly Rs. 28,000 crore, more than the annual education budget. Or
about the construction delays and the alleged corruption in awarding
of tenders and inflation of costs.

Ironically, though the IOA and the government are both under fire now,
they waged a curious battle against each other two years ago. In a
petition argued in the Delhi High Court in 2008, the IOA was resisting
further scrutiny and claiming itself to be a private body while asking
for a further Rs. 1,780 crore from the government. The latter
responded with a withering assessment of the IOA’s independent
standing, calling it an “assetless organisation” and asking it to be
made a public authority, open to scrutiny under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act.
Comman game

PHOTO: PIB, NAVEESH TEJPAL

Almost two years later, despite the organisation becoming RTI-
compliant, the IOA’s sense of entitlement is only surpassed by its
rapacious, unapologetic loot of the treasury. In order to cling on its
dubious autonomy, the IOA continues to say that the money given to it
by the government is a ‘loan’, one it intends to repay. However, the
‘loan’ is unsecured. This is entirely convenient for Kalmadi & Co., as
there is no real price to pay for incompetence. The scams that have
been revealed over the past month are entirely predictable in the
light of this.

LAWYER RAHUL Mehra, a crusader for accountability in the Indian
sporting establishment, won a battle that would ensure that the
president of IOA cannot be in the post for more than 12 years. This
means that when Kalmadi’s term ends in 2012, he cannot stand for
election again. However, Mehra does not believe the ‘hoax’ that the
IOA will return the money to the government. “Till date, they have not
returned a single penny they have taken from the government,” he says.
“We will see new excuses coming out, such as bad publicity before the
Games hurting revenue and so forth.”

Even the sources of revenue raise questions about the proposed
commercial viability of the project at the time of winning the bid.
The ‘lead partner’ of the CWG is Indian Railways and other PSUs such
as NTPC and Air-India provide a substantial percentage of the
largesse. The myth of multinational corporations vying with each other
for a piece of the Games pie stands fairly and roundly busted.
Ideally, these PSU sponsorships are an extended loan acting as a
facesaver for the CWG.

But the current Games are only part of the IOA’s continuous attempt to
milk public funds. In the failed 2014 Asian Games bid, for which the
IOA received Rs. 2 crore, bizarre and unrealistic expenses come to
light. In an invoice dated 20 December 2006 of the event management
company Wizcraft, which is in possession of TEHELKA, a welcome dinner
at Kalmadi’s house is billed at Rs. 4.33 lakh. Another farewell dinner
at secretary-general Randhir Singh’s house comes to Rs. 2 lakh. The
question remains — why was an event management company hired for
dinners that were held at private residences? Another Rs. 1.24 crore
was spent “towards preparation of final bid to host the 2014 Asian
Games”.
BJP Shiv Sena

Political innings Backed by the BJP-Shiv Sena combine, Kalmadi became
a Rajya Sabha MP in 1998

Even as recently as 17 August, Randhir Singh pushed for the ‘need’ to
bid for the 2019 Asian Games, despite Sports Minister MS Gill stating
earlier this month that India would not bid for it. But bids are not
about winning and losing any more, as the two failed bids for the
Asian Games in 2006 and 2014 demonstrate. More bids simply mean more
funds that will disappear into a black hole.

Larger questions need to be asked about the IOA’s status as a body,
one bankrolled on government funds, but accountable to no one.

When the Central Vigilance Commission revelations blew the lid off the
whole scandal on 29 July, it did not seem that Kalmadi, in many ways
the identifiable face of the Games, was personally implicated. But
after a series of exposés, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh clipped his
wings on 14 August, giving a new Group of Ministers headed by Minister
of Urban Development S Jaipal Reddy overriding powers over the OC.
More devastatingly for the OC, a Com-mittee of Secretaries was
attached to Jaipal Reddy to oversee all the preparations and take
decisions accordingly, thus rendering Kalmadi powerless. Manmohan also
ordered “thorough investigations’’ saying, “Those found guilty should
face severe and exemplary punishment.’’

As of now, Kalmadi has no powers. He will report to the Committee of
Secretaries every day till the Games start. But he is still hopeful
and is still in media focus. The NDMC building in Connaught Place
which houses his office on the ninth floor, is under siege. Scores of
television reporters with their flashy vans wait outside the building
24x7 just to get their byte of the day.

SURESH KALMADI, with his long innings in sports bodies, is no stranger
to controversy. Former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh has accused
him of running a “sports mafia”. But he remains firmly ensconced as
president of the IOA, thanks to votes from 35 sports federations you
may not even have heard of: atya patya (a game played in Karnataka),
bobsled, biathlon, carrom, tug-of-war, croquet, muay thai, roll ball,
sepak takraw, tenikoit, trampoline, thang ta and cycle polo. None of
these figure in the Olympics yet they determine presidentship of the
IOA. Kalmadi has granted recognition to federations promoting these
sports and has given each three votes. There are a total of 103
federations, including 35 National Sport Federation and 32 State
Olympic Associations.

Kalmadi’s IOA is a private body. It has taken loans worth thousands of
crores from the government and paid back nothing so far

Now, the Formula 1 Grand Prix is being brought to India by Kalmadi’s
family, with his son Sumeer having stakes in the firm JPSK, which
signed a Rs. 1,600-crore deal with the UK-based F1 organiser. JPSK
acquired 2,500 acres for the project, with 1,000 acres to be used for
the race circuit, the rest to be developed as real estate. JPSK’s
request for $36.5m to be paid to the F1 administration was refused by
MS Gill on the grounds that F1 is not a sport. For the Kalmadis, this
was probably just a hurdle that will be doggedly overcome.

There has been a murky stage in his political career too, when he hit
a low in 1998 after the Congress gave the ticket to Vithal Tupe,
ostensibly on the grounds that Kalmadi lacked a mass base. However, he
managed to contest as an independent candidate backed by the Shiv Sena
and BJP, despite Bal Thackeray calling him a “con who changes colour
every hour”. Before the 2009 election, when the BJP was considering
giving outside support to Kalmadi, Thackeray was asked if he had any
objections. He retorted: “I have no intention of allowing this to
happen. The Pune seat has been allotted to the BJP to field its own
candidate. If Kalmadi contests on a BJP ticket, I would hate the idea.
But if he stands as an Independent supported by the BJP, the Shiv Sena
will certainly put up a candidate against him. We will not accept this
kind of compromise in politics.”

Kalmadi, however, does not stand on principle. Riding high on
international networking and his MP status, he seems to have forgotten
that public money — he had about Rs. 2,500 crore at his disposal — is
not meant to be splurged. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s
preliminary report suggests he has been spending it wantonly.
Specifically, that 52 out of 53 air-conditioners bought for CWG are
lying unutilised. In 2009, he bought 1,000 gift items for Rs. 6.24
lakh but gave only 500 of them to visitors. As oc chief, he set up
administrative guidelines that all contracts over Rs. 25 lakh be
audited. But he subverted the same rule by awarding contracts to 11
firms instead of one for furnishing the IOA office.

After refurbishing IOA Bhawan at a cost of Rs. 4 crore, he declared
the building too small and decided to rent rooms at NDMC. He paid
advance rent of Rs. 9.2 crore in May 2008, but shifted only in
October.

The stream of charges continues. He is accused of inflating prices of
‘overlay services’ and allotting tenders to favoured firms. More
recognisable as the face of the CWG than the mascot Shera, suddenly
all the delays and corruption are being attributed to Kalmadi,
although examination shows that much of this can be laid at the doors
of the NDMC, Delhi Government, CPWD and PWD — for Kalmadi has no
direct involvement in construction of infrastructure. The flak has
been neutralised by the PM’s intervention, but it will start again
from 14 October, after the closing ceremony.

He has given a contract worth Rs.230 crore to Deepali Tent House. They
had earlier been rejected by his own officers for over-pricing

TEHELKA investigations have found a trail of dodgy practices, a bag of
dirty tricks used by Kalmadi’s close-knit team, mainly drawn from
Pune. These loyalists are joint director general of the CWG Raj Kumar
Sacheti (from Alwar, Rajasthan), assistant director general Sangeeta
Valenka (from Pune), joint director general VK Verma, a Central
Secretariat Service officer and a former director at the Defence
Ministry, joint director general TS Darbari and treasurer M
Jayachandran, a retired Railway Accounts officer. Darbari and
Jayachandaran became sacrificial goats when their services were
suspended for their alleged involvement in awarding contracts to AM
Films for the Queen’s Baton Relay.

SACHETI, A low-profile accountant, moved from the modest Dev Nagar in
Delhi to owning two houses in Green Park. He and his aide RK Kaushik
are already under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. As for
TS Darbari, he has been writing frequently to the Ministry of Sports,
trying to influence project awards and purchase decisions.

Kalmadi’s modus operandi was ingenious: find a foreign firm to act as
a partner in crime, then tilt the rules in such a way that no domestic
competitor met the requirements. Kalmadi’s killer clause in all the
tenders is that the companies making bids should have “relevant
experience of working with sports events”. Thus a firm which
manufactures generators was disqualified because it had never supplied
its products for a sports event. That is why gensets are coming from
abroad — so are furniture, treadmills, toilet paper and sanitary
napkins.

Each of these foreign firms which have been awarded contracts has an
Indian partner. Sources say eventually every product will be procured
from India and the foreign company-led consortium will supply it as
its own.

The latest is that Doordarshan and foreign broadcasters, who have
already landed in India, want to test their equipment, but they are
unable to do so because gensets are yet to come from abroad! Kalmadi
has selected a multinational company, Pico, along with its Indian
partner Deepali Designs and Exhibits for providing gensets, which are
priced 10 times higher than those manufactured in India.
The Vits Hotel in Pune, originally meant to be a hostel for the Youth
Games

Tainted legacy The Vits Hotel in Pune, originally meant to be a hostel
for the Youth Games

But the most shocking sleight-ofhand came when the Ministry of Infor-
mation and Broadcasting floated tenders for construction of broadcast
compounds in stadia this February. The real cost of the project is
about Rs. 50 crore. Kalmadi’s office highly recommended Deepali Tent
House owned by a nephew of BJP’s Sudhanshu Mittal, more popularly
known as ‘Tentwala’. Under pressure, the ministry shortlisted Deepali
among the three companies for the project. But Deepali’s rates being
highly inflated, ministry officials tried negotiations to bring down
the price. Deepali did not budge an inch. The ministry dumped all
three companies to evade pressure and opted for a public-sector
undertaking.

As if to compensate, Kalmadi got Deepali a lucrative deal of Rs. 230
crore from the OC for supply, installation, testing, commissioning,
operation, maintenance, de-commissioning and removal of CWG overlay
clusters. Under the contract, Pico-Deepali’s scope of works includes
not only tents but marquees, prefabricated units, portable toilets,
containers, security fences, wooden structures, metal structures,
furniture, public display LED boards, floor finishes, material
handling equipment, gensets, cabling, UPS, aircon, lighting, civil
construction, hypoxia machines and athletic exercise equipment.

Another scam with the IOA at the centre involves hiring of Australian
firm SMAM for finding sponsors for the Games. For the 2008 Youth
Commonwealth Games held in Pune, SMAM was paid a 15 percent cut on an
estimated sponsorship of $30 million. SMAM could get only Coca-Cola on
board, but it was allowed to take a cut on sponsors like BSNL and
SAIL. For 2010, SMAM was expected to get 23 percent commission even on
such in-house sponsors, though it did not bring in a single private
one. But when the media trained its guns on Kalmadi, he terminated the
contract with SMAM, which has threatened to sue.

The preliminary CAG report finds that Kalmadi arbitrarily hired Fast
Track Sales as a consultant for international broadcasting rights
merely on the recommendations of Commonwealth Games Federation
president Mike Fennel and CEO Mike Hooper. The report says no detailed
technical evaluation of the bidders was carried out before approving
Fast Track. The selection of a consultant without due diligence and
deficiencies in services resulted in a projected revenue loss of Rs.
24.6 crore.

The debris and fraud of the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune is a
revealing taste of what Kalmadi has in store for New Delhi

DESPITE ALL the tall claims of administrative acumen, Kalmadi has not
exactly covered himself in glory in delivering what he promises.
Approval of Delhi as the venue came in 2003. But the CAG report says
the plan was finalised as late as August 2007, the project and risk
management experts were appointed only in March 2008 and the
masterplan finalised as late as November 2008. That’s when it was sent
for Commonwealth Games Federation approval. In other words, five years
were frittered away. Until July 2009, the OC was still considering the
architectural drawings for venues such as the Nehru Stadium. These
delays resulted in a rush to finish projects that has made Delhi look
like a disaster zone during the monsoon.

Kalmadi has offered a reason for the delay: he was busy with the 2008
Youth Commonwealth Games. But it was he who insisted on holding this
event of no sporting significance, which in fact was staged for only
the third time in 108 years of the history of the Commonwealth!
Instead of Delhi being the venue, Kalmadi hijacked the Youth Games to
Pune as the 2009 election approached.

At a cost of Rs. 1,118 crore of public money, the city was spruced up
to win votes and influence people. TEHELKA’s visit to the Balevadi
Stadium, which hosted this non-event, revealed that it houses 114
families of Congress workers on the pretext that they have work inside
the stadium. Typical generosity at public cost for personal gain.
After a series of corruption scandals, Manmohan Singh has clipped
Kalmadi’s wings

Estranged After a series of corruption scandals, Manmohan Singh has
clipped Kalmadi’s wings

In fact, the Youth Games offer a revealing glimpse of Kalmadi’s
unsporting modus operandi:

• Renovation of stadia appears to be a top favourite. The Pune
Administration constructed Balevadi Stadium at a cost of Rs. 500 crore
for holding of the National Games. Kalmadi undertook a renovation that
was as good as new construction, spending Rs. 318 crore. His man Ajay
Shirke, a realtor, was given the contract.

• Construction of a hostel for budding athletes was another trick up
his sleeve. The idea was that such players would come to Pune for
training after the 2008 Games. But the hostel adjacent to Balevadi
Stadium was not ready in time and players were housed in hotels at
exorbitant tariffs.

• Then came the double whammy: the incomplete hostel did not serve the
cause of sports at all but became a four-star hotel. Land on which no
commercial activity is possible because it lies in the green belt is
now one more feather in the cap of Vithal Kamat, who has a chain of
hotels in Goa and Maharashtra. Kamat has been given a longterm lease
for which he pays only Rs. 1.57 crore a year, whereas the market value
of this site is no less than Rs. 1,000 crore at prevailing rates,
realtors say.

Kalmadi’s modus operandi was ingenious: find a foreign firm to act as
a partner in crime, then tilt the rules to keep Indian companies at
bay

Small change also flows into various pockets in other ways. The 2003
Afro- Asian Games in Hyderabad, IOA’s brainchild, were the first and
last ever held. When the then Union minister of state for sports, Uma
Bharati, had asked for details of the Rs. 6 crore spent, IOA evaded a
reply. Finally, Kalmadi changed the treasurer and fulfilled the
formalities.

The CAG report alleges that various CWG associations were provided
hotel accommodation and travel grants to the tune of Rs. 38 lakh, but
the OC could recover only Rs. 17 lakh from them. Then, Rs. 1.8 crore
was given to fellow sports organisations for conducting seminars and
refresher courses. There is no provision for this under the government
rules.

Kalmadi is already rich beyond most dreams but old habits die hard.
But in sports, his chosen field, once a game is over, somebody leaves
the field triumphant, the other defeated. The prime minister has now
shown Suresh Kalmadi the red card. Either he learns to play the game
by the rules, or the CWG 2010 could be his swan song.

With inputs from Pushp Sharma in Pune, Brijesh Pandey and Vaibhav Vats
in New Delhi

THE EVIDENCE SO FAR

The skeletons tumbling out of the cupboard do not all implicate the
CWG OC. Here are the ones that do

RENT-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR
The OC wants to rent treadmills for Rs. 9.75 lakh each, claiming they
are highquality machines used during the 2008 Beijing Olympics,
costing Rs. 29 lakh. It is found they can be bought in Delhi for Rs. 4
lakh each. Chairs are hired at Rs. 8,378 apiece and the rent for a 100-
litre refrigerator is Rs. 42,202.

TENDER BENDERS
A Rs. 50 crore tender is floated for printing and 13 firms make bids.
Overnight, the tender is cancelled. Kalmadi’s office now cites
experience in sports events as an eligibility criterion, eliminating
all but two.

PASSING THE BATON
The OC shortlists three companies as consultants for delivering the
Queen’s Baton Relay. PricewaterhouseCoopers quotes Rs. 1.19 crore;
Brilliant Entertainment Networks wants Rs. 1.85 crore. Maxxam
International quotes Rs. 8.01 crore and gets it.

REALITY SHOW
OC pays £2.5 lakh to a little-known firm in London, AM Films, for
hiring mobile video screens. Kalmadi claims Indian High Commission has
recommended the firm, brandishing copies of an email sent by the
Indian High Commission. The Ministry of External Affairs, however,
states that the email was doctored. Kalmadi pleads innocence and
suspends Games joint director TS Darbari and treasurer M Jayachandran.
Later, it is discovered that Kalmadi himself had signed the papers.

TENNIS ACE
A contract for laying 14 synthetic surfaces at the RK Khanna Tennis
Stadium goes to Australia-based Rebound Ace, whose Indian branch is
headed by the son of the treasurer of the OC, Anil Khanna. Following
media exposure, Khanna resigns.

BRIJESH PANDEY

The Numbers

OR HOW MUCH WENT WHERE

The facts and figures emerging from behind the official veil are
shocking. They confirm the suspicion of a politician-official-
contractor nexus siphoning off a lot of money. But not all funds were
Kalmadi’s to hold or dispose of — to put the blame at the right doors,
the Union Government and Delhi should share the blame

CWG ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Rs. 2,394 crore
This is supposed to be a loan to be paid back to the Central
Government. The break-up is Rs. 1,620 crore for conduct of Games, Rs.
687 crore for overlays and Rs. 87 crore for scoring results and
renting equipment. It includes commissions paid for bringing in
sponsorships and relay of the baton

DELHI GOVERNMENT
Rs. 2,800 crore
This is the largest chunk of money. Rs. 3,700 crore is to be spent on
flyovers and bridges, Rs. 3,000 crore on Metro connectivity, Rs. 2,800
on power plants, Rs. 650 crore on widening, strengthening and
resurfacing road. New bus depots will cost Rs. 900 crore and improved
road signs Rs. 150 crore.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY
Rs. 827 crore
Delhi Development Authority was to renovate 2,700 flats in Vasant Kunj
to three-star level for housing technical staff. DDA engineers have
already said that the flats won’t be ready in time. Other projects are
the Games Village and an indoor stadium at the Siri Fort sports
complex

HOME MINISTRY
Rs. 747 crore
These funds are to be spent on surveillance, Delhi Police and traffic
management. The police plan to buy three bullet-proof armoured
vehicles, making Delhi the first Indian city with such fancy machines.
Quick-reaction teams, commandos and snipers are being trained to
provide security

BRIJESH PANDEY

PHOTO: PIB, NAVEESH TEJPAL,PTI,INDIAN EXPRESS ARCHIVE

***@tehelka.com

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?
filename=Ne050311IMARAN.asp">Maran is next on CBI’s calling list</a>

The investigating agency suspects that the former telecom minister had
indirect stakes in Aircel. RAMAN KIRPAL reports

Past imperfect Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran will be quizzed
about his telecom days

PHOTO: AP

AFTER A RAJA, the CBI’s next target in the 2G spectrum scam is
Dayanidhi Maran. Perhaps the youngest minister at 38, he served as
telecom minister in UPA-1 from May 2004 to May 2007. He fell out of
favour with his grand uncle, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, but returned
in 2009 as textiles minister in UPA-2. The CBI suspects he has
indirect stakes in Aircel, which he allegedly promoted during his
stint as telecom minister.

A CBI source told TEHELKA that there is a watertight case against Raja
and DB Group MD Shahid Balwa. “We have tracked 2G spectrum money worth
Rs. 200 crore, which was transferred from DB Group to DMK’s Kalaignar
TV,” said a source. “We are only waiting for a reply to our letter
rogatory (LR) sent to Mauritius about a month ago.” This query is
about Mauritius- based Delphi Investments, which has stakes in Swan
Telecom. The reply will only throw up names of some more beneficiaries
in the scam. The puzzle about Unitech’s role is also more or less
solved. The CBI will next investigate the allocation of spectrum
during Maran’s stint.

Maran’s tenure was marked by massive growth of Internet subscribers.
Also, the share of foreign direct investment in telecom services was
raised from 49 percent to 74 percent. In fact, Maran was also credited
with massive cuts in mobile and landline call rates. But initial
probes indicate that 2G spectrum money worth Rs. 1,000 crore was
traded during Maran’s tenure.

After Reddy became Aircel’s part-owner, Maran appeared to become extra
generous to the firm

In three years, Maran allocated over 70 GSM spectrum. C Sivasankaran,
known for his unorthodox business style, had launched the Aircel brand
in Tamil Nadu just four months before Maran took over. He was once a
close confidant of Maran’s father Murasoli Maran in the 1990s. But he
fell out with Maran when the Tatas aligned with Aircel. It was
therefore not surprising that Maran targeted the Tatas and Aircel
immediately after he took over as telecom minister. Tata Sky was in
direct competition with Sun Network owned by Maran’s brother
Kalanidhi.

Sivansankaran did an excellent job of promoting Aircel in Tamil Nadu.
Within a year, he bought his rival RPG Cellular in the state and
brought over 2.2 million subscribers into his net. Though Sivasankaran
is known for launching new projects, building them up and then selling
out, the CBI is intrigued by his sudden exit from Aircel. Almost a
year after Maran took over, Sivasankaran sold his stakes to Malaysian
company Maxis Communications and Apollo Group of Hospitals owner Dr
Pratap C Reddy for Rs. 4,700 crore. Reddy came close to the Maran
family in 2000, when Murasoli was cured of a rare type of cardiac
condition by Apollo Hospital, Chennai. After Reddy became part-owner
of Aircel, the ministry under Maran appeared to become extra generous
to Aircel

Smooth operator C Sivasankaran fell out with the Marans after linking
up with the Tatas

PHOTO: INDIA TODAY GROUP/GETTY IMAGES

In 2004, when Tata joined hands with Dishnet Wireless (now Aircel) ,
Dishnet sought licences under the Unified Access Service regime. The
telecom secretary had endorsed the application, but Maran’s office put
up a note demanding details that were ‘vague’ and ‘irrelevant’, says
the Justice Shivraj Patil Committee report. Its mandate was to look
into procedural lapses during 2001-09 in the telecom ministry.

After Aircel’s owners changed, the report reveals Maran cleared
allocation of spectrum for Dishnet in Kolkata within a day. Dishnet
has a cellular service in West Bengal, but it didn’t have spectrum. On
4 April 2007, a proposal was put up for allocation. Telecom Secretary
DS Mathur cleared the proposal within a day, with a note that the
matter had been discussed with Maran. Maxis, which holds 74 percent
stake in Aircel, also has a sizeable investment in Sun Network
thorough its sister concern Astro. Dr Reddy and his family reportedly
control 26 percent in Aircel.

The Sun TV-Tata Sky spat over channel sharing was well known and Maran
had a considerable say in Tata’s cellular and communication plans. Sun
TV refused to comply with the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate
Tribunal’s directive to provide its channels to Tata Sky on an a la
carte basis. Sun TV later stalled the process by obtaining a HC stay
and thus gained time before the launch of its own DTH venture.

Healing touch Apollo Hospitals’ Pratap Reddy and his family control 26
percent in Aircel

PHOTO: TARUN SEHRAWAT

JUSTICE PATIL’S report has also faulted Maran’s functioning.
Recounting procedural lapses, the report says that Maran did not
consult the Telecom Commission, the telecom department’s decision-
making body, and ignored the Group of Ministers (GOM) while taking
crucial policy decisions.

“Actions during Maran’s tenure fell foul of the procedures laid down
in the Government of India (Transactions of Business) Rules, which
stipulate that when a policy has any financial bearing, no orders
shall be issued without the concurrence of the finance ministry. The
minister deviated from ‘extant policy’ by not discussing the issue of
determining the entry fee for telecom licence with the finance
ministry,’’ the report reads.

Maran also had his say on the crucial issue of spectrum pricing, which
has been a controversial aspect of the 2G scam. He overruled a GOM
constituted by the PM and got spectrum pricing removed from its terms
of reference, despite strong reservations expressed by the finance
ministry.

Intrigued by all this, the CBI is likely to summon Sivasankaran, Dr
Reddy and Maxis Communications owners for questioning. The CBI is in
the process of sending an LR to Malaysia to ascertain details of
Maxis’ ownership, the sources say, while adding that Maran will also
be questioned.

In his asset declaration for 2009-10, Maran did not appear to be
particularly well-heeled, declaring only Rs.6.87 crore. He also owns a
Mercedes valued at Rs. 8.10 lakh and a Toyata Innova at Rs. 12.24
lakh. His successor Raja appears to be even worse off, with assets of
only Rs. 1.95 crore in 2009-10. The CBI has tracked Raja’s hidden
money. Now it’s the turn of Maran.

***@tehelka.com

OPINION

<a href="http://tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?
filename=Op050311Actions_speak.asp">Actions speak loudest.
Judge the PM on what he did</a>

AT HIS televised press conference last week Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh promised to bring all the wrongdoers in the 2G scam to book, and
to take such corrective action whenever and wherever it was needed.
But his assurances did not succeed in allaying the fears that have
been aroused by the spate of scams that have come to light since
October. Instead of spelling out reforms that would attack political
corruption at its roots, he urged the press not to weaken the self-
confidence of the nation and hurt its image abroad by depicting India
as a scam-driven society. It is no surprise, therefore, that so
eminent a social commentator as P Sainath expressed his disappointment
by describing the prime minister not as a “lame duck” but a “cooked
goose”.

But actions speak louder than words. Manmohan Singh should be judged
not by what he has been saying but by what he has done. And the
government’s recent actions tell a different story. Within a day of
his televised press conference, three things happened that made
history. Former DMK minister A Raja was sent to Tihar jail in judicial
custody till 3 March; business tycoon Anil Ambani was interrogated by
the CBI at its headquarters for three hours on his possible connection
with the 2G scam, and the Tamil television station owned by A Raja —
Kalaignar TV — was raided and searched thoroughly through the long
night for evidence of money inflows into it and possible kickbacks to
Raja from recipients of the 2G licences.

All three actions are unprecedented. This is the first time that an
important Cabinet minister has been sent virtually straight from
office into jail to facilitate the investigation of corruption charges
against him. This is also the first time in decades, possibly since
the Haridas Mundhra scandal of the 1950s, that a scion of Indian
industry, who is treated as a role model by thousands of aspiring
young entrepreneurs and professional managers, has been interrogated
by the police for such a long period of time. And this is the very
first time that the ruling party in a coalition has turned its guns on
a coalition partner, for Kalaignar TV is not a Raja property. It was
launched by none other than DMK chief minister M Karunanidhi in 2007
and is housed in the headquarters of the DMK in Chennai. Karunanidhi’s
family owns most of its shares and it is regarded universally as the
DMK’s mouthpiece. These three actions have lit a fuse under the
corrupt and crony-driven structure of political power in the country.
If it stays lit, it could blow that structure apart.

A fuse has been lit under the corrupt and crony-driven structure of
political power

That edifice of political power has been built brick by brick over
five decades and it has been built upon black money. Its origins lie
in the failure of the Constitution makers to realise that political
parties need money to fight elections and meet their day-to-day
expenses. Till 1967, the political system was able to get by, more or
less, on the voluntary, tax-deductible, donations of companies and
princes. But in 1970, Indira Gandhi banned company donations and
abolished privy purses without creating an alternative, legal, method
for meeting the by-then soaring cost of elections. Criminals of
various sorts therefore moved in to provide the unaccounted for cash
or muscle needed to win elections. Today they are close to taking over
the entire political system: 155 of the members of the current
Parliament have criminal antecedents. The figure in many states is far
higher. Even in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar has cleansed a system that
was paralysed by lawlessness, 137 of the 282 new MLAs have a total of
241 criminal cases pending against them today.

Criminalisation has occurred mainly at the state level. At the Centre
and in the capitals of the more industrialised states, kickbacks on
government permits and contracts became the main source of party
finance. Large industry came back into the picture as a donor only
after it was politically rehabilitated in the 1980s and 1990s. But
with the ban on company donations still largely in place, it developed
private links with powerful politicians, facilitated by self-styled
lobbyists and public relations firms. With every passing year, India
became more like Indonesia. This was the crony capitalism that the
Niira Radia tapes so mercilessly exposed.
A RAJA

Transition time Former telecom minister A Raja on his way to prison

PHOTO: AFP

The advent of coalition rule added one last twist to the tale. In all
the five coalition governments that have been formed at the Centre
since 1996 while the dominant party has taken the politically powerful
ministries — PMO, defence, home, foreign affairs and finance — its
coalition partners have vied for and usually secured most of the
economic ministries. One does not need algebra to understand why.

By arresting Raja, interrogating Anil Ambani and two other telecom
moguls, and raiding Kalaignar TV, the UPA government has served notice
that it will no longer be a part of the crony relationships that have
so far sustained it in power. It is immaterial whether that is what it
had set out to do. It is the message that the coalition partners and
crony capitalists have received. Last week’s actions will therefore
certainly set off a chain of consequences whose end we cannot predict.

Raja may have been the central figure in the 2G scam, but it is most
unlikely that he was acting on his own behalf. This became clear when
his initial arrest led to a tension between the Congress and the DMK
that had political pundits in Delhi wondering how long the government
would last. It took the Congress two weeks of delicate negotiation,
which included keeping the telecom portfolio open for another DMK
nominee in a future Cabinet reshuffle, to persuade the DMK to give up
Raja. After the raid on Kalaignar TV, it would be surprising indeed if
the party were not wondering what it stands to gain from staying in
the coalition.

In all coalitions at the Centre since 1996, allies have vied for
economic ministries

This is a question that other political parties must also be asking
themselves. If the people have rebelled against corruption; if the
media have become blood-hounds sniffing eternally for the whiff of
another scam, then how will they raise the money to fight future
elections? This is why Manmohan Singh cannot stop with individual
prosecutions. To prosecute scamsters as and when they are discovered
will be to treat the symptoms of a disease, and not the disease
itself. The disease is the absence of an honest system for financing
elections.

IN RETROSPECT it is apparent that the Congress is aware of the need to
eradicate it. It took the decision to launch a frontal assault on
corruption at the 83rd plenary meeting of the Congress in December,
and formalised it in Sonia Gandhi’s fourpoint directive to the party
asking it, among other things, to devise means to fast-track
corruption cases against bureaucrats. The prime minister lost no time
in setting up a Group of Ministers (GOM) to study their
implementation. The GOM concluded after its very first meeting that
the government needed to take a stand on State funding of elections
and to amend Article 311 of the Constitution which, by granting
virtual immunity from prosecution to bureaucrats who wait for
‘inducements’ to do their jobs, opens the doors wide for extortion.

It was surprising, therefore, the prime minister made no mention of
either State funding or the need to amend Article 311 of the
Constitution in his televised press conference. Perhaps he did not do
so because no one asked.

***@airtelmail.in

...and I am Sid Harth
cogitoergosum
2011-02-26 12:26:03 UTC
Permalink
<a href="http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/
newsDetails260211l.php">RSS leader murder: Sadhvi Pragya arrested</a>
India Blooms News Service

Mumbai, Feb 26 (IBNS) Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a prime accused in
the 2008 Malegaon blast who is already behind bars, was arrested
formally by Madhya Pradesh police on Saturday for her alleged
connection in the killing of RSS leader Sunil Joshi, police said.

According to reports, she was arrested from JJ Hospital on Friday
after she was made an accused in the murder of Joshi. She was
undergoing treatment there.

Sadhvi Pragya reportedly visited Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)
senior leader Sunil Joshi before his murder.

A news channel quoted special public prosecutor Rohini Sailan
informing that Pragya was arrested after the Madhya Pradesh Police
moved an application in the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act
(MCOCA) court in Mumbai.

The Madhya Pradesh Police have earlier indicated that Sunil Joshi, who
masterminded the 2007 Ajmer blast, was killed at Dewas in Dec 2007 by
his co-conspirators as he was ‘not behaving properly’ .

Joshi was also a suspect in the Samjhauta Express blast case. On Feb
19, 2007, a total of 69 people, mostly Pakistani civilians, were
killed and scores injured in a terrorist attack on the "friendship"
train that runs between Lahore and Delhi.

Sadhvi Pragya is one of the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts case
of Sept 29, 2008.

Mumbai's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that she formed a group to
avenge the Mumbai train bomb blasts and that her motorcycle was used
in bomb blast.

Arrested RSS leader Aseemanand also was attributed saying in an expose
that in March 2006, Pragya Thakur, Sunil Joshi, Bharat Riteshwar and
he himself had decided to give a befitting reply to the Sankatmochan
blasts by triggering blasts in Muslim religious places.

Aseemanand's purported confessions before a magistrate referred to
involvement of Hindu terror groups in the Malegaon, Samjhauta Express
train, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid bombings.

<a href="http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/
newsDetails010211o.php">Malegaon accused Mutalik arrested</a>
India Blooms News Service

Mumbai, Feb 1 (IBNS) A prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast
case, Praveen Mutalik, has been arrested from Karnataka, reports said
on Tuesday.

He was arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Monday
night.

He was produced at a special court here, which remanded him in police
custody till Feb 14.

Mutalik was among the three accused who had been absconding. The other
two are Ramji Kalangsara and Sandeep Dange.

So far, 12 accused, including Mutalik, have been arrested in the case.

The arrested include Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel
Shrikant Prasad Purohit.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008, in
Malegaon in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.

<a href="http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/
newsDetails180111j.php">Assemanand didn’t write to presidents:
Brother</a>
India Blooms News Service

Hyderabad, Jan 18 (IBNS) Brother of Swami Aseemanand, the prime
accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case, has denied reports of the
latter writing to presidents of India and Pakistan regarding the
terror attacks.

“I met my brother. We spoke about personal things. But he never gave
me any letter," Sukumar told CNN-IBN news channel.

Aseemanand is presently lodged at Chanchalguda Central Jail here.

His lawyer Ramchandraji Rao too denied the reports and said: "Sukumar
met Aseemanand in front of me and no exchange of letters of took
place."

According to reports, Assemanand wrote two letters to the presidents
after confessing his ‘crime’ before the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) on Dec 18 last year.

The content of the letters were same as his statements where he
confessed his involvement in the blasts.

Earlier on Jan 13, Aseemanand, who was arrested on Nov 19 for his
alleged involvement in the Ajmer, Hyderabad and Samjhauta Express
blasts, was produced before a special court on expiry of his 10-day
police remand.

The court ordered 14-day jail remand for him.

During his previous remand term the National Investigation Agency
(NIA), probing the Samjhauta Exrpess blast had interrogated him.

The NIA recently announced rewards upto Rs 22 lakh for information
about three more suspects in the case.

Aseemanand faces the charge of leading the bombing which killed 68
passengers of Samjhauta Express in Feb, 2007.

Majority of the victims were Pakistan nationals.

Swami Aseemanand alias Jatin Chatterjee,who hails from Hooghly
district in West Bengal, is a post-graduate in Botany.

He settled at Dangs in south Gujarat in late 1990s.

He is believed to be close to Sadhvi Pragya who is also a suspect in
the Malegaon blast case.

The Malegaon bombings took place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a
town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.The explosions, which
killed at least 37 people and injured over 125 more, took place in a
Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque.

The Samjhauta Express bombings took place around midnight on 18
February 2007 on the twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi,
India, and Lahore, Pakistan. Of the 68 fatalities, most were Pakistani
civilians.

The blast in the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer in
October 2007 had claimed three lives and injured several others.

The Mecca Masjid blast in May 18, 2007 killed nine people.

<a href="http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/
newsDetails170111p.php">Malegaon blast accused file bail plea</a>
India Blooms News Service

Mumbai, Jan 17 (IBNS): The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
(MCOCA) in Nashik has received bail applications from nine alleged
Islamic terrorists charged in the 2006 Malegaon blast case.

The accused have cited Swami Aseemanand's confession where the Hindu
extremist leader admitted to the role of right-wing activists in the
attack that killed about 37 people and left over a hundred injured.

Aseemanand, who was arrested on Nov 19 for his alleged involvement in
the Ajmer, Hyderabad and Samjhauta Express blasts, faces the charge of
leading Malegaon and Samjhauta Express bombings.

The confessions, purportedly to a magistrate at a Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) court, were published by the Tehelka magazine.

In their bail plea, the nine alleged Students Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI) members have said that there was "no direct evidence" of
their involvement in the incident and have been serving jail time for
the past four years over a "forcibly taken confession statement".

The court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the
Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad to file their replies by the date of the
next hearing — Jan 28.

...and I am Sid Harth

Loading...