FBI stunned by India's slackness on Headley

 

 

 

NEW DELHI: Home secretary G K Pillai's assertion that US did not share data on Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley's links to 26/11 might see some embarrassing questions being posed to Indian authorities over the ease with which the jihadi received visas to travel to India.

While US allowed National Investigation Agency (NIA) representatives lengthy access to Headley, who has pleaded guilty for the 26/11 strike on Mumbai, American authorities harboured a feeling that India was not telling them everything about the terrorist.

For, the FBI and other intelligence agencies of US had wondered as to how Headley could slip in and out of India to Pakistan without the knowledge of its intelligence agencies. US authorities repeatedly asked NIA as to why the sleuths were so slack in tracking Headley.

They were surprised that the Indian mission in Chicago casually gave visa to Headley on a number of occasions without proper verification. And that Headley's travel from Pakistan to India and back on numerous occasions did not trigger an alarm with Indian visa and intelligence authorities.

Headley was actually utilising inputs gathered from India through his reconnaisance visits to brief bosses of Lashkar and ISI during their joint meetings in Pakistan as a part of a pan-Islamic terror agenda.

So, the grievances of Indian officials over US not sharing data might leave their Amereican counterparts dumbstruck. The Indian team was able to piece together an enormous fund of information on 26/11 and Pakistan's role in it through the Headley interviews. Till then, Indians were totally unaware of conspirators other than half a dozen Lashkar figures.

On the basis of shared data, the NIA in its dossier had clearly pointed towards a perception that LeT and ISI were acting independent of the Pakistan government and posing a grave threat to many countries fighting terrorism.

Headley had detailed every meeting he had with his LeT handlers, including Hafeez Saeed and Sajid Mir, and ISI officials at Muzzaffarabad and Lahore prior to the 26/11 attacks.

Headley has pleaded guilty on 12 counts, nine of which relate to the terror attack on Mumbai, to avoid being extradited to India and to escape capital puninishement

 

 

DEEPAK KUMAR

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PM asks China to be sensitive to India's 'core issues'

 

 

HANOI: In the backdrop of concerns over stapled visas being given by China to Kashmiris, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday asked it to be sensitive to India's "core issues" as he met Premier Wen Jiabao here, even as the two sides agreed to work their way to solutions to the "difficult" problems.

At the same time, the two leaders agreed that there was enough space in the world for both the countries to grow and they should cooperate and collaborate. In this regard, Wen will visit India by the end of this year, possibly in December, a step that was immediately welcomed by Singh at the meeting.

It was also decided at the 45-minute meeting that the Special Representatives of the two countries will meet by the end of this month to discuss "difficult" issues, including the boundary question.

"The Prime Minister raised the issue of all difficult questions and showing sensitivity to each other...The Prime Minister spoke of the need to show sensitivity to each other's core issues," national security adviser Shivshankar Menon told reporters while briefing on the meeting, the first top level contact since the Sino-India defence exchanges were suspended in July.

Menon refused to elaborate on the "core issues" but sources noted that this relates to anything connected to Jammu and Kashmir.

China has been giving visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on loose sheets of paper instead of passports, an action seen by India as questioning its sovereignty.

The matter snowballed into a major controversy in July this year when Beijing wanted to give such a visa to India's Northern Area Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal.

India responded by suspending high-level defence exchanges for which Lt Gen Jaswal was travelling to Beijing and has repeatedly made it clear that these will remain on "pause" till China reverts to its position on the issue.

DEEPAK KUMAR
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Stapled visas to Kashmiris not acceptable to India

News 24 bureau

Hanoi: That India is taking the issue of stapled visas given by China to Kashmiris very seriously, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday asked it to be sensitive to India`s concerns during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Premier Wen Jiabao here. Both giant powers of Asia have also agreed to work their way to solutions to the outstanding issues. Meanwhile, the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao would visit India in coming December to discuss outstanding issues with India. After meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Man mohan Singh here on Friday, it was decided that Chinese prime minister would visit India.

Both prime ministers also agreed that there was enough space in the world for both the countries to grow and they should cooperate and collaborate.

Manmohan Singh raised the issue of all difficult questions and showing sensitivity to each other...The Prime Minister spoke of the need to show sensitivity to each other's core issues. It may be recalled that China has been giving visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on loose sheets of paper instead of passports, an action seen by India as questioning its sovereignty. The matter snowballed into a major controversy in July this year when Beijing wanted to give such a visa to India`s Northern Area Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal.

India responded by suspending high-level defence exchanges for which Lt Gen Jaswal was travelling to Beijing and has repeatedly made it clear that these will remain on "pause" till China reverts to its position on the issue.

 

 

 

DEEPAK KUMAR

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Corrupt Games: I-T raid at 50 locations

THE efforts to nail the contractors of the Commonwealth Games,for their attempts to play around with their financial bottom line,gained momentum on Thursday with the income-tax department carrying out searches and surveys at 50 premises owned by four infrastructure and sports equipment firms.
The four contractors had executed almost all the works related to the Games,from laying synthetic turfs and tracks at the sporting venues to the beautification drive undertaken across the metropolis.
While Shiv Naresh Sports,which has its headquarters in the Capital,was involved in laying synthetic track surfaces at the Games venues and supplying sports gears and accessories,Sweka PowerTech Engineers,which too has its base here,re-erected all the electric poles before the 13-day event and undertook the streetlighting all across the Capital.
Delhi-based Satya Prakash and Brothers carried out all the streetscaping and beautification drive from Dhaula Kuan to the Talkatora Stadium,including the areas falling behind the Rashtrapati Bhawan.MBL Infrastructure,which is headquartered at Kolkata,but has its office premises in Mumbai,Bangalore,and Jamshedpur too,did the beautification in the rest of the city.The department conducted raids at all its addresses in the four cities.
The idea behind Thursdays exercise,CBDT sources pointed out,was to prevent these firms from inflating their expenditure and deflating their profits,and show corresponding figures while filing their returns.In that sense,it was a pre-emptive strike which was carried out by the income-tax department.
Our attempt was to assess the quantum of contracts executed and the expenditure incurred by these firms on execution of these contracts,so as to ascertain the correct profits made by them, CBDT sources said.


PRABHAKAR MANI
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MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals is set to file an appeal in the Bombay High Court on Monday against the Board of Control for Cricket's October 10 order throwing it out of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Royals, which won the 2008 IPL tournament, had its contract terminated after BCCI charged that it had changed its shareholding pattern without taking the consent of the board or the IPL governing council.

The promoters of Rajasthan Royals have now retained Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve to argue their case. Salve, who was out of the country, returned late on Saturday and is learnt to have met Royals co-owner Manoj Badale in New Delhi. Following the meeting, it was decided to go to court.

When contacted, Badale told TOI, "As a group of overseas investors promoting Indian cricket, I still fail to see what we have done wrong. We will now have to put our full faith in the legal system."

Ranjit Barthakur, chairman of Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd, said; "As an early promoter of Indian cricket, I am saddened the situation has come to this. Manoj and I have made multiple attempts to meet the BCCI without success. So, legal recourse is the only option." Salve, despite several attempts, was unavailable for comment.

Suresh Chellaram, a 44% stakeholder in the franchise, is suspended IPL chief Lalit Modi's brother-in-law. However, when asked, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar had insisted, "The decision to sack Royals has not been taken because of any individual."

 

ROHIT KALIA

PGDM 1ST SEM

Maruti forms team for fully indigenous car

The country's largest passenger car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki has started work on developing its first fully 'made in India' car. As a part of the company's strategy to develop and design future models in India, a joint top level team for global product strategy comprising R&D experts from both India and Japan has been formed and headed by Maruti Suzuki's managing executive officers (engineering) IV Rao and K Asai. According to company sources, the idea of forming a team of R&D experts was taken during Suzuki Motor Corp chairman Osamu Suzuki's visit to India about two months back.
"The work to develop a fully indigenous car model from the Maruti Suzuki stable is underway. However, the company is yet to fix a specific timeline for it," a company insider said. When contacted IV Rao confirmed that he was heading a team of specialised R&D experts. He said, "So far we (Maruti Suzuki) have been manufacturing cars in India but we are also looking to get into product development which will also be done here". Rao, however, refused to divulge the precise time period for the launch of the car.
The company has also recruited top engineers from US auto companies in Detroit. The new team of engineers having skill sets across diversified fields and will work under Rao and Asahi to deliver the car. The cars rolled out would first be tested in the European markets before they get launched in India.
Sources further added that the development was significant since it could save the company a substantial amount of money that it pays to Suzuki Motors as royalty for using its technology. In August, FE had reported that once Maruti Suzuki's R&D centre at Rohtak in Haryana is fully developed by 2015 then it could start demanding a royalty from its Japanese parent - thereby reversing the current trend. RC Bhargava, chairman Maruti Suzuki had told FE, "There is logic in Suzuki Motor paying a royalty to Maruti...the issue is bound to be addressed at an appropriate time".
Maruti's first quarter net profit had dipped 20% on account of higher royalty pay out to Suzuki. It paid a royalty of Rs 188.70 crore or 5.9% of its total revenues during the quarter. This included some arrears too, which were on account of the royalty being revised because the government removed the cap of 5% on sales in domestic market and 8% on overseas sales. This enabled the Japanese parent to revise royalty rates.
The R&D centre the first outside Japan is coming up at Rohtak at an investment of Rs 1,500 crore. Spread over 700 acre of land, the first phase of the project is estimated to be completed by 2012. The company had stated in August 2009 that Maruti Suzuki is going to design and roll out a car that would be totally developed in India

ROHIT KALIA
PGDM 1ST SEM

Agencies bicker over Games probe

New Delhi: Cracks have started appearing in the multi-agency probe into alleged misappropriation of funds in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games.
Sources said Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have conveyed their displeasure to the Prime Ministers Office on Income-Tax department jumping the gun and carrying out raids last week without informing others.IT has now approached both the agencies asking them to get associated with the postraid investigation,it is learnt.
The I-T search last Tuesday against Games contractors did not go down well with other agencies such as CBI and ED,with both accusing I-T for taking hasty steps that were not required.They have termed the I-T action uncalled for as it was important to have coordinated action.
The protest comes in the backdrop of CBI and ED having made significant progress in Games-related investigation.CBI has registered a criminal case against officials of a civic agency linked to Games projects and is looking into others,while ED has carried out preliminary investigation against some of the accused firms believed to have laundered Games money to tax havens and back into India through round tripping.
However,I-T search came as a surprise to all as none of the agencies were briefed about the action.Though it is not mandatory,but in this case since other agencies were involved,coordination was expected,a senior ED official said.He cited how both I-T and ED had jointly conducted searches in the Madhu Koda scam which helped the government wind up investigation fast.
In their plea to the PMO,the agencies said they would not engage in any further action against any of the accused or those suspected of having misappropriated Games funds till the I-T probe was over,sources said.
They argued that there was no case for I-T at this juncture to have conducted solo search operations.If at all any tax evasion case could arise,it would only be after the end of this fiscal year when all tax dues are supposed to be deposited.The other ground for I-T to raid for alleged black money involvement did not arise as all cash had flown from the government kitty.
Misappropriation of funds by public servants was a criminal matter and thus fell in the jurisdiction of CBI which could register a case and even arrest accused if there was a valid ground,the official said.Sparing organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and his family members from I-T raids when a Central Vigilance Commission probe had revealed that at least Rs 200 crore bungling is suspected in the Rs 665 crore overlays supplies has also been raised with higher authorities.
The CVC probe had alleged that four overlays providers,including a Swiss firm,had been paid exorbitant rates for the same work which was carried out by another firm during the Games for a small fraction.CVC,which is looking into the conduct of Kalmadi,had initiated probe against his close aides and had sought response from the ministries of sports and commerce on specific complaints.I-T raids were carried out on all four overlays providers but spared Kalmadi and his family.

PRABHAKAR MANI
PGDM 1 SEM

Kashmir Valley receives season's first snowfall

SRINAGAR: The higher reaches of Kashmir received the first snowfall of the season today while the rest of the Valley was lashed by heavy rains leading to a drop in temperatures.

"It is snowing in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Qazigund areas of the Valley. In Gulmarg, three inches of snow have accumulated since morning," weather department officials said.

This is the first snowfall of the season in Kashmir and has come at least a month earlier than expected.

"There have been occasions when snowfall has taken place in October but it is a rare occurrence," the officials said.

They said it was also snowing at Zojilla and Gumri on the Srinagar-Leh National highway, forcing the authorities to stop the movement of vehicles to Ladakh region as a precautionary measure.

All the vehicles heading to Kargil and Leh have been stopped at Kangan, 40 kms from here, in Ganderbal district, the officials said.

However, traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only road link between the Valley and rest of the country, was moving smoothly at the moment.

Elsewhere, heavy rains have lashed the plains of Kashmir, including Srinagar, where the downpour has resulted in overflowing drains in many places.

An official of the meteorological department said that 37.2 millimetres of rainfall was recorded till 8.30 AM.

Kokernag tourist resort in south Kashmir has recorded the highest rainfall so far at 46.6 mm followed by Pahalgam and Qazigund areas at 38.2 mm each.

The snowfall and rains have brought down the mercury with Srinagar recording a minimum temperature of 3.6 degrees Celsius against 9.1 degrees a night earlier.

However, MET official said last night's temperature was only one degree below normal for this time of the year.

Qazigund and surrounding areas are witnessing temperatures close to freezing point with the night temperature recorded at 0.5 degrees Celsius.

Highway towns of Banihal, Batote and Katra have also been lashed by moderate to heavy rains. Moderate rains have also been recorded in Jammu. The night temperature of 15.7 degrees recorded there is three degrees below normal.

ROHIT KALIA

PGDM 1ST SEM

CWG has raised hopes of Olympic medal from athletics: Babu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The sterling show by India in track and field events in the Commonwealth Games will boost the country's search for an athletics medal in the 2012 London Olympics, former jumper and current coach Suresh Babu said on Friday.

"The unprecedented crop of medals in the CWG has not only silenced the harshest critics of Indian athletics but also exceeded the expectations of the most optimistic supporters," Babu said.

"The uninterrupted training given in the national camps since October 2008 plus the home advantage had largely contributed to the success. It has raised hopes of the nation to look forward to getting a medal in 2012 London Olympics," he said.

"We should ensure combining of training and keeping the tempo till the next Olympics. Special training by the very best international coaches should be imparted to the outstanding athletes," he said.

Babu picked Tintu Luke (women's 800m), Vikas Gowda (men's discus), Kirshna Poonia (women's discus) and women 4x400m relay quartet as Olympic medal material.

Also, Ranjit Maheshwari (men's triple jump), Mayookha Johny (women's long jump) and Om Prakash (men's shot put) have bright prospects, he said.

"The Government and the powers that be should leave no stone unturned for the success of these athletes. Apart from special coaching, they should also be made to attend the Grand Prix or some international meets," he said.

Krishna Poonia has shown phenomenal improvement thanks to her special coaching by Mac Wilkins (USA), who won the discus gold in Montreal in 1976. US-based Vikas Gowda should also be helped financially to undergo specialised coaching under Wilkins, Babu said.

A former national champion in the 1970s and winner of international medals in high jump, long jump, triple jump and decathlon, versatile Babu was captain and flag bearer of the Indian teams in the World University Games in Morocco (1973) and Commonwealth Games in Edmonton (1978).

He was also national coach for five years and chief national coach in 1989.

PRABHAKAR MANI

PGDM 1 SEM

Illegal UK firm got 246cr CWG broadcast rights

New Delhi: Prasar Bharati gave the Rs 246-crore telecast rights of the Commonwealth Games to an illegal entity which gave a fake registration number and had no service tax number,raising doubts about the motives of the top brass who overruled objections and speedily paid out 80% of the contract fee even before the Games concluded.
The broadcast deal was bagged by a UK-based company,SIS Live,which came into being in January 2010,four months after the bidding formalities were over,according to the findings of the Income Tax department.
The I-T survey conducted on the broadcasting firm has found that the firm was given the contract despite having no valid service tax number nor having filed any tax returns in previous years a prerequisite for bidding for big ticket contracts.
Prasar Bharatis own member (finance) had raised questions about the antecedents of SIS on September 15 this year.

CVC finds 200cr loot in overlays

Overlay providers allegedly helped the OC inflate bills by at least 30%,by charging two different prices for the same item at different Games venues,the Central Vigilance Commission found in its preliminary probe.Initial estimates put the organized loot at 200 crore or more on a net spend of 665 crore
PRABHAKAR MANI
PGDM 1 SEM

Read more: KBC-4 trumps Bigg Boss in first round of TRP wars -

KBC-4 trumps Bigg Boss in first round of TRP wars

MUMBAI: In the race of the TRPs, the first episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati-4 has beaten the first Bigg Boss episode hands down. KBC-4, which opened on Amitabh Bachchan's birthday, garnered an aMap rating of 5, beating the Salman Khan-hosted Bigg Boss that got a rating of 3.6 on its first day of telecast.

The television industry goes by the TAM rating but the aMap rating, too, is considered to be an indicator of the performance of a show.

Analyst Anil Wanwari feels it would be slightly unfair to compare Bigg Boss with KBC. "They are different: one is about putting people together in one house. The other is about general knowledge," he said.

Bachchan has been able to beat Salman Khan's Bigg Boss in his first episode of KBC-4, but failed to cross any of the phenomenal ratings of his own KBC-1 and KBC-2 or the SRK-hosted KBC3. Analysts also pointed out Salman had beaten the TRPs that the Big B-hosted Bigg Boss had in its first episode.

Basab Dutta Choudhury of Madison Media said the aMap ratings were credible. One expected that the opening episode of KBC would have a 30% impact on the rating of Bigg Boss. From now it will all depend upon the content, how the participants perform and how much money they make on the show.

 

ROHIT KALIA

PGDM 1ST SEM

Uncommon Wealth: Record gold haul, hockey final spot

Uncommon Wealth: Record gold haul, hockey final spot

THIS DIWALI CARMAKER TO SKIP BIG DISCOUNTS

CARMAKERS have cut festival discounts to the lowest levels in at least three years this season,thanks to booming sales that have led to waiting periods of up to five months for popular models.
Maruti Suzuki,Hyundai Motor India and Tata Motors have all drastically cut their discounts to push sales in the third quarter of the financial year,normally considered best period of the year.
At a time when we are trying hard to meet the market demand,discounts dont seem to be an viable option to boost sales, said Mayank Pareek,managing executive officer (marketing & sales),Maruti Suzuki.
Maruti is currently unable to keep pace with customer demand for nine out of its dozen models.
While the discounts would stay,it would be around 20% less over the same period of last year, said Mr Pareek.
Several cars including the Maruti Alto,Wagon R,Hyundai Santro,Tata Indica,Fiat Palio and Ford Fiesta were discounted up to 15-20 % of their price during the festive season until last year.
This year,its a different story.Santro,for instance,had a discount of more than 50,000 during the festival season in 2007,which went down to 40,000 in 2008 and 37,000 in 2009.The discount is expected to be lower this year.
Where is the room for discounting when we are desperately trying all means to meet market demand, Hyundai director sales Arvind Saxena said on the launch of the new i10 hatchback.
Toyota Innova is another case in point.After increasing price by up to 29,000 on its complete range,Toyota is giving a discount of 30,000 on its Innova MUV this year.The same vehicle carried a rebate of 60,000 in 2007,which came down to 52,000 in 2008 and with a new variant being launched in 2009 carried a discount of 35,000 in 2009.
However,there is one exception to the drive to cut discounts.Honda Siel Cars is offering freebies and discounts of up to 55,000 on its Jazz hatchback.The company is also offering free insurance covers for the City,Civic and Accord models this festive season.
Car sales have increased more than 30% in the first six months this fiscal year,changing the market condition completely and forcing long waiting periods on several models including Maruti Swift and Eeeco,Hyundai i20,Volkswagen Polo,Ford Figo,Toyota Fortuner and Tata Nano.
And carmakers are busing ramping up production capacity to keep pace with demand and ensure peeved customers dont turn to rival models.
The rise in demand this year is despite increase in car prices.Vehicle prices are higher due to excise duty and road taxes;interest rates are also higher, said Mahantesh Sabarad,auto analyst,Fortune Financials.
PRABHAKAR MANI
PGDM 1 SEM

CWG: Delhi children to enjoy extended vacation

New Delhi, Oct 1: While children across India have already missed several days of school in view of the Ayodhya verdict, kids in Delhi will be enjoying an extended Dussehra vacation this year due to the Commonwealth Games.

Buzz up!

With the Delhi Games set to begin on Oct 3, several schools in the national capital declared holidays starting from Friday, Oct 1 while the remaining will close on Saturday, Oct 2, which also happens to be Gandhi Jayanti.

The CWG 2010 will end on Oct 14. So the early holidays along with the customary eight-day Dussehra vacation add up to 17 days.

The state government decided to shut schools in a bid to ease traffic and to ensure a smooth event. Besides this, the holidays will also enable the children enjoy the mega sporting event.

The schools also planned several activities to build enthusiasm and instill interest in the children about the event.

"We have asked them to collect memorabilia of the event during their vacations, and right before the autumn break set in, we organized a number of activities to instill interest in them.They are after all children of the city that is the host.

"We have asked the older children to go and watch at least one game, and report back to us when they return," said Nandita Shankara, officiating principal of the Summer Fields school told a news agency.

The children have also earned their extra leaves by turning up early to school during the summer as their summer vacations were cut short early this year to compensate for the loss of working days due to the Games



ROHIT KALIA
PGDM 1ST SEM

Maruti to increase capacity to reduce waiting period

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki is trying to quickly ramp up production as longer waiting periods for some of its models can impact sales adversely.Huge backlog is an area of concern, Maruti Suzuki said on Thursday.The companys market share has been eroding after new launches by rivals in the small car segment.
Except A-Star,Estilo and M800,all our models are on waiting list.Nearly 20-25 % of our customers have to wait to get their cars, said Mayank Pareek,executive officer for marketing and sales.Marutis Dzire sedan has a waiting period of four to five months,the Swift has about three months,while the Eeco has about five months.Maruti will invest about $1.3 billion by 2013.It hopes to make 1.75 million units annually by that time against the current capacity of around 1.3 million.
Chairman R C Bharghava admitted that Maruti Suzuki could not anticipate that the market would regain momentum at such pace after the lull due to the slowdown in late 2008 and early 2009.In hindsight,we can say that we were conservative.Nobody had expected this type of a boom to happen. The company is also watching the spate of new model launches by rivals.We are not focused fundamentally on retaining market share.We want to meet demand of customers as much as possible.But for that we need production, Bhargava said.While many customers still stayed with the brand despite the waiting lists,some did migrate to other players,he added.Marutis share of the Indian car market at the end of August was 51.8%,he said.This is down from 53.2% in the previous fiscal year and 55.1% in 2008-09.On sales,he said demand is likely to remain strong throughout this year.

PRABHAKAR MANI 

PGDM 1 SEM