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Mar. 2010 London house builders target cash-rich Indians I-T finds Lalit Modi link to 80cr private jet deal: "I-T probe has been able to link the aircraft purchase - extensively used by Modi as his private transport", "The I-T probe found WSG had only $1 as share capital." RTI activist who exposed corruption in Maharashtra found dead RTI activist found dead after exposing sand mafia Now, DDA under scanner over CWG pools UK firm charged over six times for Games overlays, says British paper 5000 ex-servicemen return medals British firm charged high prices from CWG OC: Report: ""The company and its partners charged organisers 64 pounds each for 360 tissue paper dispensers. Comparable items were available for just 9 pounds from another games supplier. It supplied 176 rubbish bins at 104 pounds each, compared with the 16 pounds charged by another group. And the 20 sinks it supplied each cost - at 501 pounds - a time more than double thprovided by a rival,"" Mosquitoes breeding at CWG' sites: Azad Crippled by surgeon’s hands, man commits suicide: "following an allegedly faulty surgery by a surgeon with the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital" Financial crunch? CWG asks Army to work for free Corruption charges serious: CGF chief Fennell Probe CWG corruption allegations: Fennell Now CGF comes under scanner: "the Commonwealth Games were on Tuesday rocked by a fresh scam with reports that one of the members of the CGF's coordination commission had ownership links with two companies which were awarded contracts." London splurge and sleaze exposed by OC official: " Sanjay Mohindroo, the deputy director general and OC boss Suresh Kalmadis key aide, had tried to appropriate over Rs 22 lakh from the funds meant for the Queen's Baton relay inauguration in London last October". A M Films didn't have director when CWG OC accepted its bid Nothing much to celebrate Former bank manager held for cheating 2,000 depositors in Bangalore Constable commits suicide on court premises: "apprehending his name could figure in the charge sheet in the PF scam case" Now, racism charge hits Games OC: ""HT visited the block of five flats originally allocated to five Malysians, including Mariadass, located at 53/8 and 53/9, just off Main Market, Old Rajender Nagar. Each flat has two small bedrooms, a kitchenette, a tiny, dilapidated bathroom and a small sitting area. The flats have been rented from the Salwan Education Trust by the OC. The lease agreement states that the monthly rent is Rs 55,000 each. Therefore for the six flats the OC has rented from Nov 2009-2010, the rent comes to Rs 39,60,000. Brokers in the area said rent for similar flats was never higher than Rs 15,000."", ""the amount of money that constitutes over-spending would run into crores"" ICICI, HDFC violating norms on recovery agents: Govt 'Paid News': The Buried Report Lack of coordination again leads to wastage of funds CWG lawn bowl turf overpriced nearly 6 times Rs 744 cr ‘diverted’, govt says SCs too will benefit Rs 15 lakh from 350 cr, Delhi worst in labour welfare spends After graft, CWG faces allegations of human rights violation: ""large-scale violation" of rights of labourers in various Games construction sites, with workers being paid two-third or half the minimum wage, wages being held back and they being made to live in "sub-human conditions"" Kalmadi cleared payment for AM deal which he'd 'never heard of Now British Queen angry over CWG mess Corruption costs India's UK mission crores: "High Commission spent Rs 125 crore on a lease for the Commissioner's residence. What is more shocking is that out of this, Rs 1.7 crore was wasted on a lease for a wrong alternative location.", "The report also talks about the highly inflated car and taxi rental bills for the course of the Commonwealth Games, particularly the Queen's Baton Relay held in London in 2009." controversy: cwg 2010 - Muck Wrestling - Scams, bad work, missed deadlines cast shadow on the Games: "The Commonwealth Games pays over Rs 3 crore without a written contract to a little known firm in the UK—AM Films of Ashish Patel —for cabs and audio-visual services during the Queen's Baton Relay function in London.", "The games has few private sponsors. Even the PSUs roped in have developed cold feet.", " The roof of the weightlifting stadium—part of the main venue at JLN Stadium (right)—started leaking hours after its inauguration.", "“I am concerned about the rights violations in the name of the games. Fraudsters can stay in Delhi, beggars can’t?”A.P. Shah, Ex-CJI, Delhi High Court" Games scam: 3 top officials suspended after UK money trail report OC treasurer's son heads firm laying Games tennis turf CWG lawn bowl turf overpriced nearly 6 times: "In yet another scandal lawn bowling tracks to be used during the Games have been built at around Rs 1.36 crore when it could have been done at just Rs 27 lakh." Australia sends mosquito repellents for CWG athletes E-mail fraud hits Games, Kalmadi sets up probe panel Govt doc contradicts Dikshit's CWG claim on SC fund E-mail cited by Kalmadi in AM Films controversy 'doctored' CAG report unearths fresh scam; Kalmadi’s Asiad bid to be blocked CWG profligacy exposed Streetlighting fraud: CBI registers first case of corruption: "The charges include corruption, misuse of official position, manipulation of tender documents and inflating costs in a Rs 345 crore project for upgrading streetlights along 101.56 km of Delhi’s roads ahead of the Commonwealth Games. " "The CVC, which probed the case in October 2009, concluded that the MCD officials colluded with the private firm and caused a loss of Rs 3.62 crore to the government." Rs 4 lakhs for an AC, 9 lakhs for a treadmill: Kalmadi denies inflated pricing CWG can of worms: Rs 8000 to hire one chair: "paid Rs 9.75 lakh to hire each treadmill for a month-and-a-half.", One could get a whole gymnasium for that much or buy a very fancy treadmill for a lakh and a half." Special chairs are hired for Kalmadi and other officials at Rs 8000 each and 100-litre refrigerators to cool drinks for officials at Rs 42000 a piece." CWG fallout: India may not bid for Asiad Govt muzzled CAG alarm on C’wealth Games delay Massive corruption in CWG; CBI, ED to probe CVC picks nits in Games projects: "For one project, Rs 3.68 crore was wrongly added to cost evaluation for labour transportation charges though no transportation charges were actually incurred as labour camps were situated at the project site itself. * Basic rates of important materials and labour were jacked up up to 36 per cent." ED, UK Govt probe CWG money trail CBI asked to register corruption case in CWG construction CVC X-rays 16 Commonwealth Games projects, detects brazen corruption: "The case handed over to the CBI is breathtaking in terms of brazenness: the the successful bidder who got the contract after quoting the lowest amount was allegedly allowed to tamper with figures post-auction so that he could rake in more money than he had initially hoped for.", "The number of works under the CVC scanner has now risen to 16 with revenue implication of more than Rs 2,500 crore" 14 Commonwealth Games projects under CBI, CVC scanner Corruption wins at Commonwealth Games: "Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) which points to corruption at every level in the organization of the games", "test records have been fabricated to show compliance" India lets grain rot instead of feeding poor: "17.8 million tonnes of wheat and rice are being similarly stored under tarpaulin across India.Of this about 10 million tonnes, having seen at least one monsoon, is at risk of rotting, which will cost the country around Rs 17,000 crore" RTI martyrs: Eight killed this year alone Now sex scandal hits weightlifting body 230 passengers spend night inside grounded AI plane India ranks low in economic freedom : Report: "Factors like high level of corruption, poor investment norms and high inflation among others have made India one of the least economically free countries in the world" Corruption stains ‘Paradise on Earth’ Abused, exploited, yet asked to win medals Rs 90 cr spent on Mumbai potholes but holes stay Protesting Dalits smear themselves with human excreta Man stoned to death over relationship with Dalit woman RTI activist shot dead in Gujarat Sold by father, boy hurt in train accident faces uncertain future Sex scandal rocks Indian Women hockey: "allegations had been levelled against the videographer of the team for having being involved in a sexual orgy with prostitutes during the foreign tour. He said five photographs of the videographer with the prostitutes had also been mailed to him." Boy found semi-nude with girlfriend, lynched Dry toilet in chamber forces judge to take up matter in court Delhi Police, MCD top list of most corrupt depts Living man declared dead by hospital 3-yr-old abducted, raped, killed Games shocker: Brand-new stadiums are falling apart: "Sinking ranges, flooded warm-up zones, leaking ceilings, burst water-pipes and seepage everywhere. These are features of some of the brand-new Commonwealth Games venues — the places that will showcase India before the world." Slave labour in svelte Delhi Rupees 69L to muzzle whistleblower: "bulk of the money went to Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi", "It was against Daruwalla that Ghosh, then a general manager, complained about, among other things, putting pressure on borrowers to make huge donations to her alma mater. " honour killings - How Thick Is Blood?: "No honour in this. The Centre treads softly on reining in the killer khaps" Common wealth, exclusive owners: "Rs 80,000 crore will be spent on the Games and allied improvements", A city, which is unable to provide drinking water to half of its population; or house two-thirds of its population in decent homes, provide health services and education to a similar majority and which is battling crime and traffic chaos on a daily basis, bafflingly finds the money for this tamasha." GDP Vs GDP - The story of Indian “Development”. It is Gross indeed: the number of our Destitute People Army Colonel , 2 Majors chargesheeted in Machil fake encounter case Poverty makes dad sell girl for Rs 5K 55% of India's population poor: Report Chhattisgarh cops hounding innocent? CBI registers graft case against Safdarjung doctor AI spent Rs 41 cr on offices at locations having no flights BBC: 'More poor' in India than Africa Wrong Question - College prof hacked for hurting sentiments New poverty index finds Indian states worse than Africa Soumya case: Court orders FIR against jail staff: "he was assaulted for failing to pay the jail officials bribe for facilities like mobile phone and dry fruits." BSNL accuses RCom of cheating in Rs 90 cr case 17 months after rap, HC finds city roads still as bad Learning from Karnataka: "17 States governed by various political parties have gone through the motions of appointing Lokayuktas, there is not a single ombudsman who has the unfettered power to probe and prosecute corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. The general trick appears to be to appoint a Lokayukta but ensure that he is hemmed in legally and administratively." Rajasthan Royals broke forex rules, says Enforcement Directorate Net frauds: RBI seeks CBI help Dalit girl paraded naked in Mumbai Teacher's arm cut off: larger conspiracy suspected Powers to Lokayukta: politicos may be spared Mining a loophole: "Of the 341 mines existing in Odisha, only 126 operate on the basis of a valid lease. A paragraph in the 53-year-old Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act has proved to be the State's bane and the mining companies' boon: It is allowing illegal operators to plunder Odisha to the tune of Rs 3 lakh crore" Police bear the brunt of ‘water riot’ US company bribed several Indian PSUs to bag contracts American woman in Hyderabad alleges rape Khaps want girl's marriageable age lowered to 15 ‘Maoist’ woman mulls legal action: "“This is a policy of the state to brand anyone, who raises voice against them, as Maoists.”" Honour killing: Rod inserted in 19-yr-old’s eyes, Unable to earn enough, father of 6 kills 3 children Taliban-type decree by Khap 27 held at IGI with 'fake' visas Talibanisation of Kerala - A professor loses his right hand 45 students feel uneasiness after consuming midday meal Centre presses Karnataka for CBI probe into illegal mining Free run for illegal mining, fake permits, fraudulent exports: "Justice Hegde submitted a 1,600 page report indicting the decision makers for flouting the law and conniving with the illegal mining lobby, to the Yeddyurappa-led BJP government in December 2008. Since then the report has been in cold storage. In April 2010, the state sent an Action Taken Report after being prompted by the Centre. But ombudsman Hegde dubs it as an Action ‘to be’ taken report." Justice By Death - The self-styled custodians of ‘honour’ are out to set their sisters right At The Bully’s Feet - With soaring prices and a pliant middle class, who is going to protest? BCCI may file criminal case against Modi for Rs 1,500 crore fraud Twisted talent: IITian impersonated others in entrance exam for money Delhi world's 5th most painful city for drivers CBI unearths international call racket; arrests 5: "The arrested have been identified as Ashok Chaudhary, Sub Divisional Engineer of BSNL, Roorkee, Zia Alam, a native of Faridabad, Uttar Prdaesh, Saharanpur-based Abdul Mazid and Subhas Chand and the alleged kingpin of the racket, Sayeed Zaidi, an NRI based in Saudi Arabia", "BSNL was suffering loss of crores of rupees" India’s filthy underbelly: "Indian society and public life has been overrun by corruption for the simple reason that, irrespective of the party or parties in power, the Governments of the day have at best sought to play it down, offered it tacit support and at worst connived with the perpetrators. Scams, frauds and other graft cases are detected with overwhelming rapidity and the latest ones surpass older ones in technique and figures involved. Everything happens right under the nose of the mighty Union Government, the agencies of which are spread across every nook and corner of the country", "Four months ago, two IAS officers (husband and wife) posted in Madhya Pradesh were suspended after a raid on their home by income tax officials led to the seizure of Rs 3.26 crore in cash, jewellery worth Rs 67 lakh, Rs 7 lakh in foreign currency and other assets. In Chhattisgarh, Rs 52 lakh in cash, jewellery worth Rs 73 lakh, and 220 fake bank accounts with transactions amounting to Rs 40 crore were seized during income tax raids in the same period; 14 bank lockers have been sealed.What has been seized, however, represents only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The real moolah would have been converted into property or stashed away in foreign bank accounts. What’s worse is that the rot has spread everywhere: From the Income Tax Department, Customs, defence forces and IPS to health services and education. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State in charge of the Department of Personnel and Training Prithviraj Chavan said, “As on March 31, 2010, the number of IAS and IPS officers facing trial for criminal charges in CBI cases is 84 and 33 for the two respective categories.”", "India has been robbed of its resources not by foreigners but by its own citizens", "India has a number of anti-corruption watchdogs, including Central Vigilance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, the CBI, anti-corruption agencies, Intelligence Bureau, Economic Intelligence Bureau, Serious Fraud Office, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Reserve Bank of India, Defence Intelligence Agency and National Security Board besides Parliamentary Standing Committees and a ridiculously excessive number of regulators in addition to State-level agencies. It is surprising, therefore, that the Government manages to lose sight of so many frauds", "The same directive was smuggled in as a part of the Central Vigilance Commission Bill, which came into force in September 2004. Surprisingly, no political party raised a finger against it. When I made inquiries, I was informally told that the Joint Secretary’s level in the Government of India was a decision-making level. If the post was not provided protection, nobody would agree to do anything illegal at the behest of their political masters", "Corruption has become a low-risk and high-paying activity. It makes no difference that the Government increases the allocation for poverty alleviation schemes. What is the point of having schemes running into thousands of crores of rupees, in which the money, instead of reaching the intended beneficiaries, is siphoned along the way?" Contempt of port: "News from Bellikeri port in Karnataka that 5 lakh tonnes of confiscated iron ore has “disappeared” is shocking, but, sadly, not altogether a surprise. It’s already become clear that Karnataka politics has become deeply compromised by interests vested in the mining economy. Even so, the barefaced effrontery of what appears to have taken place in Bellikeri is exceptional. The 5 lakh tonnes stored in the Karwar port were central, of course, to the decision of Karnataka’s top anti-corruption official, Lok Ayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, to resign. He had made the investigation of this ore a priority; but, being thwarted at every turn, he said he chose to resign following the attempted suspension of the Deputy Conservator of Forests for Karwar, R. Gokul, who had been pivotal in the detection, seizing and investigation of the ore", "The faked permits and documents discovered filled 41 gunny sacks — and were just for a couple of days in February", "But the discovery that, in spite of this well-publicised discovery by the duly constituted anti-corruption authorities, whoever mined that ore felt absolutely no compunction in completely ignoring the investigation and — presumably — exporting it anyway, is truly chilling" Grandmom kills two girls over 'affair' with relative Towards A Kinder Garten - Does corporal punishment leave a child disciplined or scarred?: "Be prepared to sit on the ground in Delhi’s bone-chilling winter if your parents haven’t paid your fees. Stand in the sun till the summer heat singes you because you haven’t done your homework. Or risk losing an eye when the teacher hurls a duster at you for talking in class. And god forbid if you play a childish prank like bursting a cracker in class: risk being caned at the assembly the following morning." Two Dutch tourists raped, robbed in India Karnataka corruption fighter won't stay on: "he was resigning because the Karnataka government was not interested in checking the corruption by the multi-crore mining mafia", "Hegde alleged corrupt IPS and IAS officers were being reinstated even after he indicted them. "For the last three months I have practically had a nervous breakdown. I have sincerely, sincerely and I am not ashamed to admit before you, I have suffered,"" Indian Embassy portal becomes porn site! Lokayukta indicts BSY govt, quits: "Justice Hegde said the government had been totally non-cooperative with the Lokayukta, be it in its campaign against corruption, maladministration or to deliver justice to scores of aggrieved citizens from across the state. For the last six months, Justice Hegde said he had repeatedly requested the government to appoint a Upa Lokayukta. It was important to fill the vacancy since complaints had piled up in thousands which only the Upa Lokayukta could address under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, he said. However, the government was totally indifferent to the request, he charged. But more damaging was Justice Hedge’s charge that the government had defeated the Lokayukta’s campaign against corrupt officials. The Lokayukta’s recommendations to the government to proceed against corrupt officials had fallen on deaf ears. Scores of bureaucrats caught in cases of corruption were suspended but soon thereafter they were reinstated, sometimes in the same post", "He cited the cases of BESCOM and BBMP officials who were reinstated after suspension. “On many occasions, the officials who had been trapped/raided were reinstated and posted in the same place. Isn’t it a slap on my face and on the Lokayukta office,” asked Hegde.", "Worse, he said, the official who was instrumental in seizing the unaccounted iron ore in Karwar at Lokayukta’s behest, was subsequently suspended by the government on the flimsy ground of dereliction of duty during a cabinet minister’s visit to the district. The reference was to Karwar DCF R Gokul who along with the Lokayukta had seized iron ore worth crores of rupees from Karwar and Belakeri ports.", "Going further, he said he was not even been able to protect his colleagues in the Lokayuka from harassment at the hands of the government. “My officers have been suffering and they have faced many threats and have been charged with SC/ST atrocity cases,” he said.", "Justice Hegde said he was “quite disturbed for the last three-and-a-half months and had sleepless nights; when I am not able to give justice to my subordinates, there is no point in continuing in the chair." Santosh Hegde quits, attacks BJP govt: "In a scathing attack on the government of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Hegde said there were instances of officials suspended over corruption charges being reinstated and posted in the same position. Hegde referred to one case where a cabinet minister wanted an officer to be suspended because the latter's probe had exposed that more than 3.5 million tonnes of iron ore was illegally exported causing massive revenue loss to the government. "Is this the reward (for an honest officer)? My officers have suffered. I decided I should not be there if I cannot be their protector, especially when I know they are honest officers," Hegde said. Hegde has conducted more than 100 raids to unearth disproportionate assets of various officials across Karnataka. Most of the officials exposed by the raids have been suspended, several of them reinstated while conviction has been very few." Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde quits: "Justice Hegde had been pressing for more authority including suo moto power to investigate corrupt officers. Successive state governments had promised to empower Lokayukta, but unified opposition from state bureaucrats and politicians had stalled any move to make the anti-corruption institution more effective. Justice Hegde conducted more than 100 successful raids and caught several officers with disproportionate assets. But due to the government’s reluctance to prosecute, only a fraction of corrupt officers were convicted. A frustrated Justice Hegde had decided to quit in protest, sources said." Governor asks police officials to take action against Mafias Body count up in Delhi honour killings case Frame rules to govern Shirdi Trust: HC to Govt: "Hearing a petition alleging misappropriation of funds by trustees of Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi" Heavy rains claim 46 lives in Maharashtra India turns world’s top spam source Principal said you have 16 minutes to find the culprit... he hanged himself Paid news to come under EC scanner during elections 'Not even cattle are carried on poles' India is world's road deaths capital Fight over water leaves 50-yr-old dead ‘India lags in mom, child mortality fight’ I am sorry for caning Rouvanjit: La Martiniere principal Two tyres of Air India plane burst on landing, close shave for passengers Family tortures, kills daughter & lover Over 250 super-fast trains faulty: railways UK to inquiry into misuse of India education aid Warren just added to CBI website: "Until Friday afternoon, the Bhopal gas tragedy and absconding US citizen Warren Anderson were not mentioned on the official website of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, a casual enquiry from TOI on this led to quick additions of new links to the "Bhopal gas tragedy case FIR, charge sheet and the judgement" on the CBI home page by Friday evening. " Corruption robs developing nations of $40 billion annually: World Bank Kingfisher Airlines VP arrested for bribery 'Corporal punishment rampant in Bengal schools' Sex determination racket busted Govt to infuse additional Rs 1,200 crore equity in Air India Rouvanjit suicide case: NCPCR finds La Martiniere school guilty Govt's new anti-Naxal plan: Deploy Army: "The Cabinet Committee on Security is all set to consider a series of draconian measures to neutralise Naxals." Mud-for-meals village terrorised Man blames top Kolkata school for son's death: ""There were three or four teachers who were systematically humiliating Rouvan. Beating him, slapping him." India among the least peaceful places Straight from cradle to grave 7 flights diverted, several delayed as IGI shuts down for PM's plane Cricket in India: caught and bowled by greed Near-collision between 2 aircraft averted Chirayu Amin was part of consortium bidding for Pune: Modi HIV woman refused admission, gives birth by roadside Dubai flight was just 2 minutes from crashing into sea ‘We were better under the British’ Lt Gen forced to resign following charges of sexual misconduct 4 days after Mangalore crash, AI plane plunged 5000 ft, hit another's path Mud for meals: SC damns UP Army orders inquiry into ‘fake encounter': "The arrested persons also told the interrogators that Major Singh was involved in the encounter and paid them Rs. 50,000 each for getting civilians who could be shown as militants," CBI ropes in CAG to help probe 2G Spectrum case: "The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which hopes to complete the probe into the 2G Spectrum case within a year, has roped in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to help ascertain the alleged financial irregularities in distribution of new licenses and spectra in 2008 at prices fixed in 2001.", "Eyebrows were raised when two of the new players -- Unitech Wireless Services and Swan Telecom -- sold part of their stake at a huge premium within days of getting the licences." Fake encounter for money back to haunt Army aviation - Plane Misery: "Many more disasters are waiting in the wings given the policy and infrastructure lag in aviation " air india - On The Flying Dodo’s Trail: "Praful Patel is certainly not ‘Air India’s minister’, considering the sordid mess the national airline is in" war room leak: ravi shankaran - The Eeler’s Ace Catch: "London nabs war room leak accused Ravi Shankaran. Will the CBI move on it now?", "It is known that Shankaran spent considerable time at the official residence of Adml Prakash during his tenure as naval chief. Phone records accessed by the IB show that calls were made from the navy chief’s personal and direct telephone (011-23792905) to the cellphone (9811203003) of arms dealer and co-accused Kulbhushan Parashar. At best, they were made by Shankaran; at worst, by Adml Prakash. But the CBI ignored this and other facts when it began its investigations a full 10 months after the leak was detected." NY Times: As Cricket Grew in India, Corruption Followed Couple stoned to death in AP 'honour killing' Empty promise to check corruption: "As for the Prime Minister’s Office, forwarding complaints to the Ministries seems to be its favourite way to curb corruption. When asked to intervene and remove corrupt officials from the Council, the PMO wrote back (in February and March) that the complaint was being forwarded to the Human Resource Development Ministry!" Wrong history, wronged officer Mud for meals: SC damns UP Indian Navy employee held for spying for Pakistan Garbage In, Garbage Out: "The core of India’s problems is simple dishonesty, falsification, dereliction. How can there be a consensus on assessments and strategies when the first response to stress is a fudging of facts? " Indian businessman approached player for match-fixing: Report Tragedy no bar, might is right - Air India staff on strike soon after crash: "“Hour of crisis” or not, anytime is strike time in Air India." Govt vows to eliminate coal mafia: "At least 10,000 mafia groups operate in the country mostly concentrating in Coal India Ltd collieries " After crash, AI gags employees Driving 'drunk', colonel's wife mows down two Air India broke safety rules Rs 8 lakh sought for boy’s release Khap panchayat orders to kill lovers maoists - State, Your Cause: "If there were indeed civilians in the bus, it is irresponsible of the government to expose them to harm in a war zone by allowing police and SPOs to use public transport.", "former Punjab DGP K.P.S. Gill asks what use is a highway in Dantewada to a tribal when his basic needs of a hospital, school or employment are not addressed, one wonders whose side he is on. Or when he observes that “corruption built into the system which fails to deliver is more destructive than the criticism of the civil rights groups”", "former IPS officer, K.S. Subramanian, when he says that there is a lot of structural violence in the state, and Naxal violence is a response to it." Mangalore Crash - 'This Was No Accident...':"This was no accident, but the direct result of deliberate failure of officials at the highest level in the Director General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Government of Karnataka for allowing this 2nd runway to be built in criminal negligence of applicable norms and standards" Naval war room leak case accused Shankaran arrested in London: "Shankaran, close kin of former Naval Chief Arun Prakash" BSF in crimes of war: Canada BSF notoriously violent force: Canadian High Commission to retired constable An Open Letter To P. Chidambaram: "Is it not true that during your watch as finance minister for four and a half years, corporates raked in profits of over Rs 2,00,000 crore through legal and illegal mining, mostly in the iron ore sector? How was this profit shared?", "Is a meagre 0.5 % royalty on iron ore profits adequate compensation to the owner of the resources? Would you sell your Rs one crore property for Rs 50,000?", "Will you reveal as to how many times you have defended the public interest through a public interest litigation (PIL) and how many times you have defended corporate interest during your professional career as a lawyer?" Incredible India: 2 killed, 15 injured in stampede at New Delhi railway station: "when a last minute change of platform for a Patna-bound train triggered a stampede at the New Delhi railway station, facing summer rush." BBC: Diet of mud and despair in Indian village: "When reports first emerged of children eating mud here local officials delivered more food and warned the villagers not to speak to outsiders", "The World Bank estimates that one third of all the very poorest people in the world live in India", "Vast quantities of food provided by the state go missing every day because of corruption and theft", "Official estimates are that right across the country 75% of subsidised grain does not make it to the intended target in villages like Ganne.", "In other words, the delivery system needs to be reformed as well - and corrupt local officials need to be taken to task" MCI fallout: doctors with fake medical degrees Ex-Judge questions eviction of beggars for CWG Bride falls to yet another culture-kill in India: "Even her shoulder and fingers were chopped off and body of her mother-in-law was found in a pool of blood with sharp and deep wounds on her eyes as attempt was made to extract her eyes. " My face is my passport: "Stories about visitations from cops who simply hang around for bakshish are as old as the hills. Now even retired IAS officers admit to paying Rs 500 simply because the cop mumbles that money has to reach “oopar tak”. Even as ordinary people shudder at the thought of any interface with the khaki uniform, two distinguished Commissioners of Delhi police told me, “This (police verification) is an absurd system which only increases corruption — nothing more. How would the district cop of Gazipur know what I have been up to in Delhi? It is ridiculous.”" Operation clean-up: govt decides to disslove MCI Commonwealth Games cost up 1575% since bid: NGO audit Is DRDO's makeover just cosmetic? 15-yr-old boy beheaded by schoolmates in Pune Jeffery Archer wants to be India's Transport Minister Invigilator turned cheating agent Three of family raped, killed for reporting theft: "Police have now booked three local youths, an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector for rape, trespass and murder" CNN- Groups slam India warning - Rights group decries India's warning on Maoist support: "But the U.S.-based rights group decried the warning as an attempt to silence political speech. "The Indian government should think twice before trying to silence political discussion and demanding endorsement of its views on Maoist groups," said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch. "The recent views expressed by the Indian government against so-called sympathizers could be understood as carte blanche by local authorities to harass and arrest critics of Indian government policy." The rights group warned that the government should not equate what it called peaceful political speech with criminal acts while conducting its operations against armed Maoists." " Khap forces couple to seek death in Barmer Unable to swallow, unwilling to throw up: "Caught in a cusp between old and new worlds, India’s interface with caste remains schizophrenic 60 years after adopting a republican Constitution" Child sale racket smashed, three kids rescued Girl marries lover, father kills her the osd - Everything Is Facilitated: "Walk through the corridors of power, and you will hear a whole range of fascinating stories—and not just about telecom minister A. Raja. Take the case of Mr X, who was OSD to an MoS in UPA 1, and now is OSD to the same person, who has now graduated to being a cabinet minister. “The OSD recently purchased a floor in a block of flats in Vasant Vihar (south Delhi),” says a party source adding, “and a farmhouse. That should tell you how good the facilitation fees are.” Then there is another very senior minister, whose OSD—once a government official, now retired—has been with him through a host of ministerial assignments, taking care of the “financial side” of things. A third senior minister—whose political career, his colleagues say, has always oiled the wheels of his business interests—has several “assistants” among the people on his personal staff. Then there is the ex-minister’s OSD who was the link between a host of businessmen and government aid flowing to countries in Africa. Finally, there are two very powerful ministers, who have always kept their offices “clean”: one uses his wife and son for all financial matters, the other, very correctly, maintains a separate staff, whom he pays out of his own pocket, and so their appointments don’t require government scrutiny. Most significantly, they are not allowed into ministerial offices. “This,” says a political observer, “minimises damage.” And so the list goes on." Favourite Lobby Horses: "Maharashtra’s decision to allot foodgrain for liquor manufacturers in 2007 is a blatant example of how political and business lobbies worked hand in hand. The prime mover was Amit Deshmukh, younger son and political heir of Vilasrao Deshmukh who imagined this as the next logical step after owning and operating sugar cooperatives. Amit networked with children of politicians across the political spectrum. BJP’s Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja was a key ally, so was NCP’s Govindrao Adik’s son Avinash and Vimal Mundada’s son Akshay.", "While there is an agitation against the policy, production worth an approximate 110 crore litres per year of alcohol—the equivalent of 14 lakh tonnes of foodgrain—has been sanctioned." A Nice Mud Bath Hungry and poor: "number of people living below the poverty line to 37.2 per cent, up from 27.5 per cent" Yet another honour killing surfaces in UP Delhi University violated rules by selling radioactive scrap: Govt BJP MPs meet president over CBI 'misuse' Army officer held for child pornography Cyber breach proved in Army 'espionage case' 308 convicts await death ahead of Kasab: "Whether awaiting higher courts' endorsement of his death penalty or seeking mercy later, Kasab will be in the august company of parliamentarian Anand Mohan Singh, former Bihar minister Akhlaq Ahmed and former state legislator Arun Kumar, sentenced to death for lynching IAS officer and Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiya in 1994 in Bihar." Wait, Kasab's execution may take years Medical negligence costs patient his life: "patient died in a civic-run hospital here after the staff removed his life-support system mistaking him for another person who had passed away" Why these honour killings? Arms dealer wanted in India major funder of UK Liberal Democrats: "Sudhir Choudhrie — an accused in several cases filed by the CBI alleging manipulation and bribery in defence purchases — could also become a powerful behind-the-scenes player in Britain, where he and his family have emerged amongst the biggest donors to the Liberal Democrats" Army Major caught spying for Pakistan, tip-off came from US BBC: Inside the Maoist insurgency in India's Jharkand state: "The Maoists have drawn a lot of support from poor villagers like Chachi. "They are like our sons, our brothers," she says. ", ""Many people in the struggling areas of central India are being killed by the state forces," he alleged. "Many people are dying of hunger. Who is responsible for such deaths? People are left with no other option. No-one is going to listen to you. This violence has been imposed by the state on the people of India."" World Bank blacklists Videocon for violating procurement guidelines: "Accusing Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon of indulging in fraud and corrupt practices" Political perversion - Does CBI now equal Congress (I)? Nithari killings: Koli guilty of seven-year-old's murder: "Koli guilty of the murder of seven-year-old Aarti, one of the 19 young women and children from Noida's Nithari village whose body parts were found in a drain." The dying heart of India:"With India’s food-subsidy bill poised to double to Rs 1,00,000 crore per year if every family below the poverty line gets 35 kg of wheat or rice, up from the current 25 kg, Satna shows how it could be wasted if the corrupt bureaucracy isn’t reformed.", "MP has a bleak child-care record, India’s worst, comparable to Ethiopia and Chad. ", "More than half a million children below five died in MP between 2005 and today.", "At 60 per cent, the state has India’s highest proportion of malnourished children (India has the highest number of malnourished children in the world). It also has the highest infant mortality rate in the country (70 per 1,000 births), and for tribals, the figure is 95.6 per 1,000, according the National Family Health Survey III. India is 66th among 88 countries on a United Nations hunger index, worse than many African countries. In South Asia, India is only better than Bangladesh. In rural MP, anyone who earning less than Rs 327.78 per month is below the poverty line; in urban areas Rs 570.15. According to a central government estimate, 37.43 per cent of MP’s population is below the poverty line.", "This is how well-meaning laws, enacted in distant Delhi, change nothing here in the heart of India." UP police kill armyman during robbery chase Free speech faces threat in India: watchdog DMK chief lands in Delhi today, 2G 'scam' tops agenda Yatha praja tatha Raja: "Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, the leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal who used the most innovative methods to loot the treasury of Bihar till there was nothing left to steal,", "that political support can be leveraged by not proceeding against corrupt politicians. Today we have come to accept it as legitimate mobilisation of support in Parliament; adharma has become the dharma of coalition politics. ", "The BJP/Left-sponsored cut motion was defeated by the Congress through the expedient means of cutting deals with three tainted leaders facing prosecution for amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income. ", "On April 16, the CBI told the Supreme Court that it had witnesses on affidavit to prove that Ms Mayawati had forcibly collected bribes and would like to press ahead with prosecuting the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. ", "the CBI told the Supreme Court on April 23 that it was willing to consider Ms Mayawati’s request for a closure of the case against her. By Monday, April 26, BSP MPs were enthusiastically supporting the Congress.", "Similarly, the Congress used the CBI, or rather promised not to use the CBI, to ensure the support of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, the two leaders of the unwashed masses who would like to see India slide back to the age of lanterns and bicycles while their kith and kin prosper on slush money, hush money, tainted money. In Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav’s lantern-lit Bihar fictitious cows chewed on imaginary fodder; in the benighted Uttar Pradesh of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ms Mayawati, children feast on mica-laden lumps of clay and then cry themselves to sleep.", "ith a hugely corrupt Minister raking in millions of rupees by handing out 2G spectrum ", "And so the nexus remains secure and safe. Politicians collude with babus. Babus collude with contractors. Contractors collude with criminals. Criminals collude with politicians or, better still, decide to become politicians. The vicious cycle is seemingly cast in iron and cannot be broken; it has come to represent the ‘system’. Sadly, the people want it this way.", "Soon after he became Chief Minister, EMS Namboodiripad was asked by a journalist: “By when will the Communist Government keep its promise of taking electricity to every home in every village?” Namboodiripad looked aghast, and then shot back: “The day every house in every village has electricity the people will stop voting for us. You must be a fool to expect my Government to keep this promise.” " The Blue Part Of The Flame - People in Maoist-affected areas live lives lacerated by the brutality of both state and revolution: "Police brutality is but a natural corollary. They can be stopped and searched. The axes, bows and arrows these people have traditionally carried for hunting and protection while going into the jungle to gather petty forest produce can be deemed weapons by policemen seeking an excuse to book them. They can be arrested, locked up and tortured on the merest suspicion." “Give Us Legal Immunity, We’d Be Happy To Provide Proof Of Illegal Tapping”: "But why do you seek legal immunity? After all, you will be exposing an illegal activity. See what happened in Major General V.K. Singh’s case. After his book on corruption in RAW came out, the government prosecuted him under the Official Secrets Act. It ignored the allegations of corruption in the book but prosecuted him. It has also changed the pension rules for officials serving in intelligence agencies. We now have to sign an oath of secrecy and as per the amended pension rules issued by the department of personnel, we cannot reveal anything even after retirement. We can now be deprived of our pension. So, we are liable for prosecution in some form or the other even after we retire from service. Give us legal immunity and we would be happy to provide the proof of the illegal tapping.", "corporate leaders seeking private liaisons in hotels. Once a corporate leader was heard seeking a woman for Rs 11 lakh for seven nights. Most of the corporate calls at night are for sex." Bootleg Tapes: The Rulers Who Listen: "There’s a conversation between a UP minister and an engineer where they discuss postings of officers and also the money required to effect transfers. A senior bureaucrat in a ministry in South Block is heard discussing the payment of a bribe for a deal. The bribe is fixed for Rs 8 crore—he has already received Rs 3 crore and is now busy negotiating the balance of Rs 5 crore. A corporate boss is heard discussing the price for a young starlet who will fly in from Mumbai to Calcutta for seven days. The deal is struck for Rs 11 lakh. An air vice-marshal with the Western Air Command is under watch for several weeks. The tapes show that his wife is in touch with a beauty saloon that is running a major prostitution racket. This was one of the longest surveillance projects carried out by NTRO officials in the winter of 2006 as they parked their cars outside Subroto Park and Shankar Vihar in Delhi recording conversations." The Tap Leaks Five women devotees killed in Haryana stampede Fake taxmen raid city home, rob Rs 2 crore I'm not a man, 'godman' Nityananda told CID sleuths Indian Air Force lost 28 pilots in four years: Antony: ""Sixty-one defence aircraft/helicopters have crashed during the last four years. Twenty-eight pilots have died in these crashes,"" Uproar in Parliament over 2G spectrum allocation Did the govt fail to check corruption in the Medical Council of India? Delhi University Chemistry lab source of Mayapuri radiation CBI - 'Keep The Damocles’ Sword Hanging' Bandh prize goes to...- Ouch! The great betrayal: "Everybody loves a bandh in Bengal.", "“In the name of Bharat bandh, hooliganism was unleashed. They locked the toilet at the (Calcutta) airport.", "It was a state-sponsored strike in West Bengal,”" Billion-dollar deal papers go missing Court accepts CBI's closure report against Jagdish Tytler Nithyananda, the sadhu who reads Cosmopolitan 3G auction highlights Raja’s 2008 sham Checks, unchecked: "The arrest of the Medical Council of India’s president, Ketan Desai, on charges of bribery, raises larger questions about accreditation procedures. ", "The scale of corruption and irregularity in granting government approvals for private colleges is based on two factors. One is that the demand for college and university admissions in India has sky-rocketed, giving rise to huge private investment in the sector. Unfortunately, the state regulatory framework hasn’t changed with the times, meaning opaque “recognition” and “accreditation” requirements by disparate bodies before an engineering or medical college is allowed to take off." The Dog Matrix: "Obscure, ingrained rituals cast a dark spell around Tamil Nadu’s cult of reason" Mortal Melting Pots - "India is fast becoming the waste dump of the world. The hazardous stuff is only the start of it." We, The Eavesdropped - "The government has been tapping the cellphone conversations of these prominent political leaders" Who’ll Monitor The Monitor?: "Mired in corruption and known for operational inefficiency, it has become a hub for nepotism and has the dubious distinction now of being the first intelligence agency in the history of independent India to be subjected to a financial audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.", "Vijayaraghavan’s appointment was allegedly made without a search committee or an advertisement. Did this not violate the recruitment rules of the government?" A Fox On A Fishing Expedition: "A new off-the-air GSM device tracks phone calls, e-mail and SMSes, helping the state spy on its own folk " Taxmen find 33 foreign players paid illegally Heading For A Bloodbath: "Both sides -- the Maoists and the State -- are waging a dirty war. Between 'the violence of the oppressed' and an often brutal state, a powerful intervention spelling out a practical basis for a durable ceasefire remains elusive.", "‘these soldiers, by being cannon-fodders of the Indian state, however tragic it might be, suffered the fate that – I’m sorry to say – they deserved…To come back to the latest incident of the Maoist attack on the CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh…. if we accept it as a part of a civil war, such killings are inevitable (just as the CRPF killings of Maoists) in a violent system that has been institutionalized by the Indian state. The difference between the CRPF violence (involving ‘false encounters’, raping of tribal women, burning their homes, etc.) on the one hand, and the Maoist violence on the other (which means attacks on oppressive landlords and the police and para-military forces like the CRPF which come to the aid of the landlords) - has to be distinguished by civil society groups’" MCI President Ketan Desai arrested on graft charges: "The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Medical Council of India (MCI) president Ketan Desai for allegedly accepting Rs 2 crore as a bribe to grant recognition to a medical college in Punjab." Civil society groups condemn proposed action against Arundhati Roy: ""Instead of trying to understand these people, who they are, you just show you want to go in and kill them."", ""Criminalising this kind of writing is a clear sign of fascism," says Bhushan" IPL teams involved in match-fixing in South Africa: I-T report IPL Nights: curtain lifts on mingling set: "On one side, “mingling” involved cricketers, support staff and other members of the team entourage. On the other were foreign cheerleaders, models from other metros and some city girls who would otherwise be seen lingering at Calcutta nightclubs.", "To make the cut, you had to either be holding the Rs 32,000 super hospitality ticket or be on the guest list " I-T probing land deals done by Modi, Raje By 2030, Indian towns may turn dry, stinking hellholes: "predicts a report by McKinsey & Company." Raid raj Modi in land scams, Vasundhara was his accomplice: Gehlot Don't Choke Off Dissenting Voices: "Given its disquieting record of persecuting local journalists and activists for daring to stray from the official line, any attempt to book Arundhati Roy for her article would confirm the government's determination to choke off dissenting voices, especially to prevent any independent information from coming out of this theatre of 'War' " Two Dalits burnt alive after clash over dog Woman sacrificed to appease tribal god Scam called Vedanta NCP at the centre of IPL controversy IIPM's offering of MBA/ BBA degrees is illegal and students using the titles can be prosecuted WSG India head breaks down, admits payoff by MSM: "World Sports Group (WSG) has admitted it received Rs 125 crore from Multi Screen Media (MSM) after the latter was awarded the IPL broadcast rights." Godman's flock signed 'sex pacts' Hyderabad riots fuelled by realtors: Fact-finding team: "riots in Hyderabad began as a tiff between two communities but were turned into a full-scale riot by the real estate mafia to grab prime real estate" Dalit girl, father burnt alive in Haryana Extortion case against former Kalkaji SHO Swami Nityananda arrested in Himachal Kids forced to walk barefoot on fire SC gets it wrong twice in one case: "In a tragedy of errors, the Supreme Court has replaced one wrong order with another. First, it passed an apparently illegal order convicting eight persons in a criminal case without hearing four of them. Then, acting on a curative petition — a last resort to rectify a judicial wrong, devised by the top court itself — it recalled that order. But in the process, it made another blunder: it ordered the release of the very four whose acquittal was challenged. " Target Modi, not VIP allies -Multi-pronged probes launched into IPL Hot rod horror brands children in Jharkhand: "A barbaric method of maiming and inadvertently killing hungry children in tribal India shows how the nation is failing its poorest and furthering the Maoist rebellion." Govt will spare none in IPL scandal: Pranab Cong’s counter now: Why is BJP quiet on Bellary brothers? BBC: Kumari Mayawati: 'Untouchable' champion of India's poor: "The first woman Dalit (formerly "untouchable") chief minister of an Indian state, Kumari Mayawati, is celebrated by those at the bottom of the Hindu caste system as their champion, but also criticised for amassing vast personal wealth.", "At one huge rally, she was greeted with an enormous garland made entirely of 1,000 rupee notes. The tax department is investigating, and some say the garland may have been worth between $400,000 and $2m (up to £750,000). But the crowds loved it. " IPL’s 20,000 cr honeypot: "Lalit Modi it is perhaps fitting that the numbers are in dollars. Rupees are the currency of people living in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand... ", "However, keep in mind that bigger businessmen have entered our Parliament and no one has accused them of impropriety or conflict of interest; and there are ministers who have been accused of earning thousands of crores through telecom deals or agricultural imports. It is also true that the Indian political class has collectively shown a distinct lack of interest in pursuing the black money stashed away in Switzerland and Lichtenstein, quite unlike zealous American tax officials. ", "the income tax raids are not meant punitively, but merely for the ruling party to assess how much money the upstart Lalit Modi has actually wrung out of this tournament. ", "Rs 20,000 crore: Is it any wonder our politicians see Naxalism as a military problem; that they unite behind a man who talks of about waging war in the poorest states of India against its poorest citizens; that it feels more secure attacking activists than acting against poverty? After all, how much would it cost to build a few roads, power lines, wells, schools and hospitals in Dantewada? Probably not as much as Rs 20,000 crore." 45% of IAF air crashes due to human error Manmohan, armed with IB report, asks minister to quit - Scandal-tainted Tharoor goes: "Tharoor, who apart from being found guilty of misuse of official position, is also linked romantically to a woman who influenced his decision to “mentor” the Kochi IPL franchise consortium" Godman held for attempt to rape US national: "Last month, a British woman was allegedly gangraped in Rishikesh." Hardcore Courts: "It’s selective barbarity. The rich are spared; local politics, land influence most cases." New figure for poor: 372m Kudko murder case transferred to another court: "Kudko murder case in which Chief Minister Shibu Soren is the lone accused " Is the IPL now a hub of corruption and deceit? When Lalit Modi was Rajasthan shadow CM: "Modi's 'public fights' with senior bureaucrats were also infamous. He was said to have not only refused to provide them passes for matches but ensured that they did not get to enter the stadium. ", "The Congress has always alleged that Modi was involved in all corruption charges against the Raje government,", ""If one managed to get through Modi, his work was done," says a senior cabinet minister on condition of anonymity. He claims: "Even the state's BJP leaders, including cabinet ministers, would approach Modi when Raje was upset with them. " Japanese tourist gangraped at Bodh Gaya Money, lies and IPL - PM appears unperturbed by controversy involving Tharoor Haryana’s killer khaps - Shameful barbarism in the guise of caste system Health Minister approves suspension of Dr. Amreshwar Tharoor brazens it out - Congress backs him, resorts to dirty tricks: "equity worth a whopping Rs 70 crore was gifted to a Dubai-based Indian entrepreneur for no ostensible or convincing reason" BBC: India 'human sacrifice' suspected in West Bengal temple Iron it out: "Last month, this newspaper exhaustively documented the run of the Reddy brothers in Bellary and their success in emasculating the local administration, with their accompanying hold over Karnataka and Andhra politics. It’s not surprising that Bellary is paramount on the “illegal” mining radar; but the Karnataka government’s prolonged and continued failure on the problem — notwithstanding the successful seizure of the iron ore at Belikeri — emphasises the need for the two “R”s: reform and regulation." Sunanda's stake in Kochi team is undilutable in perpetuity: Reports Sunanda gets mother of all sweetheart deals: her Rs 70-crore stake can soar absolutely free More cell phones in India than toilets: UN ‘Govt to continue to build memorials’ Get 30%, become a teacher in Bengal Modi offered us money to quit IPL: Kochi team Modi offered USD 50 mn bribe to withdraw from bidding: Kochi team CEO Taxman to probe IPL for illegal funds 'Take $50 million And Walk Away': "“The conflict of interest in Lalit Modi’s case is clear: His son-in-law has been given web advertising rights and his brother-in-law has a team. And, in Shashi Tharoor’s case, the woman whom he is going to marry has been given free equity worth Rs 75 crore today but it could be worth Rs 500 crore a few years from now. And, when you look at it, the minister of state in charge of the Middle East also has 100 per cent of his business in the Middle East: ...."" Dignity in retreat Ghost of Bofors scandal - Haunted Congress tries to bury it. Again! Clan panchayats swear by honour killing Top cop goes AWOL: "Mr Thachankery, who is facing several vigilance probes, has been accused of amassing wealth beyond his means and the video-production facility his family runs in Kochi has faced allegations of piracy. Quite recently, he was in the centre of a controversy after he visited Bangalore to question terror man Thadiyantavide Nazeer without the Chief Minister’s knowledge. There have been charges that Mr Thachankery is part of a CPI(M)-led team bent upon sabotaging the various inquiries into terror cases in order to protect Islamist leader Abdul Nasser Madani, who is known for his close proximity to the Marxists." |
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