Bengal blast: NIA gets custody of three key accused

The explosion in a house in Khagragarh area killed suspected Jamaat militants Shakil Ahmed and Sobhan Mandal and injured Hasan Saheb.

Six people, two of them women, were arrested in the state by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which was probing the case before the NIA took over.

Three key accused - Rajera Bibi alias Razia, wife of one of the dead militants, Amina Bibi, wife of the injured militant, and Hafez Mollah alias Badrul Alam Molla - were presented before the court, which remanded them in NIA custody till October 22.

Hasan Saheb, who is undergoing treatment at the state-run SSKM Hospital, and two others, who were subsequently arrested for selling SIM cards to the militants, will be presented before the court at a later date.

Following an application by the NIA on Saturday, a Burdwan court which was hearing the case transferred it to a court in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, an NIA team led by Inspector General SK Singh visited the blast site as well a madrasa in Simulia in Burdwan, where the accused were believed to have been radicalized.

The team on Sunday seized several objects, including Jihadi literature, chemicals and other incriminating items, from the madrasa.

Besides the arrest in West Bengal, six youths have been nabbed from Barpeta district in Assam for their alleged involvement in the case.

NIA teams are camping in Burdwan, Kolkata, Nadia and some parts of Assam in connection with the investigation.

A number of key players in the conspiracy have been identified and police as well as intelligence agencies have been alerted to look out for them.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

Co-operative banks should join Jan Dhan Yojna: Amit Shah

Shah was in the city on Tuesday to inaugurate RuPay ATM and debit card and first ATM centre of Gujarat State Co-Operative Bank (GSC) at its head office in Naranpura area.  

"When the idea of Jan Dhan Yojna was floated by PM, I learnt from our Finance Minister that 50 per cent families in India never had any bank account. I congratulate our PM for introducing such scheme for the benefit of poorest of poor. Within last 3 months, more than 5 crore bank accounts have been opened under this scheme," he said.
  
"The motto of co-operative movement is to make people self-reliant. I would like to urge GSC and other co-operative banks to join this movement and ensure that every poor, dalit and tribal in the state has his bank account," Shah said.
  
The GSC Bank is the apex bank of 18 co-operative banks in Gujarat having more than 1,200 branches across the state.

While launching the first 'RuPay' ATM and debit card for the bank, Shah said one should not underestimate the capabilities of such banks.
  
Apart from Gujarat, Shah claimed that co-operative movement is still active in many other states, such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
  
"I know the strength of co-operative movement. This newly launched RuPay card and ATM is just a beginning. Looking at the sheer size and reach of this sector, I am sure that within next 5 years, debit cards issued by co-operative banks will be highest in India," he said.
  
According to Shah, Modi brought the national banking sector back on its original track of providing service, not just earning profit. He also took a dig at the 'minimum balance' criteria of banks.
  
"In the past, bank authorities shifted their efforts on how to get 'big ticket' accounts, which gave them more profit in minimum paper work. Then came the concept of minimum balance attached to opening of account," he said.
  
"Banks have forgotten that one of their key functions is to provide service. Instead, they shifted their focus on how to become a profit making organisation. I congratulate our PM for introducing 'zero balance' bank account concept under the Jan Dhan Yojna," Shah said.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

Raj Thackeray tops online popularity as Chavan, Fadnavis trail

"Raj Thackeray has emerged as the most popular leader online leaving behind Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackrey," Google said in a release issued here on Tuesday.
  
As many as 4,119 candidates, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, are in the fray for 228 assembly seats in Maharashtra. A total of 8.25 crore voters are expected to cast their votes at 90,403 polling stations.
  
According to a study by Google, search results showed that the MNS chief and his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray who heads the Shiv Sena top the list of most searched politicians in Maharashtra.
  
Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and Bharatiya Janata Party's chief in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis also led in online searches although they lag behind the Thackerays, the Google study said.
  
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate and former Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil also lag behind the Thackrays in online popularity.
  
Maharashtra witnessed the biggest break-up in political alliances in decades after the BJP severed ties with its 25-year old ally Sena and the NCP ended its 15-year old alliance with the Congress, leading to a four-cornered fight.
  
"Even as all political parties project confidence of their comfortable wins, it will be really interesting to note their performance as the Election Commission declares the results on October 19," the Google press release said.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

Four bodies dug out in Saddal hamlet in J&K, 8 yet to be recovered

The rescue teams, armed with heavy machines on Tuesday, recovered four more bodies buried under debris of houses which collapsed in the landslide triggered by heavy rains in Saddal village last month, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Udhampur-Reasi range, Gareeb Dass said on Wednesday.

With these recoveries, the total number of bodies pulled out has gone up to 30, including recovery of some parts of two bodies.
  
"Eight bodies are yet to be recovered and work is on to dug them out", DIG said.
  
Armed with heavy machines, including bulldozers and cutters, rescuers have dug up these bodies from 10 to 15 feet deep debris and boulders triggered by massive landslide.
  
38 people were buried in the landslide triggered by heavy rains which buried Saddal village in Panchari block of the district on 7th September. Of these, 12 bodies were recovered on first two days after the landslide.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

Madras High Court declines to stay Tiruchi-Karaikudi NH project

A division bench comprising justices Satish K Agnihotri and KK Sasidharan, before which the state government's appeal came up, ordered issue of notice to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the plea.
     
Earlier, the single judge, who heard the petition filed by NHAI against the government order restraining the Authority from continuing with the work on the project, had stayed it. The government had filed the appeal following this.
   
The project, which would link six national highway stretches in the region, involves construction of a two-lane path with paved shoulders on the Tiruchi-Karaikudi section of NH-210. The 84km stretch includes 25km of the Tiruchi bypass on NH-67.
  
Launched in 2010, the project was to be completed by May 14, 2013.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

BJP zeroing in on chief ministerial candidates for Haryana, Maharashtra

According to sources, BJP has shortlisted a few leaders in both states to lead it after the polls, although party leaders say that any final call would be taken by the elected MLAs and its parliamentary board.

In Maharashtra, BJP state unit president Devendra Fadnavis and Leaders of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly and Legislative Council, respectively, Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde, are tipped as being in the race for the chief ministership in case the party wins majority seats.

In Haryana, state unit chief Rambilas Sharma, BJP legislature party leader Anil Vij and its young face, Capt. Abhimanyu, are among those who are said to be the prominent contenders for the top post.

However, BJP leaders are maintaining that no names for chief ministerial candidates have been discussed so far.

"BJP has neither projected anyone nor decided on a particular leader to be the party's CM candidate in Maharashtra. The party has not taken any conscious call on it.

"Since the party was contesting polls in an alliance with Shiv Sena that was broken at the last minute, BJP got barely any time to discuss the issue. The names doing the rounds in the media are (being circulated) by certain vested interests aiming to harm the party's interest," said BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the in-charge for party affairs in Maharashtra.

BJP national secretary and co-in-charge of Haryana affairs, Anil Jain, said, "It is the elected MLAs and BJP Parliamentary Board which will take a call on who will be the chief ministerial candidate. No such decision has been taken yet and the names being floated are being done by some vested interests."

Both Rudy and Jain, however, claimed that the party would get a clear majority in Maharashtra and Haryana and form the governments in the two states on its own.

"The campaign has been good and received an encouraging response that could lead to a landslide victory for BJP," Rudy said.

Party leaders in both states, meanwhile, held separate meetings to make last-minute arrangements ahead of the polling on Wednesday.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News

Rajasthan signs agreement on technical training with Singapore

Raje, who is on a six-day visit Singapore since 11th October, along with a high-level delegation of officials and business leaders from the state, on Tuesday visited the ITE where the agreement was signed in her presence by the state's principal secretary, industries, Veenu Gupta.

The ITE has been entrusted with transforming technical training in Rajasthan starting with ITI, Udaipur, the statement said.

ITE Singapore is the principal provider of career options and technical education and also principal authority in developing national occupational skill certification and standards to enhance Singapore's workforce competitiveness.

"The offer document signed will be followed by an ITE team visiting Udaipur and drawing up the scope of work and other deliverables," said the statement, adding Raje and members of her delegation had detailed interactions with the ITE team on skill development and employability issues in Rajasthan.

The discussions revolved around how to add value to government ITIs' courses including improvement of infrastructure and software. Skill gaps and how to bridge them, re-designing ITI courses, training of trainers, making apprenticeship training more attractive and creation/development of ITIs of global standards were some of the issues deliberated upon.

Raje was shown the extensive training facilities available with ITE.

Source:MP Hindi News & Chhattisgarh News