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Sun, 04 February 2018
BJP is trying to upstage us in our own house: Uddhav

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21:42   BJP is trying to upstage us in our own house: Uddhav
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to "upstage" his party on its home-turf, violating an understanding that underpinned the saffron alliance for over two decades.
He reiterated his party will fight all future elections alone.
Addressing a farmers' rally at Paithan in Aurangabad district of central Maharashtra, Thackeray said, "The understanding in the alliance for the last 25 years was that the BJP will lead the country and we will deal with
Maharashtra. Also, we didn't want a division of Hindu votes.
"We always helped them. Now they (the BJP) are trying to upstage us in our own house. What should we do?"
After his announcement last month that the Sena will contest the next assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls alone, Thackeray said there was a debate now as to who would be the loser from the decision, his party or the BJP.
"Election results will show who will win or lose. The Shiv Sena will fight alone and win," he said.
He took a swipe at the NCP too, saying it neglected farmers when it was in power, and now in opposition it is trying to project itself as the champion of their cause by organising rallies.
The NCP had held a rally in Aurangabad yesterday.
It is only the Shiv Sena which has relentlessly fought for farmers over the last decade, he said.
As to the criticism the Sena has faced for constantly sniping at the BJP while sharing power with it in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre, Thackeray said, "Shiv Sena is taking on the government for people's issues and not for self- interest. We will continue to fight with the government on the issues concerning common people." -- PTI
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21:14   3 jawans killed, 2 injured In Pak firing in J&K's Rajouri
Three jawans were killed and five persons injured today in heavy shelling by Pakistani troops along LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir forcing Indian troops to retaliate, officials said.
Pakistani forces opened unprovoked and heavy firing and shelling along LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district this evening, a senior army officials told PTI.
In the heavy shelling, three jawans were killed and two others injured, they said, adding that Indian Army was giving a befitting reply as heavy exchanges were on.
Earlier today, a 15-year-old girl and a soldier were injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by targeting forward villages and posts along the Line of Control in Poonch and Rajouri districts, officials said.
With these casualties, 17 people, including nine security personnel, died and 70 were injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along the LoC and International Border in the Jammu region this year. -- PTI
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20:34   Rahul's temple visits not for 'demonstration effect': Tharoor
Rahul Gandhi's visits to temples of late were not merely for "demonstration effect" but underlines the fact that what was being done quietly in the past is now done openly, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said.
"Many many Hindus, certainly my generation, grew up as believing and practising Hindus but never showed it outside as they didn't feel like doing so," the Lok Sabha member told PTI in an interview during the recently-concluded Jaipur Literature Festival.
"In those days, religion was seen as an intensely personal matter you practice what you like you don't have to show the outside world. And in any case, your religion had nothing to do with political affiliation; that was the
assumption," the 61-year-old leader said.
However, Tharoor said now Hinduism and religion have been made the front and centre in the politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party and those supporting that are openly saying that they are the only good Hindus and everybody else is bad.
"Why should we cede this narrative to them? To my mind, we may as well show publicly what we have been doing privately. This is not in my view merely for demonstration effect or appearances. It is merely that what used to be done quietly in the past is being done openly now," he said when asked about Gandhi's visits to temples during the Gujarat polls campaign.
Tharoor also said he feels that Gandhi was symbolising a change in the Congress.
Noting that the Congress had performed well in Gujarat due to the effectiveness of Gandhi's campaign, he said that the Congress now has an "energetic leader" who does not hesitate to use wit and humour in a relaxed style, which in the past, was not associated with the party leadership.
"So, when Gandhi issues a tweet after Donald Trump makes a pro-Pakistan statement, some ask what is this but many say 'what a refreshing style, let's listen to this guy'. So in many ways I would say, our politics is changing and Rahul Gandhi is leading and symbolising that change," he said.
Tharoor also said that the Congress stands a good chance in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"In fact, we are getting more and more rumours that the government may advance the elections because it thinks it would lose the elections if these are held in March-April 2019 due to the momentum the Congress is clearly beginning to get," he claimed. -- PTI

Also Read: Visiting temples won't help Rahul
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20:31   Jawan among 3 injured in Pak firing in Poonch and Rajouri
A jawan and two teenagers were injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Poonch and Rajouri districts today, officials said.
The three were injured in the Shahpur sector of Poonch district in shelling from across the border which started this morning and was continuing intermittently, a police official said.
The injured civilians were identified as Shahnaz Bano (15) and Yasin Arif (14), residents of Islamabad village, the official said. Both of them were hospitalised.

A Defence spokesman said Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics, and mortars around 1110 hours. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, he said.
In another ceasefire violation in nearby Rajouri district, six mortars fired by Pakistani forces exploded near Neaka Panjgrain and Tarkundi villages in Manjakote sector around 1540 hours, a police official said.
The Indian forces responded, triggering an exchange of fire between the two sides which was continuing when last reports were received, he said.
Fourteen persons, including eight civilians, were killed and over 70 injured in intense shelling by Pakistan along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts last month. -- PTI
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19:59   Pro-Brexit MPs plotting to replace Theresa May: Reports
Pro-Brexit lawmakers are plotting to topple Prime Minister Theresa May if she tries to keep Britain in the EU's tariff-free customs union, media reports said today, ahead of crucial Cabinet meetings over Britain's future
relationship with the European Union later this week.
According to UK media reports, Conservative party MPs in favour of a complete break from the EU have threatened to submit a "tsunami" of letters demanding a vote of no confidence unless May backs their demand of a complete exit from the EU customs union.
"We do not wish to be in 'a' customs union, 'the' customs union or 'an' customs union, said Jacob Rees-Mogg, among the most outspoken pro-Brexit Tory MPs and tipped for a key Cabinet role in the event of May's forced exit.
Under a plan reportedly drawn up by civil servants, the UK could keep trading goods tariff-free with the EU and negotiate separate trade deals on services with non-EU countries like India.
However, Brexiteers insist they want to be able to do free trade deals on goods as well as services with the rest of the world. 
According to The Sunday Times, UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has been approached to lead a coup by creating a team of so-called "Three Brexiteers" -- with him as prime minister, environment secretary Michael Gove as his deputy and Rees-Mogg as Chancellor.
Senior figures inside the Tory party have indicated that a poor performance in local elections scheduled in London for May this year could trigger a definitive no-confidence vote.
"If people could wave a magic wand tomorrow, she (May) would be gone... if we get wiped out in London, then more will say things cannot get any better under her, an ex-minister told the Guardian.
A formal vote of no confidence in May can be held if Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, receives letters from 48 MPs demanding a contest.
He alone knows exactly how many letters have been submitted so far.
Meanwhile, another senior Conservative Party MP and staunch Brexiteer, Bernard Jenkin, wrote in The Sunday Telegraph that the Cabinet was "vague and divided" over Brexit and must get its act together.
"If ministers are vague or divided, life for officials becomes impossible, as we can see now. Ministerial collective responsibility really matters. If the prime minister sticks to one policy and the Chancellor keeps advocating another, what are officials meant to do," he questioned.
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19:32   AAP MLAs' plea against disqualification not maintainable: EC to HC
The Election Commission has told the Delhi high court that Aam Aadmi Party MLAs' plea seeking quashing of their disqualification from the Delhi assembly for holding office of profit was "not maintainable" and is liable to be
"dismissed".
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar was further told that the AAP MLAs have challenged the Election Commission's recommendation, which is non-existent once President Ram Nath Kovind has taken a decision on it.
The poll panel said that the MLAs have not challenged the President's January 20 decision, by which its recommendation was accepted.
The commission was responding to the MLAs plea seeking quashing of the decision to disqualify them from the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
Earlier, the commission had told the court that it would rely upon the opinion it gave to the President to disqualify the 20 MLAs who were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries. 
The high court had on January 24 refused to stay the Centre's notification disqualifying the MLAs, but restrained the EC from taking any "precipitate measures" such as announcing dates for by-polls.
Later on January 30, the court extended till February 7 the interim order restraining the EC from issuing any notification announcing by-elections to fill the vacancies of the 20 assembly seats whose legislators had been disqualified.
In its affidavit, the commission also opposed the MLAs' claim that they were never afforded a hearing before the poll panel leading to the violation of the principle of natural justice.
"The ECI afforded the MLAs ample opportunity to come and participate in several hearings, which clearly demonstrates and proves that the principles of natural justice have been duly complied with and adhered to. However, it's a matter of fact that the MLAs herein gave only illusory responses," the commission said.
The EC said that it was not bound to call the 20 MLAs for oral hearing before recommending their disqualifications to the President. -- PTI
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19:01   Countdown for the exit of Cong from K'taka has begun: PM
In a stinging attack on the Siddaramaiah government on all fronts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused it of setting new records in corruption and asserted that the countdown for its exit has begun.
     
"The Congress government is at the exit gate," Modi told a huge public rally in Bengaluru, as he took on the Siddaramaiah rule dubbing it a "10 per cent commission government."      

Chiding the government on the law and order front, he said, "instead of the rule of law, the criminals are ruling the roost."
     
The rally at the sprawling Palace Grounds marked the culmination of the state BJP's 85-day "Parivarthana Yatra" that crisscrossed all 224 assembly constituencies and virtually sounded the bugle for the coming assembly polls in the state, due early this year.
     
The BJP has set a 150-plus seats mission.
     
Asserting that there was a "saffron wave" in the state, Modi said the people of Karnataka had decided to make the state Congress free and to get rid of Congress culture.
     
"Congress government is a 10 per cent government, where no work happens without paying a commission of 10 per cent. It is a matter of shame if this becomes the identity of a government," he said.
     
Charging the state with setting new records in corruption, Modi said "Congress free government means freedom from dynastic rule, nepotism, corruption and loot."
     
He also referred to the IT raids at the residences of two state ministers and that a raid on a senior Congress leader revealed Benami property and said, "there are steel mafia, sand mafia and transfer mafia' in the state."
     
The prime minister said some people hatched a conspiracy to pocket crores of rupees in the name of building a steel bridge.
     
"Due to public outrage and BJP's protest, the project was dropped," Modi said.
     
He was referring to a steel bridge project in the city at a major traffic junction, which was scrapped after public protest.
     
Referring to a spate of killings of activists of BJP and the Sangh Parivar, he said a number of workers associated with BJP and its affiliated organisations have been killed.      

"It is an assault on the social fabric. I appeal to the people of Karnataka to vote against the government which attacks the social fabric of the state," he said. -- PTI
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17:59   15-yr-old girl injured in Pak firing along LoC in Poonch
A 15-year-old girl was injured as Pakistani forces violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today, officials said.
Pakistani troops targeted forward posts and villages along the LoC in Shahpur sector and the exchange of fire between the two sides was on when reports last came, a police official said.
Shahnaz Bano, 15, of Islamabad village of Shahpur was injured in the Pakistani firing and hospitalised, he said.
A Defence spokesman said Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars around 1110 hours. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, he said.
Fourteen persons, including eight civilians, were killed and over 70 others injured in intense shelling by Pakistan along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts from January 18 to 22.
While there were no ceasefire violations by Pakistan reported along the IB since January 22, intermittent shelling has taken place along the LoC. -- PTI 
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17:50   Students sell pakodas near Modi's rally venue in B'luru
A group of college students, donning degree robes and selling 'pakodas' to passers-by in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks over job creation, were on today whisked away by the police, hours before
the PM's rally in Bengaluru.
The students appeared near the Mehkri Circle, a few metres away from Palace Ground where Modi was scheduled to address the rally, in protest against his recent remarks linking pakoda (snack) selling and job creation.
On being asked about inadequate job creation in the last four years in a recent interview to a news channel, the prime minister had said that a person selling pakodas outside their (channel's) television studio and earning Rs 200 a day should also be perceived as 'employed'.
The young students sold 'Modi Pakodas', 'Amit Shah Pakoda' and 'Dr Yeddy Pakodas', a reference to Karnataka BJP chief Yeddyurappa, to those passing by, including the BJP workers and visitors on their way to the rally.
The police later removed the degree robes of the protesting students and took them into custody. -- PTI 
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17:09   Fear of death drives up bottled-water sales: Study
The fear of dying drives people to buy bottled water, despite knowing that it may not be good for them or the planet, scientists say.
The study suggests that most bottled-water advertising campaigns target a deep psychological vulnerability in humans, compelling them to buy and consume particular products.
"Bottled water advertisements play on our greatest fears in two important ways," said Stephanie Cote, who conducted the research as a graduate student at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
"Our mortality fears make us want to avoid risks and, for many people, bottled water seems safer somehow, purer or controlled," said Cote.
"There is also a deeper subconscious force at work here, one that caters to our desire for immortality," she said.
The study used social psychology's Terror Management Theory as its framework.
TMT researchers argue that people's efforts to repress conscious and unconscious fear of death generates specific defences that influence behaviours such as consumption choices, the accumulation of wealth, and status security.
The research team analysed data drawn from the content of bottled water campaigns and advertisements, websites, photographs, and videos that revealed implicit and explicit meanings.
They also examined how anti-bottled water campaigns have trouble competing with corporate bottled water messaging.
"Our results demonstrate that corporate campaigns appeal to people who measure their personal value by their physical appearance, fitness levels, material and financial wealth, class, and status," said Sarah Wolfe, a researcher in Waterloo's Faculty of Environment.
"Pro-bottle water advertisements rely heavily on branding, celebrity, and feel-good emotions that trigger our group identities and patriotism," said Wolfe.
"If public and non-governmental organisations were interested in promoting the benefits of municipal drinking water systems, they're going to need to use new tactics that are emotionally stirring and speak to more than just the financial, ethical and environmental benefits of tap water," she said. -- PTI 
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16:46   Would bring forth a 'wave of change' in 2019 polls: Congress
Rahul Gandhi is the only alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said today as he emphasised that "unity of opposition" would bring forth a "wave of change" in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Surjewala said there were two models today -- one represented by Modi, and the other by the Congress president.
"Today there are two models...There is a 'Modi model' wherein he changes his clothes six times, giving more credence to his clothing than state affairs. The other is the 'Rahul model' where the focus is on simplicity and clarity," the party's media head told PTI/Bhasha in an interview.
"Rahul Gandhi is the only alternative to Modi. The country wants to see him as the next prime minister," he said.
Asked about opposition unity efforts, Surjewala said with NDA-constituents such as the Shiv Sena and Telugu Desam Party showing discontent with the BJP and the Congress forging the unity of opposition forces, the "2019 Lok Sabha polls will bring forth a wave of change".
The Shiv Sena has said it will go it alone in the next Lok Sabha polls, while the Telugu Desam Party has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2018-19.
Talking about the assembly elections slated to be held in eight states this year, the Congress spokesperson said, "We are confident of coming back to power in Karnataka, one of the most developed states. The party victory in the recently held bypolls in Rajasthan is just a trailer. The party will win with huge margins in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other poll-bound states". -- PTI
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16:33   Facebook may have over 200 mn fake or duplicate accounts
As many as 200 million accounts on Facebook are either fake or duplicate as on end December 2017 and India is among the countries which have a high number of such accounts, the social networking site said.
"In the fourth quarter of 2017, we estimate that duplicate accounts may have represented approximately 10 per cent of our worldwide MAUs (Monthly Active Users)," Facebook said in its latest annual report.
"We believe the percentage of duplicate accounts is meaningfully higher in developing markets such as India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as compared to more developed markets," the report said.
As of December 31, 2017, the social networking site had 2.13 billion MAUs, an increase of 14 per cent from December 31, 2016.
Monthly active users were 1.86 billion as of December 31, 2016 with six per cent or 114 million "duplicate accounts".
Users in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam represented key sources of growth in 2017, relative to the same period in 2016, it said.
Worldwide Daily Active Users increased by 14 per cent to 1.40 billion on average during December 2017 from 1.23 billion during December 2016. 
"Users in India, Indonesia, and Brazil represented key sources of growth in DAUs during December 2017, relative to the same period in 2016," Facebook said.
A duplicate account is one that a user maintains in addition to his or her principal account.
While "false" accounts have been divided into two categories -- user-misclassified accounts, where users have created personal profiles for a business, organisation, or non-human entity such as a pet and undesirable accounts, which represent user profiles that the site determine are intended to be used for purposes that violate FBs terms of service, such as spamming.
"The estimates of duplicate and false accounts are based on an internal review of a limited sample of accounts, and we apply significant judgement in making this determination," it explained.
The estimation of duplicate or false accounts may not accurately represent the actual number of such accounts and in particular, duplicate accounts are very difficult to measure at scale, and it is possible that the actual number of duplicate accounts may vary significantly from the estimates, it clarified. -- PTI 
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15:57   NDA govt in denial over economic situation: Congress
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today claimed that the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government was in denial over the economic situation and dubbed it a "terrible patient" which makes its own diagnosis.
The former finance minister also termed Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian as a "good doctor" whose advice on the economy was not being heeded by the government.
"Arvind Subramanian has been a good doctor since his appointment as the CEA in October 2014. The NDA government has been a terrible patient," he tweeted.
"The government continues to be in denial. It denies the objective situation in the economy. It denies farm distress. It denies joblessness. It denies the opposition's arguments. Now, it denies even the diagnosis and the prescription of the doctor it engaged in 2014," he alleged.
Chidambaram also said he regarded the CEA as the doctor-in-residence to check his patient's health every day and, in case the patient fell ill, to prescribe the course of treatment and the medicines.
"A bad patient will not take the medicines, and make his own diagnosis and prescription," he said.
In a series of tweets, the minister said the budget was an occasion to outline the reforms and set a schedule.
"Instead, what we got was Elizabethan prose about an ambitious reform agenda under the rubric of an Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE) programme," he said.
The Congress leader said the Economic Survey emphasised the four Rs (Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalisation and Reforms) and pointed out that, although the first three were done, banking reforms had still not been undertaken.
A modest rise in exports in recent months, he said, may have made the government complacent. 

"There are no grounds for complacency because merchandise exports have barely come back to the level of a few years ago," he said.
He claimed the Economic Survey pointed out that "it is striking that the Centre's tax-GDP ratio is no higher than it was in the 1980s" and said, after demonetisation and the GST, it would be interesting to see how good the collections have been and also the projections for the next year.
Chidambaram has been very critical on the way the NDA government is handling the economy and the GDP growth is declining. -- PTI 

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
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14:57   Will not break alliance with BJP: TDP
The Telugu Desam Party today said that it will not break the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party after Andhra Pradesh Chief minister and party chief N Chandrababu Naidu held a crucial meeting with party leaders. 

The TDP had expressed "serious displeasure" over the Union Budget as it "gave nothing" to the state.

A senior MP even went ahead calling it war on the BJP, saying that they will break the alliance if needed. 

The TDP to raise its concerns on issues related to Andhra Pradesh with the Centre. If its demands are not met, it will launch a protest, senior TDP leader YS Chowdary told mediapersons after the meeting. 
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14:22   Taliban bomber kills 11 soldiers in Pak's Swat Valley
A Taliban suicide bomber managed to enter the restricted area of the armed forces' unit and blew himself up near the troops playing volleyball, killing 11 soldiers and wounding 13 others, in the first big attack after 2013 in Pakistan's northwestern Swat Valley.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the Pakistan Army's media wing, said the attacker yesterday targetted the sports area of the armed forces' unit and those killed include seven soldiers who were critically injured in the attack. A captain of the Pakistan Army was among the dead.
Thirteen people were injured in the blast in Swat district's Kabal Tehsil. The injured persons were taken to Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora in Swat, it added.
Citing the army officials in Swat, The News said that the soldiers were playing a volleyball match outside their base camp in Kabal last evening when a young suicide bomber managed to enter the restricted area and blew himself up near the soldiers.
The Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the paper said.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Mohammad Khurasani claimed they had sent a young suicide bomber, Siddiqullah, to carry out the suicide attack on the military camp in Swat.
The forces have cordoned off the area and started a search operation.
The Taliban also warned more attacks in near future.
The last deadly Taliban attack in Swat Valley dates back to January 2013, when the militants struck a religious center and killed 21 worshippers and injured 70 others. -- PTI
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13:21   Naidu holds crucial meeting to discuss TDP's ties with BJP
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu is holding a crucial meeting with the party MPs, senior MLAs and leaders in Amaravati on Sunday.

The meeting was reportedly called to review the party's ties with its ally Bharatiya Janata Party.

Naidu is apparently upset with the saffron party over the poor allocation for the state in the Union Budget 2018 that was presented on February 1 by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

"We are discussing about budget. Political alliance is different and state government development is different", party leader K.Rammohan Rao told media.

"Whatever the chief minister decides we will stand by it. But we are not happy with the BJP budget, not happy with the budget allotted to Andhra Pradesh. We MPs are ready to resign, but we are bound by the chief minister's decision," said TDP MP Pandula Ravindra Babu told ANI.

Hours after Jaitley presented the budget, the TDP summoned an emergency meeting of the party MPs to discuss the next course of action.

 "We are going to declare war (on the BJP). We now have three options. One is to try and continue. The second is that our MPs resign and the third is breaking off this alliance. We will decide (our course of action) in a meeting with CM Naidu on Sunday," TDP MP TG Venkatesh had said. -- ANI
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12:48   Financial resources won't be a constraint for Modicare: Niti
Brushing aside criticism of the newly announced mega healthcare scheme, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said it is a "game changer" and revenue from the 1 per cent additional cess would be enough to
meet the funding needs.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget for 2018-19 announced the National Health Protection Scheme announced to provide health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
"This scheme is game changer," Kumar told PTI as he regretted that "a completely baseless and false propaganda" is being spread against the ambitious scheme of the Modi government.
Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has termed the proposal as "a jumla" with no money provided in the budget for it.
On funding of the scheme envisaging to cover about 50 crore people, the Niti Aayog vice-chairman said the allocation for the health sector has been raised by Rs 6,000 crore.
Moreover, there is an existing facility of Rs 2,000 crore for the ongoing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna scheme.
The government has provided further financial space to the health ministry by establishing an alternate mechanism Higher Education Financing Agency for funding capex needs of the health education project.
And in addition, the one per cent extra education and health cess proposed by Jaitley in the budget will annually yield Rs 11,000 crore. All these combined would be more than adequate to meet the financing needs of welfare programme.
The Centre and the state governments, Kumar added, will only have to bear the insurance premium which was likely to be very moderate. It will benefit from bulk procurement and competition.
"Like all central schemes it will have 60-40 ratio. Those states which want to join the scheme will contribute 40 per cent. North East states will pay 10 per cent," he added.
Many experts have questioned the ability of the government to fund such as ambitious scheme and also the availability of infrastructure to provide medical facilities for a large number of people across the country.
On the infrastructure for health services providers, Kumar said the scheme will encourage private sector enterprises that will come up rapidly.
"The bottom line is that financial resources will not be allowed to be a constraint on this game changing scheme," he insisted.
According to senior Niti Aayog officials, the mega healthcare scheme will cost up to Rs 12,000 crore annually and it is likely to be launched either on August 15 or October 2.
All poor people identified by the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 will be eligible for the scheme.
It will be linked to Aadhaar but will not be a mandatory condition for availing the benefit. -- PTI 
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12:47   5 Indians, including Shaw, Kalra, Gill, in ICC U-19 WC Team
The Indians expectedly dominated the Under-19 World Cup team announced by the International Cricket Council today, with five players from the triumphant side making it to the world eleven.
India yesterday lifted a record fourth U-19 World Cup trophy after an eight-wicket rout of Australia in the final at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand, underlining their dominant run in the tournament.
The world team has the top three of the Indian batting line-up -- captain Prithvi Shaw (261 runs), player of the final Manjot Kalra (252 runs) and player of the tournament Shubman Gill (372 runs).
Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy (14 wickets) and fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti (9 wickets) are the other Indians named in the world team.
The team of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup was picked by a five-person selection panel that comprised former Windies fast bowler Ian Bishop, former India women's captain Anjum Chopra, former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe, journalist Shashank Kishore and former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody.
South Africa captain Raynard van Tonder was named to lead side which has representation from six countries. Van Tonder, who aggregated 348 runs in six matches including a highest score of 143 against Kenya, was selected to lead ahead of other captains for his better cricket acumen, the ICC said in a statement.
South Africa went out of reckoning for the title with a three-wicket loss to Pakistan in the quarter-finals but finished fifth beating Bangladesh by eight wickets in a play- off, which saw Tonder knocking an unbeaten 82.
Apart from van Tonder, the other South Africa players making the team are wicket-keeper Wandile Makwetu and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee. Makwetu had 11 victims during the tournament besides some useful runs while fast bowler Gerald Coetzee finished with eight wickets.
New Zealand batsman Finn Allen was rewarded for a consistent run which saw him get 338 runs while Pakistan's left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (12 wickets) and Afghanistan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad (14 wickets) are the ones in the playing eleven.
West Indies batsman Alick Athanaze was named the 12th man after finishing as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 418 runs, which included centuries against Sri Lanka and Kenya.
The ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup Team (in batting order):
Prithvi Shaw (India), Manjot Kalra (India), Shubman Gill (India), Finn Allen (New Zealand), Raynard van Tonder (South Africa, captain), Wandile Makwetu (wicket-keeper) (South Africa), Anukul Roy (India), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (India), Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan).
12th man: Alick Athanaze (Windies). -- PTI  
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12:03   Modi's words don't mean anything: Rahul on Naga peace accord
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the 2015 Naga Peace Accord. 

Taking a swipe at the PM, Rahul tweeted, August 2015, Mr Modi claims to create history by signing the NAGA accord. Feb 2018, Naga Accord is still nowhere to be found. Modi ji is the first ever Indian PM whose words don't mean anything. #CantFindTheAccord."

The Nagaland Peace Accord was signed in August 2015 by Modi and National Socialist Council of Nagaland to end the insurgency in the region.

Rahul's reaction came a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party decided to forge an alliance with newly floated Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party led by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio for the February 27 assembly polls in Nagaland.

Eleven parties including the ruling Naga Peoples Front on January 29 had decided not to contest the February 27 polls, agreeing to the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups to resolve the protracted Naga political problem first.

Later, the BJP had announced it would contest the polls.
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10:35   47 Indian fishermen arrested in Pakistan
Forty-seven Indian fishermen have been arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly fishing in the country's territorial waters in the Arabian Sea, according to a maritime official.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency yesterday arrested 47 Indian fishermen and seized nine launches for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters, a PMSA spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

The arrested fishermen were handed over to the Docks police for further proceedings and investigation, it said.

The Indian boats have been confiscated for violating Pakistan's coastal territory, the spokesperson said, adding that said PMSA vessels and fast attack boats took part in an open sea operation for the purpose.

On January 19, as many as 17 Indian fishermen had been arrested by the PSMA for allegedly fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters.

Three boats had also been impounded. Pakistan had released 292 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture in December-January.  -- PTI
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09:51   Defence Minister meets troops in Ladakh
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the forward posts along the Sino-India border in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and interacted with the jawans deployed there.

Sitharaman visited Daulat Beg Oldie, the world's highest airfield, situated at a height of 16,700 feet in eastern Ladakh, where the temperature plummets as low as -55C in winters in the area, on Saturday.

A defence spokesperson said, "The Defence Minister had earlier arrived at Thoise, a base-camp of the Indian Army along the India-China border, where she was briefed on the operational preparedness by the officers of the Army. She then visited the highest post in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector and Chushul along the Sino-India border in Eastern Ladakh and interacted with troops".

This was the first ever visit of the defence minister to the DBO sector and to one of the highest posts in Eastern Ladakh.

"She was flown in an Army Aviation advanced light helicopter (ALH) helicopter. Lieutenant General D Anbu, Army Commander Northern Command and Corps Commander of the Ladakh Corps, accompanied her during the visit," the spokesperson added.

Sitharaman complimented troops for their steadfastness and dedication despite the harsh climate and terrain.

Her visit has further boosted the morale of the troops deployed at these extremely difficult snow-covered locations in Ladakh. -- ANI

Photograph: Kind courtesy @nsitharaman/Twitter
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09:00   One more student held for 16-yr-old's death in Delhi school
A minor, who was on the run, was on Saturday apprehended in connection with the mysterious death of a Class 9 student in northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar, police said today.

Tusshar, 16, was found unconscious by some students in his school bathroom and was taken to a hospital on February 1.

He was later referred to the GTB Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Three students were apprehended in the case on Friday, while one juvenile was on the run.

The fourth juvenile was apprehended on Saturday evening from Khajuri Khas, they said.

CCTV footage revealed that some students went after him in the washroom, the police said.

They allegedly punched him in the neck and face.

It was suspected that the student died of internal injuries sustained during the scuffle, they said.

Three of the students with whom he had a fight were apprehended, a senior police official said, adding that they were minors.

Police said they are probing whether there were other students involved in the scuffle.

The family members of the deceased alleged that he was thrashed by the students, the official said.

On the basis of a complaint by the boy's family, a murder case was registered on Friday.  -- PTI

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