INDIA COUNTRY BRIEF 100316

Basic Political Developments

Justice B N Srikrishna Committee formed by the Central Government to initiate steps for the formation of a separate state of Telangana will meet in New Delhi on Thursday to asses the steps forward so far and talk about the responses received with respect to Telangana statehood demand.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari today announced the party's new team of office bearers, which consists of 121 members, including 13 Vice-Presidents, 10 General Secretaries, 15 Secretaries and one treasurer. Gadkari has kept the promise of 33 percent women representation by inducting 13 women members among the 40 office bearers, he has also made sure that Muslims are given key positions, induction of Najma Heptullah as Vice President and Shah Nawaz Hussain as spokesperson is an indication of his plan.

Communist Party of India (CPI) today opposed the foreign university bill by saying that the UPA government was creating "another SEZ-- Special Education Zone" which would harm the interests of weaker sections and lead to commercialisation of education.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Monday morning as the entire Opposition and some Congress members took on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged mishandling of the communal riots in Bareilly. The town has been under curfew for the past 14 days after clashes broke out during a religious procession.

I-T department to probe Mayawati's cash garlandNEW DELHI: The huge garland that Mayawati wore at a public rally caused the disruption of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday even as the estimated value of the currency notes of which it was made varied from Rs 21 lakhs to Rs 15 crore. The Income Tax department also stepped in and decided to probe the source of the money for the garland of Rs 1,000 notes presented to Uttar Pradesh chief minister at a rally in Lucknow on Monday. The department will probe the funding and ownership of currency notes, sources said.

National Economic Trends

Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today said the government has no plans to divest its stake in reinsurer General Insurance Corporation (GIC).

India could see double-digit inflation in March, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament on Tuesday. In Chennai, C Rangarajan, chairman of

Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, on Tuesday expressed concern over rising inflation and said he is hopeful that the numbers will come down in a few months because of the decline in food prices.

The government on Monday said 5.8 crore new job opportunities are likely to be created during the 11th Five year plan (2007-12), thanks to various steps including three stimulus packages since December 2008.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Patni Computer Systems, a leading global IT and BPO services provider, today announced the establishment of a new North American hub for Business Process Outsourcing operations in El Paso, Texas.

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications today said that it was open to acquisitions in India as a part of its strategy to grow its presence in the domestic market and would do so at the right opportunity. Reliance Communications' President, Mahesh Prasad said "We are open to all opportunities. We are not averse to acquisitions in the domestic market. Let the right opportunity come."

The plan by Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in Orissa—a key part of a giant aluminium complex which the company is building in the mineral-rich eastern state—could be jeopardized if the environment ministry accepts the findings of a report by a government-appointed committee.

Financial services firm Religare Enterprises in a statement today said it will set up its asset management, sales and distribution business in Japan and has hired a team from KBC Financial Products for the same.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Shipping Minister G K Vasan today said the Shipping Ministry will finalise a policy to prevent monopoly of private operators at major ports in next one month. The new policy that seeks to prevent monopolies being created would go to Law Ministry for vetting once it is finalised by his ministry in a month.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasada today replied in Parliament that the Union government is not considering taking over marketing of natural gas produced by Reliance Industries from its eastern offshore Krishna Godavari basin D6 fields.

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

Police sources today said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained one more person in its ongoing investigation to unravel the terror plot to strike Mumbai. Shahnawaz Sheikh alias Shanu (29), a tuition teacher and school friend of one of the arrested terror suspects, Abdul Latif (29), is being questioned by the ATS at an undisclosed location since three days.

Based on the documents recovered from Maoist leader Kondala Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday recovered a huge cache of arms- a large number of rocket launchers, unassembled rocket launchers, about 3,000 hand grenades and their spare parts, and other items-in the state.

Following a tip-off, police recovered a huge cache of ammunitions during a raid at the office of a stone-crushing operation in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district. The revcovered items are: 3,245 detonators, power gel - explosive raw materials - (about 125 gram), and two 50-meter-long rolls of telephone wires.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Tuesday that there was no intelligence failure in Pune and the city's establishments, including the German Bakery, were informed about the terror threat of the Feb 13 blasts in the city that claimed 17 lives.

Official sources said security forces today killed two militants of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) in an encounter in Assam's Udalguri district along the Indo-Bhutan border. The security forces later recovered an AK-56 rifle, a pistol, a grenade, a magazine, eight live rounds of ammunitions, 22 fired cases, a mobile, five SIM cards and a motorcycle from the spot.

One person was killed and four others were injured, including two CRPF personnel, when ultras struck the heavily-guarded Lal Chowk commercial hub of the city today, the fourth attack here within a week

Mystery shrouded a reported shooting incident at the ISRO complex here with a security guard claiming that two unidentified persons shot at him in the wee hours but police raised doubts and virtually ruled out any terror attack.

Labor/Social Unrest

Full Text

Basic Political Developments

Srikrishna Committee on Telangana to meet in New Delhi http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20100316/808/tnl-srikrishna-committee-on-telangana-to.html Tue, Mar 16 12:30 PMNew Delhi, Mar 16 (ANI): The Justice B N Srikrishna Committee formed by the Central Government to initiate steps for the formation of a separate state of Telangana will meet in New Delhi on Thursday to asses the steps forward so far and talk about the responses received with respect to Telangana statehood demand.

The Telangana panel is meeting in New Delhi for the third time. The committee met here earlier on February 13 and issued a public notice inviting political parties and organisations to give their views on the issue of a separate state.

Many political outfits were earlier not in favour of the panel, but now most of them are with the panel and have sent their respective views to it.

The seven pints term of reference announced by the Centre on February 12 has mandated the committee to 'examine the situation in Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of united Andhra'.

Even as it indicated paucity of time, the high level committee on Telangana, which met for the first time on February 13, underlined the fact the report would be given well within the prescribed deadline of December 31.

The committee was constituted by the Centre on February 3, nearly two months after it announced that it would initiate steps for the formation of a separate state of Telangana.

Gadkari announces new 121 members BJP teamhttp://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20100316/1465701.htmlNew Delhi | March 16, 2010 12:01:13 AM ISTEnding a three-month long suspense, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari announced the party's new team of office bearers on Tuesday, which consists of 121 members, including 13 Vice-Presidents, 10 General Secretaries, 15 Secretaries and one treasurer.

Shanta Kumar, Kalraj Mishra, Vinay Katiyar, Bhagatsingh Koshiyari, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Karuna Shukla, Najma Heptullah, Hema Malini, Bijoya Chakravarti, Purushottam Rupala and Kiran Ghai have been made party's Vice Presidents.

Ananth Kumar, Thavarchand Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje, Vijay Goyal, Arjun Munda, Ravishankar Prasad, Dharmendra Pradhan, Narendrasingh Tomar, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Ram Lal have been made General Secretaries.

Varun Gandhi, Santosh Gangwar, Smriti Irani, Saroj Pande, Kiran Maheshwari, Tapir Gao, Navjot Singh Siddhu, Ashok Pradhan, Muralidhar Rao, Dr. Kirit Somaiyya, Dr. Laxman, Captain Abhimanyu, Arati Mehra, Bhupendra Yadav and Vani Tripathi have been made the Secretaries of the party.

V. Satish and Saudan Singh have been appointed the Joint General Secretary of the party.

Stalwarts like leader of opposition Arun Jaitley and Gopinath Munde could not retain the position of General Secretaries in Gadkari's new team.

Piyush Goyal will be the new treasurer of BJP.

Powerful leaders like Balbir Punj and Prabhat Jha could not find a berth this time.

Gadkari has kept the promise of 33 percent women representation by inducting 13 women members among the 40 office bearers, he has also made sure that Muslims are given key positions, induction of Najma Heptullah as Vice President and Shah Nawaz Hussain as spokesperson is an indication of his plan.

Gadkari soon after being elevated to the post of BJP President had said that he wanted to bring some changes in the saffron brigade eyeing upon infusing new spirit in the party.

The names of the members of the Central Election Committee, Morcha Presidents and Conveners of different cells besides some other functionaries would be announced later .

CPI against Foreign University Billhttp://www.ptinews.com/news/567169_CPI-against-Foreign-University-BillNew Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Expressing strong reservations over the foreign university bill, CPI today said that the UPA government was creating "another SEZ-- Special Education Zone" which would harm the interests of weaker sections and lead to commercialisation of education.

"This is the surest way to exclude a vast majority of weaker sections, leading to unprecedented disparity in the field of education. Education is going to be an issue where a new confrontation of haves and have-nots is going to emerge," CPI National Secretary D Raja said.

The government's attempt would also result in education becoming a commodity and commercialisation and privatisation of it, he said, adding no foreign university was going to come to India without a profit motive.

Opposition slams Mayawati on Bareilly riots

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article245856.eceThe Lok Sabha was adjourned on Monday morning as the entire Opposition and some Congress members took on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged mishandling of the communal riots in Bareilly.

The town has been under curfew for the past 14 days after clashes broke out during a religious procession.

Raising the matter during zero hour, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh urged the Centre to intervene and set right the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. While Bareilly people were facing difficulties owing to the curfew, Ms. Mayawati and her entire administration was busy preparing for a rally in Lucknow to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bahujan Samaj Party. The government, he alleged, spent Rs. 200 crore on the rally, and thousands of people were transported from Bareilly too.

At this point, Maneka Gandhi, under whose Lok Sabha constituency part of Bareilly falls, sought the Speaker's permission to speak, as she was stopped by the State government from visiting Bareilly. When the Speaker refused her permission on the grounds that she had not given any notice, members of the National Democratic Alliance protested, forcing adjournment of the proceedings at 12.30 p.m.

When allowed to speak in the post-lunch session, Ms. Gandhi sought a judicial inquiry into the episode by a Supreme Court judge and urged the Centre to be more proactive on the issue. She said Bareilly did not have any history of communal clashes; the State government fanned the clashes by allowing a peace march on Holi day, which led to the riots.

The BSP members were conspicuous by their absence, as all of them were away in Lucknow to attend the rally.

Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav criticised the State government for preventing political leaders from visiting the town.

Jagdambika Pal of the Congress also urged the Centre to intervene and bring the situation under control. Otherwise, the riots would spread to other parts of the State, he said.

I-T department to probe Mayawati's cash garlandPTI, Mar 16, 2010, 06.06pm ISThttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-T-department-to-probe-Mayawatis-cash-garland/articleshow/5690778.cmsI-T department to probe Mayawati's cash garlandNEW DELHI: The huge garland that Mayawati wore at a public rally caused the disruption of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday even as the estimated value of the currency notes of which it was made varied from Rs 21 lakhs to Rs 15 crore.

The Income Tax department also stepped in and decided to probe the source of the money for the garland of Rs 1,000 notes presented to Uttar Pradesh chief minister at a rally in Lucknow on Monday. The department will probe the funding and ownership of currency notes, sources said.

The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo came under sharp attack inside and outside Parliament after the "multi crore" currency garland triggered an outrage fuelling demands by Opposition for a central probe into the source of money.

As Mayawati's rally to mark the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) silver jubilee rocked the Lok Sabha which had to adjourned for the day several hours ahead of schedule, Congress said the Centre should look into the "organised loot" in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi party, which also backed Congress' demand for a central probe, has already demanded a CBI inquiry. BJP also backed the demand for a probe

After the BSP supremo came in the eye of a fresh controversy, Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh wryly said Mayawati is "no more a Dalit ke beti but Daulat ke beti"(no more a daughter of Dalit but a moneyed daughter), referring to the garland of 1,000 rupee currency notes presented to her.

"Mayawati is no longer the woman representing the common man. She is playing in lakhs and crores (of rupees)," he said.

"We appeal to the government to take cognizance of Mayawati's rally and the garland presented to her. It should be inquired into," he added.

BJP's Rajnath Singh said the state machinery has been misused by the ruling BSP for the lavish celebrations and it should be looked into. Going on the defensive, BSP general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui rejected speculation that value of the notes in the garland ran into crores of rupees, saying it the money totalled only "Rs 21 lakhs".

"The talk of crores of rupees is not true," he said, adding that the garland was presented by Lucknow district BSP unit by contributing small amounts of money. The garland is in the custody of Mayawati, he said. In the Lok Sabha, the SP and Congress members created ruckus since noon, forcing two adjournments till 2pm. When similar scenes were witnessed again, Deputy Speaker Karia Munda adjourned the House for recess till April 12.

In the din after the Zeor Hour, Congress and SP members were heard saying the garland was estimated to be worth between Rs 10 crore and Rs 15 crore. Coming to the defence of Mayawati, BSP MP Vijay Bahadur Singh said, "If I garland you then what is your mistake in it? People are ready to even sacrifice their lives for Mayawati, so what can we do about this? This is their dedication towards their leader," he said.

National Economic Trends

No proposal for disinvestment in GIC: Fin Minhttp://www.ptinews.com/news/567143_No-proposal-for-disinvestment-in-GIC--Fin-Min

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) The government today said it has no plans to divest its stake in reinsurer General Insurance Corporation (GIC).

"...at present, there is no proposal for disinvestment in GIC," Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He further said as a result of the opening up of the insurance sector, the public sector general insurance companies have faced increased competition.

"Keeping this in view, the public sector general insurance companies appointed professional consultants to devise a long-term business strategy," Meena added.

The appointed consultants have given their recommendations and all the companies are implementing the same, he said.

GIC was designated as a reinsurer in 2000 to provide support to both public and private insurance companies.

India may have double digit inflation in March: FM

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/India-may-have-double-digit-inflation-in-March-FM/articleshow/5690645.cms

16 Mar 2010, 1731 hrs IST, AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: India could see double-digit inflation in March, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament on Tuesday. The annual inflation Burst the Inflation balloonImplications of a rising inflation rate levels spiked to a 16-month high of 9.89% in February because of higher fuel prices and manufacturing items.

In Chennai, C Rangarajan, chairman of Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, on Tuesday expressed concern over rising inflation and said he is hopeful that the numbers will come down in a few months because of the decline in food prices.

"It is a very uncomfortable level of inflation. We should do everything we can to contain it before it reaches the double digit level. But I do expect that as the food prices rose very sharply last year because of the downside expectations caused by the deficient rainfall, I believe that the expectations of that type can be reversed if the Rabi output is good," Mr Rangarajan said.

Mr Rangarajan further said that the numbers shot up due to higher fuel prices. "The inflation rate has turned out to be much higher than expected but it also carries the impact of the recent rise in petroleum prices. Probably, after a few months, the prices could come down because of the decline in food prices. It depends on the Rabi output and the expectation is that the Rabi output will be good if not better than last year."

On whether the government would look at further rolling back some of the stimulus measures to curb inflation, Mr Rangarajan said, "I think the Budget has been recently presented. It has tried to work out a balance between the need for fiscal consolidation and the need for maintaining stimulus. For the present, we will have to watch the behaviour of prices for few more weeks and see whether the food prices decline happens as a consequence of better expectations of Rabi output."

Earlier, speaking on the sidelines of a conference on the global financial system organised by Madras University’s commerce department, he said the recent reduction in CRR, repo and reverse repo rates by the RBI are steps in the right direction. Also, that the stance of the monetary policy must be to contain to the price increase within reasonable limits even as support is provided to facilitate growth.

"Sharp rise in food prices over the year has compelled the Reserve Bank to raise the CRR by 75 basis points. Further action will depend on the pick up in credit, the liquidity conditions and the pressure on prices," he said.

11th plan aims to create 5.8 crore new jobs: GovtPTI http://beta.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article245294.eceThe government on Monday said 5.8 crore new job opportunities are likely to be created during the 11th Five year plan (2007-12), thanks to various steps including three stimulus packages since December 2008.

Replying to a supplementary during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said employment is projected to grow at an average rate of 2.73 per cent annually.

He informed the House that the government has released Rs. 27,368.76 crore till April-January period of 2009-10 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Similarly, in other employment generation schemes like Swarnajayanti Swarozgar Yojna and Shahari Rozgar Yojna, the government has been making funds available to different States to create new job opportunities.

On whether the government would give unemployment allowance to youths, Mr. Kharge said, “As of now there is no such plan.”

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Patni establishes new BPO delivery center in Texashttp://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-71438.htmlBangalore, Mar 16 : Patni Computer Systems, a leading global IT and BPO services provider, today announced the establishment of a new North American hub for Business Process Outsourcing operations in El Paso, Texas.

Patni has set a goal to increase the size and scope of its North American operations to adapt to market conditions that encourage the establishment of more on-shore delivery capabilities, according to a release here.

"We have embarked on a plan to expand our domestic operations to address evolving customer requirements for cost-effective services from onshore locations," said Naresh Lakhanpal, EVP and President, Patni Americas.

The company plans to expand the offerings on site to deliver high-quality BPO services to a wide range of industries central to the company's mission, including life sciences, telecommunications, financial services, insurance and manufacturing.

Reliance Comm says open to acquisitions in Indiahttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Reliance-Comm-says-open-to-acquisitions-in-India/articleshow/5689645.cms16 Mar 2010, 1346 hrs IST, PTIMUMBAI: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications today said that it was open to acquisitions in India as a part of its strategy to grow its presence in the domestic market and would do so at the right opportunity.

"We are open to all opportunities. We are not averse to acquisitions in the domestic market. Let the right opportunity come," Reliance Communications' President, Mahesh Prasad, told PTI here.

The company said it has crossed the 100-million mark in wireless customers and would explore both organic and inorganic opportunities to strengthen its foothold in the domestic market.

RCom expects to add another 100 million customers within the next 1,000 days, he said.

The company, however, did not have any immediate plans to expand operations in overseas markets and it would prefer more to focus on consolidating its position in the domestic market, Prasad said.

"The Indian market is very vast and dynamic. We have a huge opportunity here. As of now, we are not thinking much about overseas plans. But we are not averse to any opportunities either," Prasad said.

While commenting on the prevailing tariff war, Prasad said that it may intensify further.

Vedanta's Orissa mining project under govt scanner http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/metals-mining/Vedantas-Orissa-mining-project-under-govt-scanner-/articleshow/5688483.cms16 Mar 2010, 0639 hrs IST, ET BureauNEW DELHI: The plan by London-based Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in Orissa—a key part of a giant aluminium complex which the company is building in the mineral-rich eastern state—could be jeopardised if the environment ministry accepts the findings of a report by a government-appointed committee.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh says the report will be sent to the ministry of tribal affairs for its inputs. Mr Ramesh says he is neither for nor against the project sought to be implemented by Vedanta, owned by tycoon Anil Agarwal, and would be guided entirely by the report and the facts on the ground.

But officials at the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) told ET that the government is deeply concerned about some of its findings, which has among other things pointed out that Vedanta’s mining activities in Niyamgiri in Orissa would have an adverse impact on the local Dongria Kondh tribe, which is classified as a primitive tribal group. The government, or at least the environment ministry, appears unconvinced by a strong letter of support sent to it by the Orissa government last Thursday supporting the project and asking for a final clearance.

Any final licence to mine—if there is to be one—will now hinge on three factors . One is Vedanta’s response to a showcause notice issued to it by the environment ministry asking it to respond to allegations that it had started work on the mining project without receiving all clearances.

More importantly, the response the environment ministry receives from the ministry of tribal affairs may decide the fate of the mining project. The tribal affairs ministry has been asked to figure out whether the Forest Rights Act, a law enacted by Parliament giving India’s tribal communities certain rights over the forests where they traditionally reside , has been properly implemented in that part of Orissa. Thirdly, the impact of the project on the Dongria Kondhs will be closely studied.

One person familiar with the matter said the Vedanta issue has also become embroiled in politics with the Congress Party not seemingly in favour of the project. A top official in the environment ministry told ET on condition of anonymity that the government is alarmed about the complaints received against the mining company. “There cannot be smoke without fire. We are hearing about human rights abuses to a degree that is shocking,” said the official.

Mr Ramesh’s move to rope in the ministry in charge of tribal welfare is in line with the views of the forest advisory committee that compiled the report on Vedanta and is the nodal agency for all forest clearances. The report suggests that the issue of whether the

implementation of the Forest Right’s Act has been completed be referred to the tribal affairs ministry. Vedanta has denied any wrongdoing. In an emailed response to ET, a company spokesperson said that the views expressed in the fact finding report are “biased” and “should not be considered” because one of the committee members has had a past association with Amnesty, the NGO that has been opposing the company’s project.

A three-member committee, comprising Usha Ramanathan, an independent law researcher, Vinod Rishi, additional director general (wildlife) at Dehradun’s Wildlife Institute of India, and JK Tewari, chief conservator of forests, MoEF (Bhubaneshwar), had submitted their report to the FAC last Friday. This report contradicts the claims of the district collectors of the two affected districts, Kalahandi and Rayagada, that the implementation of the FRA (Forest Rights Act) has been completed. The report says: “Until these, and allied rights are recognised, recorded and settled under the FRA, it would be unconstitutional and in breach of the FRA, to disturb (the tribals’ ) habitat.”

The report has also highlighted the adverse impacts the project will have on the Dongria Kondhs saying that the community is not ready for an ecological shift, and that any “disruption of the habitat and the way of life of this PTG (Primitive Tribal Group) cannot be remediated nor compensated, and may lead to the destruction of the Dongria Kondh as a PTG.” The report also finds merit in villagers’ complaints about pollution from the plant.

ET had reported on Monday that Vedanta is planning to list its Orissa aluminium project. But the large part of the value for potential investors is the reduction in cost which would endangered if the company sourced bauxite from Niyamgiri in Orissa rather than outside, which is currently the case. Given the negative tone of the report, an early clearance looks extremely unlikely . The report has brought the project’s possible impact on the local tribals to the centrestage. The rest of the report, on whether the company began construction in non-forest areas before it got a sister clearance for forest areas (under the Forest Conservation Act, construction can begin only once both clearances are given), and the project’s impact on wildlife, is more non-committal .

Religare to enter Japanese mkt; files for regulatory licensehttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/banking/finance/finance/Religare-to-enter-Japanese-mkt-files-for-regulatory-license/articleshow/5690400.cms16 Mar 2010, 1642 hrs IST, PTINEW DELHI: Financial services firm Religare Enterprises today said it will set up its asset management, sales and distribution business in Japan and has hired a team from KBC Financial Products for the same.

Further the company has applied for investment advisory and agency business licenses with Japan's financial regulators and will follow it up over a period of time by applying for a discretionary investment management license, Religare said in a statement.

The communication comes on the heels of Religare's last month's announcement to earmark around USD 1 billion for strategic investments in diversified asset management businesses globally.

"The hiring of the team is in tune with our plans to establish a multi-boutique investment management business globally," Religare Enterprises CEO and MD Sunil Godhwani said.

The management team in Japan comprises Takuya Koyama (CEO and Board Member), Koichi Kane (Chairman and Board Member), Mitsuhiro Morita (Head of Sales), Yuichi Sakuma (Head of Compliance) and Masako Oyama (Head of Client Service) as the initial team to kick-off its operations.

"We are very excited about being part of the set-up team for Religare's Japanese AMC," Takuya Koyama CEO and Board member for Religare's Japanese asset management company said.

'Pvt operators monopoly at major ports to be curbed'http://www.ptinews.com/news/566853_-Pvt-operators-monopoly-at-major-ports-to-be-curbed-New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) The Shipping Ministry will finalise a policy to prevent monopoly of private operators at major ports in next one month, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Shipping Minister G K Vasan said the new policy that seeks to prevent monopolies being created would go to Law Ministry for vetting once it is finalised by his ministry in a month.

The new policy includes bar on any private operator from bidding for next berth if it is the only operator of a berth handling a particular cargo.

Comments on the draft policy had been received from stakeholders and were under finalisation in shipping ministry.

Vasan said the policy would apply to only major ports and non-major ports which are under jurisdiction of state government would not come under its purview.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Govt not planning to market RIL gas from KG basinhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/oil-gas/Govt-not-planning-to-market-RIL-gas-from-KG-basin/articleshow/5690039.cms16 Mar 2010, 1522 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: The government is not considering taking over marketing of natural gas produced by Reliance Industries from its eastern offshore Krishna Godavari basin D6 fields.

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasada replied in the negative when suspended Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh in the Rajya Sabha asked if the "government proposes to take over the distribution and marketing of gas... RIL."

RIL, which currently produces around 62 million standard cubic meters per day of gas from KG-D6, sells the fuel to customers identified by the Government and at rates approved by the Government.

Prasada said the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) like the one Mukesh Ambani firm signed with the Government for exploring and producing hydrocarbons from Block KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6, gives marketing freedom to the contractor (RIL in this case), subject to the Gas Utilisation Policy framed by the Government.

"The Gas produced from KG-D6 is being sold in accordance with Government's priorities and decisions made by the Government in this regard," he said.

An Empowered Group of Minister (EGOM), constituted to decide issues pertaining to commercial utilisation of gas under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), has decided that the contractor would sell gas to consumers in accordance with the marketing priorities determined by the Government, he added.

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

Another arrest in Mumbai http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20100316/1053/tnl-another-arrest-in-mumbai.htmlTue, Mar 16 01:15 PMIndia, March 16 -- The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained one more person in its ongoing investigation to unravel the terror plot to strike Mumbai. Shahnawaz Sheikh alias Shanu (29), a tuition teacher and school friend of one of the arrested terror suspects, Abdul Latif (29), is being questioned by the ATS at an undisclosed location since three days, sources said.

The police allegedly picked up Sheikh from his Behrampada house at 1 am on Saturday. "They took him home in the afternoon for a bath and change of clothes and took him away again," the source said.

Latif and his brother-in-law Riyaz Ali (23) were arrested later on the same day for allegedly planning attacks across the city on the instructions of their Pakistani handler, ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi has said. "Like the other two, Sheikh too applied for a passport," a police officer said.

"He is being questioned." Rizwan Quereshi, Sheikh's friend from the locality, said: "He applied for the passport as he wants residential proof.

"z Sources said Sheikh and his physically challenged sister earn by teaching slum students. "His younger brother is a gym instructor, another brother does odd jobs.

Huge cache of Maoist arms seized in Andhra http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20100316/808/tnl-huge-cache-of-maoist-arms-seized-in.html Tue, Mar 16 11:55 AMHyderabad, Mar 16 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday recovered a huge cache of arms in the state.

Based on the documents recovered from Maoist leader Kondala Reddy, police conducted raids in a house at Paidiparru village in West Godavari District, and recovered a large number of rocket launchers, unassembled rocket launchers, about 3,000 hand grenades and their spare parts, and other items.

"With the recovery of such a huge dump, a major disaster has been averted to general public, as well as to the armed forces, said R R Girish Kumar, Director General of Police (DGP), Andhra Pradesh.

Kumar said that Maoists use peaceful areas to store their arms and carry out extremist activities, and urged the public to be vigilant in their villages and towns.

"There is also information that Maoists, in order to prove their existence, want to commit some sensational offences. Some action teams are understand their movement in the state so with that point of view also, I would like the public to inform - wherever possible - activities of the Maoists, or any places of storage of these arms and ammunitions in their respective villages or towns," said Kumar.

Maoist rebels on February 22 had offered a conditional 72-day ceasefire through media, and said that they are willing to talk to the government if it aborts Operation Green Hunt.

Huge cache of ammunitions recovered from Jharkhand http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20100316/808/tnl-huge-cache-of-ammunitions-recovered.html Tue, Mar 16 01:50 PMEast Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Mar 16 (ANI): Police recovered a huge cache of ammunitions during a raid at the office of a stone-crushing operation in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district.

Following a tip-off, police raided the place and recovered explosives amassed at the office.

3,245 detonators, power gel - explosive raw materials - (about 125 gram), and two 50-meter-long rolls of telephone wires were recovered.

"A case has been filed against the owner of the stone-crushing machine under the Explosive Substance Act," said Dinesh Orawa, Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Machines used for mining require explosives for blowing up boulders but the office had amassed more explosives than the required amount.

No intelligence failure in Pune: Chidambaramhttp://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-71578.htmlNew Delhi, March 16 : There was no intelligence failure in Pune and the city's establishments, including the German Bakery, were informed about the terror threat, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Tuesday of the Feb 13 blasts in the city that claimed 17 lives.

"There was no intelligence failure. Enough intelligence was shared with the Maharashtra Police," Chidambaram said during question hour in the Lok Sabha.

He said the Pune police issued advisories in Marathi to all important establishments, including the German Bakery.

Replying to a supplementary by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule, he said: "Despite the intelligence shared, despite the advisories issued, the Pune blast occurred. It is a blot on our record."

Two NDFB militants killed in encounterhttp://www.ptinews.com/news/567196_Two-NDFB-militants-killed-in-encounterUdalguri (Assam), Mar 16 (PTI) Security forces today killed two militants of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) in an encounter in Assam's Udalguri district along the Indo-Bhutan border, official sources said.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the army and police launched an operation at Rowta area and an encounter followed in which the two militants were killed, they said.

The security forces later recovered an AK-56 rifle, a pistol, a grenade, a magazine, eight live rounds of ammunitions, 22 fired cases, a mobile, five SIM cards and a motorcycle from the spot, they added.

One killed in terrorist attack in Srinagar's Lal Chowk areaPTI, Mar 16, 2010, 03.56pm IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/One-killed-in-terrorist-attack-in-Srinagars-Lal-Chowk-area/articleshow/5690186.cms

SRINAGAR: One person was killed and four others were injured, including two CRPF personnel, when ultras struck the heavily-guarded Lal Chowk commercial hub of the city today, the fourth attack here within a week.

Three civilians identified as Mehrajuddin Wani of Rainawari locality, Mehrajuddin Shah of Nawa Kadal and Khursheed Ahmad Parray of Khansahib area of Budgam district received gunshot wounds in the attack and were admitted to a hospital where Parray (28) succumbed to his injuries, official sources said.

They said the condition of another civilian and a CRPF jawan, among the two injured from the force, was "critical".

The militants fired a volley of shots on CRPF personnel patrolling the Koker Bazar area of Lal Chowk around 1130 hours, injuring two CRPF personnel, force spokesman Prabakar Tripathi said. The ultras then fled from the spot.

Al-Nasireen and Farzandan-e-millat, shadow outfits of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. A caller introducing himself as Sami-ul-Haq, claiming to be the spokesman of the outfits, telephoned PTI saying the two outfits were behind the attack.

Tripathi identified the injured CRPF personnel as Havaldar Omkar Ram and constable Basant Kumar of 132 battalion of the paramilitary force. Ram received gun shots in his neck while Kumar was shot in the stomach.

The attack by militants came despite tight security arrangements made by the police in view of intelligence inputs that militants are planning to attack the city.

At least 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been patrolling the city and carrying out searches of vehicles and frisking of pedestrians for the past few days.

Police and security forces immediately cordoned off the area to nab the militants involved in the firing which triggered panic in the over-crowded area. Several shopkeepers abandoned their shops and ran for cover.

The incident was the fourth in a series of attacks carried out by militants in the city within a week.

On March 14, militants attacked a CRPF patrol with grenades near a police station in downtown Srinagar, killing a jawan and injuring five others.

Earlier on March 7, militants shot dead a surrendered militant Aijaz Ahmad Dada outside his house at Bemina. The incident was followed by the killing of special police officer Mohammad Arif Bhat by militants near Abu Baker Masjid in Posh Jawahar Nagar locality on March 12CISF claims two men shot at them at ISRO complex

http://www.ptinews.com/news/567188_CISF-claims-two-men-shot-at-them-at-ISRO-complexBangalore, Mar 16 (PTI) Mystery shrouded a reported shooting incident at the ISRO complex here with a security guard claiming that two unidentified persons shot at him in the wee hours but police raised doubts and virtually ruled out any terror attack.

ISRO sources said a CISF constable at the Indian Deep Space Network facility at Byalalu on the outskirts of the city reported spotting two men in khaki uniform, saying they fired at him with small pistols and that he had retaliated. The facility has a tracking station for ISRO's satellite missions.

"There are no signs of any firing from outside", ADGP(Law and Order) A R Infant told reporters.

"On the face of it it does not appear to be a terror attack', he said

Labor/Social Unrest