INDIA COUNTRY BRIEF110913

Basic Political Developments

A Special court on Tuesday deferred a decision on Amar Singh's bail hearing in the cash-for-votes scam to Thursday.

A Congress delegation from West Bengal met the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Monday and sought their intervention to stop Trinamool attacks on partymen in different pockets of the state.

Telangana supporters including Andhra Pradesh government employees in the region today began an indefinite strike.

Two Congress MLAs-- Konda Surekha and Kunja Sathyavathi-- today submitted their resignations from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly demanding creation of Telangana state.

The Seemandhra Congress leaders urged the Central government to maintain the status quo.

National Economic Trends

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday that the "lengthening shadow" of the debt crisis in Europe is a cause for concern.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Civil Aviation minister Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday defended the decision on Air India.

Police said Essar Group in Chhattisgarh is reportedly not cooperating with the company’s alleged role in giving cash to Maoists in Dantewada.

Tata Motors on Monday told the Calcutta high court that the West Bengal government had "violated" the lease agreement for the land at Singur.

Atlas Copco plans to invest Rs 100 crore in India to set up a compressor manufacturing unit near Pune.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said it would hire 100 new permanent employees today for its troubled Manesar plant to replace those who have refused to sign the good conduct bond.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) is likely to consider on Friday limiting supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to 4-6 per household in a year.

Cairn India's board may on Wednesday concede to pay royalty and cess on its mainstay Rajasthan oilfields.

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

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that the burden of governance in the Naxal-hit districts must rest with the states.

The Centre has issued an advisory to all neighbouring States of Maharashtra to remain in a high state of alert for terrorist attacks.

Labor/Social Unrest

Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity has intensified its movement demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

Full Text

Basic Political Developments

Court defers order on Amar Singh's interim bail pleahttp://www.rediff.com/news/report/court-defers-order-on-amar-singhs-interim-bail-plea/20110913.htmSpecial judge Sangeeta Dhigra Sehgal on Tuesday deferred a decision on former Samajwadi Party leader and member of Rajya Sabha Amar Singh's bail hearing in the cash-for-votes scam to Thursday.

Singh was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Monday for treatment after he was examined by a team of doctors from G B Panth hospital in Tihar jail. The controversial MP had sought interim bail on health grounds.

He is currently lodged in Tihar jail for his role in the July 2008 cash-for-votes scam and distributing money to three Bharatiya Janata Party members of Parliament to stay away from voting.

Judge Dhingra has asked AIIMS authorities to file a medical report by Wednesday. "The matter would come up for hearing on Thursday. His condition is not good. He needs to be treated in Singapore where he had undergone kidney transplant last year," his advocate told journalists outside Tees Hazari court after the court heard the matter for a brief period.

According to sources a report has also been sought from the Tihar authorities about his condition and the kind of treatment given to him. The court is expected to pass the orders on the same day.

The hearing on the bail pleas of two former BJP MPs Mahabir Singh Bhagora and Faggan Singh Kulaste, arrested for their alleged involvement in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, was deferred on Tuesday September 29 by a Delhi court.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, who was to hear the arguments on the interim bail pleas of the two MPs, deferred the hearing as their counsel sought more time to prepare the case for argument on merit.

WBPCC complains to Rahul Gandhi about Trinamool Congress attackshttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/wbpcc-complains-to-rahul-gandhi-about-trinamool-congress-attacks/articleshow/9962043.cmsKOLKATA: A Congress delegation from West Bengal met the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders in Delhi on Monday and sought their intervention to stop Trinamool attacks on partymen in different pockets of the state.

The discomfort between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress in the state started surfacing after the Assembly polls this year. In fact, Congress workers in many districts have complained about Trinamool attacks to top leaders.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) vice-president Debabrata Bose told ET over telephone from Delhi that they have submitted a memorandum to the party's national leadership requesting them to take up the issue with Trinamool Congress.

"Rahulji is fully aware of the political development in West Bengal and the relation between the two parties. We have told him that we are being compelled to raise the issue of our relationship with the Trinamool Congress as the bigger partner is constantly attempting to thwart our move to strengthen the Congress in West Bengal," said Bose.

"Chhatra Parishad leaders told us that they are being forced not to file nominations for contesting several students' union elections in under-graduate colleges and we have conveyed this to Rahulji," he added. The state Congress leaders also met AICC general secretary in charge of West Bengal affairs, Shakeel Ahmed, and briefed him about the issue.

However, WBPCC chief and Congress Rajya Sabha member from the state, Pradip Bhattacharya, was not part of the party delegation. The delegation also urged Rahul to visit the state again to boost the morale of the party's youth wing.

Indefinite strike for separate Telangana beginshttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/indefinite-strike-for-separate-telangana-begins/articleshow/9968049.cms

HYDERABAD: Telangana supporters including Andhra Pradesh government employees in the region today began an indefinite strike in support of the separate statehood, with rallies, road blockades and sit-ins organised to press for their demands.

As part of the 'strike by all sections of people', the pro-Telangana employees stayed away from work in Hyderabad and other places in the region.

Raising slogans in support of Telangana, they held sit-ins and other forms of protest.

"The employees will not cooperate with the government. The state ministers from Telangana region should also participate in the strike by the people," K Vithal, a leader of Telangana employees union, told reporters.

Other Telangana supporters like students and lawyers also took out rallies at various places like Warangal.

The workers of the state-run coal miner Singareni Collieries Ltd also struck in various districts like Khammam, Adilabad and elsewhere.

TRS leaders organised road blockades across the region as part of the 'people's strike'.

Addressing a public meeting at Karimnagar last night, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao appealed to the public to actively participate in the indefinite strike.

The non-gazetted officers, gazetted officers, students, teachers, lecturers, advocates and others would participate in the strike, he said.

As part of the agitation, buses will not ply, trains will be stopped, coal will not be produced in Singareni, schools, colleges and offices will remain closed, the TRS president said.

The state government is threatening to invoke ESMA against the employees who go on strike, but the warning will not succeed, Rao maintained.

The agitation will go on till Telangana state is achieved, Rao said.

Two Congress legislators quit in support of Telanganahttp://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/two-congress-legislators-quit-in-support-of-telangana/821215.htmlHyderabad, Sep 13 (PTI) Two Congress MLAs-- Konda Surekha and Kunja Sathyavathi-- today submitted their resignations from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly demanding creation of Telangana state.The duo met Legislature Secretary S Raja Sadaram and handed over their resignation in sealed covers.The two were submitting resignations for the second time on the statehood issue after their earlier resignations in July were rejected by Assembly speaker Nadendla Manohar.Surekha and Sathyavathi resigned from the Congress party last month and had been sailing with YSR Congress.Another MLA Jayasudha, however, did not turn up as her mother was set to be indisposed. Surekha is facing disqualification proceedings as she defied the

Congress party to align with Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.With the resignation of these two MLAs the total number of MLAs who resigned for Telangana increased to 17.

Seemandhra leaders want status quohttp://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/article2449351.eceThe Seemandhra Congress leaders urged the Central government to maintain the status quo, united Andhra Pradesh, as suggested by Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee and not yield to the pressure mounted by the protagonists of separate Telangana.

The Seemandhra leaders said creation of new States should form part of the national policy and the Centre could not take a decision only in respect of Andhra Pradesh. The parameters adopted for bifurcation, in the event of a decision taken in favour of separate Telangana, should be applicable to demands from various parts of the country.

A Seemandhra delegation led by MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao comprising five Ministers held discussions with AICC general secretary and AP affairs in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi on Monday.

They tried to impress upon Mr. Azad the need to expedite a solution, other than bifurcation of the State, to the vexatious issue claiming that the divide between the people of the two regions was deepening.

In a memorandum submitted to Mr. Azad, they urged the party leadership not to concede the demand (for separate Telangana) as it was made on emotional grounds. Mr. Azad is understood to have assured them that the party leadership was keeping a close watch on these leaders and necessary steps would be initiated.

National Economic Trends

Worsening euro zone crisis a matter of concern, says finance minister Pranab Mukherjeehttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/worsening-euro-zone-crisis-a-matter-of-concern-says-finance-minister-pranab-mukherjee/articleshow/9966300.cmsNEW DELHI: The "lengthening shadow" of the debt crisis in Europe is a cause for concern, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday.

Growing fears of a potential Greek debt default ripping into Europe's banking sector have rattled world markets and add to the domestic concerns of Indian policymakers struggling with high inflation and a cooling economy.

India will report August inflation on Wednesday and the number is expected to influence the central bank's decision on whether or not to raise rates on Friday.

The Reserve Bank of India has raised rates 11 times in the past 15 months to tame stubbornly high headline inflation, which stood at 9.22 percent in July.

The danger that a Greek debt default could roil bigger European economies was underlined on Monday as heavily exposed French banks' shares plunged and investor confidence in the euro zone's ability to surmount a sovereign debt crisis ebbed.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Ravi defends AI aircraft purchase decisionhttp://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article2450140.ece

Notwithstanding the criticism by CAG over the acquisition of aircraft for Air India, Civil Aviation minister Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday defended the decision, saying due process was followed and that it was needed to replace the ageing fleet of the national carrier.

Mr. Ravi said the order for the acquisition was placed after a series of negotiations and only after the decision passed through four stages of discussion, including by a Group of Ministers and by an oversight committee appointed by the Prime Minister.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has come down heavily on the Ministry over the decision to acquire 111 planes through debt, calling it “a recipe for disaster” besides terming the merger of the two national carriers “ill-timed.”

While defending the decision, Mr. Ravi also pointed out that the process of acquisition had started in 2002 during the NDA government’s tenure.

“Indians need to travel abroad and they need Air India as well as other carriers. The (erstwhile) Indian Airlines aircraft were old and the (former) Air India fleet was also not that good. It was necessary to go for acquisition,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

He said the process of acquisition started in 2002 and the proposal was sent to the ministry in January 2004, and when the new UPA government assumed office later that year it went ahead with the process.

Mr. Ravi said the process which started in 2002 went through a series of negotiations and the decision also passed through four stages before the order was finalised.

“It was taken up by the GoM, by the Prime Minister appointed oversight committee, as well as the Public Investment Board. The discussions went on at all levels,” he said.

Asked about the status of the delayed 27 Boeing 787 aircraft deal, he did not give a straight answer.

“I don’t know about the money (needed to buy the aircraft), the order has been delayed for three years during which bank interest on the loan has to be paid. I am not saying it is cancelled, nor do I say that it is in process,” he said.

Cash to Maoists: Essar not cooperating says police

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cash-to-Maoists-Essar-not-cooperating-says-police/Article1-744810.aspxThe Ruias-led Essar Group in Chhattisgarh is reportedly not cooperating with the Chhattisgarh police investigating the company’s alleged role in giving cash to Maoists in Dantewada, 400 km south of Raipur.

On Friday last the Danewada police caught a civil contractor BK Lala working for Essar and Lingaram Kodopi (suspected Maoists supporter) and recovered Rs 15 lakhs from them. The money according to the contractor was to be given to the guerillas on behalf of the Essar.

Kodopi has been sent to jail and Lala taken into police remand.

Dantewada superintendent of police Ankit Garg told HT that the Essar’s cash transfer to naxals is very serious issue and the police had begun its probe when the two were held for alleged payment of money by the company.

“FIR has been registered and we have asked the general manager of Essar based in Dantewada on telephone seeking the company’s cooperation in the investigation. When the company didn’t respond, we served them notice. Still no one turned up from the Essar till Monday late evening,” Garg said.

While the company admitted that Lala has been doing some miscellaneous contract works for Essars but the company’s unidentified spokesperson in an e-mail to HT said that Essar is law abiding corporate and did not find it necessary to react to such allegations.

“Simply by saying they are the law abiding corporate they cannot just get away with the statement given to the media. They should clear the air on the issue,” Dantewada SP said.

A year ago state chief minister Raman Singh said the extortion economy of the Maoists is over 1000 crore annually while the then state director general of police in November 2009 had claimed the figure as high as Rs 1800 crore.

The Wikileaks revelation citing a leaked US diplomatic cable dated 11 January 2010 said that Essar Group involved in mining and steel-related business pays protection money to Maoists in Chhattisgarh to safeguard its operations.

West Bengal govt violated lease agreement for Singur land: Tata Motorshttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/West-Bengal-govt-violated-lease-agreement-for-Singur-land-Tata-Motors/articleshow/9958851.cmsKOLKATA: Tata Motors on Monday told the Calcutta high court that the West Bengal government had "violated" the lease agreement for the land at Singur and "unconstitutionally" taken it over by framing an act.

Senior counsel S Pal, submitting before Justice IP Mukerji, stated that the government, instead of giving it notice of termination of lease, had framed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011 and taken over the land from Tata Motors Ltd (TML).

"This was a violation of the agreement and the law enacted to do so was unconstitutional," Pal said.

The TML counsel said if it was not land acquisition by the state government, as claimed by it, "why was it keeping a provision of compensation".

He said that when a landlord terminated an agreement with a tenant, no compensation was paid, but in case of land acquisition proper compensation had to be paid.

Pal was replying to the submissions made by the state government against TML's challenge of the Singur Act claiming it to be "unconstitutional".

The matter will be taken up for hearing again on Tuesday.

Sweden's Atlas Copco to invest Rs 100 crore on new unit in Indiahttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/electronics/swedens-atlas-copco-to-invest-rs-100-crore-on-new-unit-in-india/articleshow/9968475.cmsMUMBAI: Sweden-headquartered Atlas Copco plans to invest Rs 100 crore in India to set up a compressor manufacturing unit near Pune.

The unit, which is scheduled to be commissioned by in the second half of 2012, will manufacture stationary and portable compressors for industrial use.

"The outlook for India's economic development remains good and we now have an excellent opportunity to significantly increase production capacity in the country, with a modern facility and efficient logistics," says Stephan Kuhn, Business Area President, Atlas Copco Compressor Technique.

Atlas Copco, which delisted its Indian subsidiary from Indian bourses earlier this year, will fund the capital expenditure from its cash flows. Company's businesses in India clocked revenue of Rs 1,700 crore in 2010, accounting for around 5-6% of its global revenue.

"Our strategy is to drive our market position around the world. India's share would increase with projects in power, oil and gas, and mining driving growth," said Filip Vandenberghe, managing director, Atlas Copco India.

Atlas Copco India has staff strength of about 2,300 people in India. It currently manufactures compressed air equipment at a plant near Pune, while construction and mining equipment are manufactured in Nasik and Hyderabad. The group also has engineering centers located in Pune and in Bangalore, supporting the development of products in India and globally.

Maruti Suzuki India to hire 100 new workers for troubled Manesar planthttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/auto/automobiles/maruti-suzuki-india-to-hire-100-new-workers-for-troubled-manesar-plant/articleshow/9966633.cms

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said it would hire 100 new permanent employees today for its troubled Manesar plant to replace those who have refused to sign the good conduct bond.

"Up to 100 new permanent workers will be recruited today," a company spokesperson said, adding so far 103 existing workers have signed the bond and resumed duties.

With the standoff between the management and labour that started on August 29 continuing, the company had brought in 50 ITI-trained and experienced workers yesterday at the plant taking the total workforce to 1,100 people.

MSI has about 2,500 workers the Manesar plant, out of which nearly 1,000 are permanent.

The management has refused to budge from its stance that it "will allow only those workers to resume duties at Manesar plant who will sign the Good Conduct Bond."

The standoff started last month when the management prevented workers from entering factory premises unless they signed the bond, after allegations of sabotage and deliberate compromise on the quality of cars being produced surfaced.

The bond required the workers to declare that they would "not resort to go slow, intermittent stoppage of work, stay- in-strike, work-to-rule, sabotage or otherwise indulge in any activity, which would hamper the normal production in the factory".

During the first two days of the stand-off, MSI dismissed five permanent workers. In addition, it suspended 26 permanent workers and discontinued the services of another 18 trainees on disciplinary grounds.

Before the problems with workers erupted, the Manesar plant was rolling out about 1,200 units a day of its models, including Swift and SX4.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

EGoM meet on Friday to discuss limiting LPG subsidyhttp://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2450066.ece?homepage=trueThe government is planning to limit the sale of subsidised LPG cylinders for households to 4-6 per year. Photo: M. Karunakaran An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to consider on Friday limiting supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to 4-6 per household in a year.

The EGoM in its last meeting on August 8 considered the recommendations of Task Force on Direct Transfer of Subsidies on Kerosene, LPG and Fertilizer but deferred a decision on limiting supply of subsidised LPG, official sources said.

The panel is now slated to meet on September 16.

Sources said if approved every household will get only 4-6 LPG cylinders at subsidised price of Rs 395.35 in Delhi and they will have to pay market price of Rs 666 per cylinder for any requirement beyond that.

The limited supply of subsidised LPG would be for those who own a car, two-wheeler, house or figure in the income-tax list.

Each 14.2-kg bottle of LPG normally lasts a household 45-60 days and based on this calculation a maximum of six cylinders are considered enough to see a family through the year.

At present, records of LPG distributors of public sector companies shows that a vast number of households are taking as many as 20 to 30 cylinders per household each year.

This suggests that large scale diversion of subsidised cooking gas is taking place for use in commercial establishments, such as restaurants, fast foods and as auto fuel.

LPG for commercial use is sold at the market price and packed in different cylinders.

Sources said limiting supply of subsidised LPG cylinders would help cut down losses that state-owned oil firms incur now on selling the fuel at government controlled rates.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum lose about Rs 63 crore per day on selling domestic LPG below cost.

The EGoM may also consider the revenue loss that state firms incur on selling not just LPG but also diesel and kerosene.

The three firms lose Rs 5.14 a litre on diesel and Rs 24.42 per like on kerosene. At current rate, they are projected to post a combined revenue loss of Rs 108,746 crore in the current fiscal.

The EGoM, sources said, may decide on how this loss would be bridged. The Government currently roughly half the revenue loss and another one-third comes from upstream firms like ONGC.

The panel may decide if the current revenue loss sharing formula should continue or be altered.

Cairn India board meet on royalty, cess payment in Rajasthan oilfields tomorrowhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/oil-gas/cairn-india-board-meet-on-royalty-cess-payment-in-rajasthan-oilfields-tomorrow/articleshow/9967596.cmsNEW DELHI: Cairn India's board may on Wednesday concede to pay royalty and cess on its mainstay Rajasthan oilfields after parent firm Cairn Energy did a u-turn and accepted riders imposed by the government to clear its over $6 billion stake sale to Vedanta Resources.

The board of Cairn India, which had in February opposed changes in the Rajasthan contract making it liable to pay royalty and a Rs 2,500 per tonne cess, will meet tomorrow, following which the results of a shareholder vote called by Cairn Energy on the twin riders will be out, sources privy to the development said.

Cairn Energy, which owns a 52.11 per cent stake in Cairn India, has voted to accept the two government conditions. Vedanta, which has already bought a 10 per cent stake in the company from Cairn Energy and another 18.5 per cent from Petronas of Malaysia and other minority shareholders, has also voted for acceptance of the conditions.

Sources said Cairn Energy Chairman Bill Gammell arrived here today to chair the Cairn India board meeting. Gammell had last month skipped a Cairn India shareholders' meet, apparently to escape uncomfortable questions on the change of position.

After Cairn India's board agrees to make royalty cost-recoverable and pay cess on oil produced from the Rajasthan fields, it will write to its partner, state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), for consent for the Vedanta transaction.

The ONGC board may consider waiving its preemption or right of first refusal (ROFR) and give Cairn a no-objection certificate to conclude the deal at its board meeting on September 27.

Cairn Energy, which is selling a 40 per cent stake in its Indian unit to Vedanta, had previously said it would rather call off the deal than force Cairn India to accept the government's conditions.

Minority shareholders at Cairn India's AGM in Mumbai last month had booed Cairn Energy for changing tack on the issue of royalty and cess to get $6.02 billion from the stake sale to Vedanta.

Cairn India had on July 26 stated that its April-June quarter net profit would halve to Rs 1,435 crore if it was asked to share royalty on the Rajasthan crude oil.

The company currently does not pay any royalty on its 70 per cent interest in the Rajasthan fields. Royalty, as per the contract, is paid by state-owned ONGC, which got a 30 per cent stake in the 6.5 billion barrel field for free.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on June 27 gave consent to the Cairn-Vedanta deal, subject to Cairn or its successor agreeing to charge or deduct the royalty paid by ONGC from revenues earned from the sale of oil before the profits are split between partners.

Also, Cairn India must pay a Rs 2,500 per tonne cess on its 70 per cent share of oil production. Till recently, Cairn had maintained that cess, like royalty, is a liability of ONGC and had initiated arbitration against the government over being forced to pay cess.

Cairn Energy's request for the twin government conditions to be voted on by shareholders is being done through a postal ballot.

Sources said the results of the postal ballot will be announced tomorrow afternoon, after which Cairn India's board of directors will meet.

Cairn Energy is selling a 40 per cent stake in Cairn India in two tranches. The first tranche of 10 per cent was completed in July and the second of 30 per cent will be done after final government approval for the deal.

Since the Cairn-Vedanta deal was announced in August last year, Cairn India has been opposed to making royalty payments recoverable from the sale of oil and the company being made liable to pay a Rs 2,500 per tonne cess, as this was not in line with the Production Sharing Contract (PSC).

A change in the contract was neither in the interest of the company, nor its minority shareholders, it has maintained.

Last August, Vedanta proposed buying a 51-60 per cent stake in oil and gas explorer Cairn India for up to $9.6 billion in cash, but the deal has been delayed awaiting government and regulatory approvals.

A Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had recommended to Cabinet that the deal should be approved if Cairn or its successor agreed to royalty being added to the project cost and recovered from oil sales, as well as agreeing to pay its share of oil cess.

Days before the CCEA accepted the GoM recommendation and gave conditional approval, Cairn Energy lowered the price it was demanding from Vedanta to make up for the reduced profitability due to acceptance of the preconditions.

It also removed a non-compete provision from the deal and the related non-compete fee of Rs 50 per share.

Vedanta's total payment for a 40 per cent stake in Cairn India, at the reduced price of Rs 355 per share, will now be $6.02 billion, instead of the earlier announced $6.84 billion.

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

States must take responsibility of Naxal-hit districts: HMhttp://www.rediff.com/news/report/states-must-take-responsibility-of-naxal-hit-districts-hm/20110913.htmTerming Left-wing extremism as the "most violent movement" in India, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that the burden of governance in the Naxal-hit districts must rest with the states.

"The burden of governance cannot be shifted from the state governments to the Central government....In the ultimate analysis, the responsibility of governance in the Left-wing

extremism affected districts must rest with the states," he told a national workshop attended by collectors of 60-Maoist hit districts.

The Central government "does not have that much human resources" and can only provide help, he said. He said the battle in the affected districts was not for maintaining law and order but winning the "minds and hearts" of the people there.

Noting that the fight against Naxalism could not be won unless villagers were on the side of the authorities, the home minister said, "Not all villagers are on our side because of trust deficit, governance deficit and development deficit".

He said the responsibility for winning hearts and minds of villagers and winning them on "our side" must remain and will always remain the responsibility of state government.

"We will help in every way but ultimately the state government must take ownership for what they do in the Naxal-hit districts," Chidambaram said.

The workshop was on the theme of appropriate development strategy for effective implementation of rural development schemes in Maoist-affected districts under Integrated Action Plan.

The home minister said deficits in governance and development cannot be addressed unless trust deficit is addressed.

"If villagers think that Naxals are their friends and the established government is their adversary, you cannot win the battle," Chidambaram said.

"The most violent movement in India is not terrorism or insurgency but Left-wing extremism. While 26 people were killed in terrorist violence and 46 killed in insurgency (27 in Jammu and Kashmir), 297 persons were killed in Naxal violence. That is 10 times of those killed in terror incidents" he said.

"The most formidable challenge to governance is Left wing extremism not terrorism or insurgency," he said, adding there is a need to realise its nature and have clarity on the purpose of this movement before any gains could be made in fighting it.

Centre alerts States on possible terror strikehttp://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2450016.eceIn the wake of intelligence inputs that Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai may become the target of terrorists, the Centre has issued an advisory to all neighbouring States of Maharashtra to remain in a high state of alert.

Police chiefs of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa have been asked by the Central security agencies to be fully alert to thwart any possible design of terrorists to plan an

attack on the airport in India’s bustling commercial capital, sources in the Home Ministry said on Tuesday.

Similarly, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which is entrusted with the responsibility of providing security at all airports in the country has also been put on alert.

A specific input, culled out by the intelligence agencies, suggested that terrorists may try to use a small aircraft or a helicopter to target the country’s busiest airport in Mumbai, the sources said.

The Centre has also asked the police chiefs to put small aircraft and private helicopters under strict vigil before they are allowed to fly. The sources said the Centre has also directed that unused airstrips and private helipads be brought under the strict watch of local law enforcement agencies.

Following the advisory, the States concerned have taken a number of steps to step up security in some specified areas, the sources said. Some of the e-mails, received by media houses after the Delhi High Court bomb blast last week, had also spoken about targeting shopping malls.

Labor/Social Unrest

Assam: MASS launches protest against AFSPAhttp://www.rediff.com/news/report/assam-mass-launches-protest-against-afspa/20110913.htmManab Adhikar Sangram Samity, an Assam-based human rights body has intensified its movement demanding repeal of the 'draconian' Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 alleging that it has caused immense suffering for innocent civilians in the region at the hands of security forces.

The Act provides sweeping powers to security forces deployed in insurgency-hit Northeast, including Assam

MASS activists on Tuesday staged a sit in demonstration in Guwahati, demanding immediate repeal of the AFSPA. MASS also demanded withdrawal of Assam Disturbed Area Act, which is said to be as 'draconian' as the AFSPA. MASS agitators also submitted a memorandum to Governor of Assam J B Patnaik in this regard.

The MASS campaign against AFSPA will be boon to Manipur's 'Iron Lady', unique 11-year-long hunger strike, which has been going on since November, 2000, demanding repeal of the same.

Thirt-seven-year-old Sharmla started the fast unto death after she was devastated by mindless killing of 10 innocent villagers by troops of Assam Rifles at Malom village near Imphal on November 2, 2000.

She was subsequently arrested on charges of attempting to commit suicide and has been kept under confinement and has been forced-fed under police custody in a high-security ward in Imphal's J L Nehru Hospital.

Her unique protests have been continuously backed by a large number of civil society groups in Imphal, including the influential Apunba Lup.

Besides the demands for repeal of the AFSPA and the Assam Disturbed Area Act, the MASS demands charter also included immediate action from the government to stop handover of 'Assam's land' to Bangladesh as per the India-Bangla pact signed on September 6, during Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka.

MASS also demanded an immediate stop to construction of Mega dams in the ecologically and seismologically fragile region to protect the people from a possible 'catastrophic' downstream impact of dams.

The organisation further called for protecting Assam land from unabated encroachment by the neighbouring states and threatened to launch intensive agitation in case the government failed to respond to their demands.