Friday, July 17, 2009

Striking against HUNGER:MOON Mission Crippled. SELF DESTRUCTION overwhelms BENGAL as well as UTTAR PRADESH. HILLARY Date for India Inc. Star sensors in Chandrayaan I fail; mission may end prematurely.India set to launch nuclear-powered submarine!


Striking against HUNGER:MOON Mission Crippled. SELF DESTRUCTION overwhelms BENGAL as well as UTTAR PRADESH. HILLARY Date for India Inc. Star sensors in Chandrayaan I fail; mission may end prematurely.India set to launch nuclear-powered submarine!

 
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 287 
 
Palash Biswas

Scientists save India's moon mission from failure

The Associated Press - Vijay Joshi - ‎7 hours ago‎
The launch of Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 put India in an elite group to have lunar missions along with the US, Russia, the European Space Agency, ...

Website of the Week — We Choose The Moon

Voice of America - ‎3 hours ago‎
... the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, there's a new website that is offering a unique, second-by-second, real-time recreation of that first moon mission. ...

Moon mission flew with parts from Fox Valley

Joliet Herald News - Dave Gathman - ‎12 hours ago‎
BARTLETT — When Apollo 11 flew to the moon, some of the Fox Valley went with her. And the Bartlett History Museum at 228 ...

Astronaut's 40-year-old check nets $27350

Boston Globe - Michaela Stanelun - ‎12 hours ago‎
"The moon mission was one of my earliest memories, and that in itself is significant,'' Staub said yesterday in a telephone interview. ...

Martin readers recall what they were doing during 1st moon mission

Vero Beach Press-Journal (subscription) - ‎45 minutes ago‎
While he got out and walked around for a few minutes, I became aware for the first time that the moon was full. Then I was struck by something else, ...

India Moon Mission

Suomen Kuvalehti - ‎10 hours ago‎
18, 2008, file photo, India's first unmanned mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft is seen as it is unveiled at the Indian Space Research ...

Local companies join private Moon mission

Examiner.com - ‎Jul 16, 2009‎
Odyssey Moon expects to begin its operational phase with its first mission to the Moon in 2012. Keith Stein is an Examiner from Washington DC. ...

For Mars Rover, Really Remote Roadside Assistance

Wall Street Journal - Robert Lee Hotz - ‎13 hours ago‎
This month, the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission and humanity's first footsteps on a world beyond our own. ...

Moon features to have standardized Chinese translations

Xinhua - Zhang Xiang - ‎11 hours ago‎
The probe's journey was the first phase of the country's three-stage moon mission, whose goal is a landing and launch of a rover vehicle around 2012. ...


Secretary of state on weeklong trip to India, Thailand

CNN International - ‎18 minutes ago‎
(CNN) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled Friday to Mumbai, India, the first stop on a weeklong visit to that country and Thailand, where she will attend meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Hindu - New York Times - Reuters - Voice of America
 

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Hillary Clinton rejects notion of diminished role | Politics | Reuters

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Hillary Rodham Clinton: The next US president will have a moment of opportunity to reintroduce America to the world and restore our leadership.
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Ritas' rape slur: Maya, Rahul to woo Dalits

The arrest of UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi has added a new spark to the cumbustible political situaiton in UP.

 

At least 8 Americans wounded in Jakarta blasts

The Associated Press - Matthew LeeDevlin Barrett - ‎22 minutes ago‎
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama condemned the "outrageous attacks" on two hotels in the Indonesian capital on Friday, and US officials said at least eight Americans were among those wounded in the suicide bombings.

India has surrendered under int'l pressure, says BJP

Press Trust of India - ‎31 minutes ago‎
New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Terming as "sheer betrayal" and "U-turn" India's agreement with Pakistan that terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process, BJP today said the government has "surrendered under international pressure".
 

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  1. Devdas (novella) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    29 May 2009 ... Devdas is a young man from a wealthy Bengali Brahmin family in India in the early 1900s. Paro (Parvati) is a young woman from a middle class ...
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  2. Devdas (2002 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Devdas (Hindi: देवदास) is a 2002 Hindi film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Bollywood (Hindi) version and ...
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  3. Devdas (2002/I)

    Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. With Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai. After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in ...
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  4. Devdas (1955)

    Directed by Bimal Roy. With Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Motilal. Childhood sweethearts, Devdas and Paro grow up in a small village with a love-hate ...
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  1. Pre POLL Power YOGA in Vogue and Marxists OVER BUSY in PRANAYAM

    The Most scientific MANUSMRITI MARXIST RULE in the GREATEST BURGEOGIE Society which COPTS all ... palashkatha.mywebdunia.com/2009/04/24/1240513440000.html ...
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    The Marxists have turned BENGAL an INFINITE KILLING FIELD! The Most scientific MANUSMRITI MARXIST RULE in the GREATEST BURGEOGIE Society which COPTS all . ...
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    The Most scientific MANUSMRITI MARXIST RULE in the GREATEST BURGEOGIE Society which COPTS all . ... PROTOCOLS OF ZION, OBC PUZZLE,ROSS MALLICK, MARICHJHANPI ...
    car2finance5.co.cc/BENGALI+Marxists+are+MORE+DANGEROUS+than+RSS!+We.html -
 

Self-destruction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

10 Apr 2008 ... Self-destruct, a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself; Self-destructive behaviour, a broad set of extreme actions and emotions ...
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Self-destructive behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Self-destructive behaviour is a widely used phrase describing a broad set of extreme actions and emotions including self-harm and drug abuse. ...
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WelCome to Chandrayaan

8 Jun 2009 ... Announcements/Events · Conferences/Seminars/ Workshops · First Results From Chandrayaan-1. Resources. Public Outreach. Image Gallery ...
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Chandrayaan-1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On November 14, 2008, the Moon Impact Probe separated from the Moon-orbiting Chandrayaan at 20:06 and impacted the lunar south pole in a controlled manner, ...
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Indian Express
Star sensors in Chandrayaan I fail, mission may end prematurely‎ - 1 hour ago
Bangalore, July 17 (PTI) India's ambitious Chandrayaan-I Moon mission might come to a premature end as star sensors on board the spacecraft have failed. ...
Press Trust of India - 52 related articles »

Chandrayaan | Lunar mission by Indian Space Research Organization

chandrayaan-1 | Lunar mission by the isro - indian space research organization.
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Chandrayaan-2 | Moon Rover by Indian Space Research Organization

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Chandrayaan-1, India's lunar space craft to Map the Moon

The Chandrayaan-1 mission is India's first lunar spacecraft, announced by Prime Minister Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayeeon on Indian Independence Day, August 15, ...
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Chandrayaan-1 develops critical malfunction - India - NEWS - The ...

17 Jul 2009 ... BANGALORE: India's first moon mission Chandrayaan-I, launched in October last with a two-year life span, has lost a major sensor and may ...
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Chandrayaan —I launched successfully

22 Oct 2008 ... Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned moon mission satellite vehicle, successfully blasted off at 6.22 am on October 22, 2008, ...
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Chandrayaan faces glitch; mission unaffected: ISRO - Zakhas News - Online Breaking News - 2 hours ago
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Welcome to Indian Space Research Organisation

Provides details of spacecraft, launchers, facilities, space science activities, and links to related Indian government bodies.
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Job Opportunities

ISRO HQ:ICRB:02:2008 DATED 28-10-2008. Status of Application. CENTRALISED RECRUITMENT TO THE POST OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, ACCOUNTS OFFICERS & PURCHASE ...
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Indian Space Research Organisation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Hindi: भारतीय अन्तरिक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन) is the primary body for space research under the ...
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Indian Express
Chandrayaan develops trouble; no major issue:ISRO‎ - 3 hours ago
Bangalore: Seven months after its launch, Chandrayaan-I, ISRO's prestigious moon mission, developed trouble early on Friday. According to ISRO sources, ...
MSN India - 52 related articles »

Plan panel okays ISRO manned space flight

23 Feb 2009 ... Latest news, breaking news - Plan panel okays ISRO manned space flight.
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ISRO Interview Questions | ISRO Placement Papers

ISRO Interview Questions, ISRO Placement Papers, Get ISRO Career Tips, ISRO Career advice, Learn about the ISRO interview procedures in Major companies, ...
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ISRO built W2M satellites develop snag, hurting ISRO's credibility ...

3 Feb 2009 ... Bangalore A power system failure in the ISRO-EADS built W2M satellite for Paris-based communication satellite operators Eutelsat is an ...
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India can develop ICBMs: ex-ISRO chairman

People who read this story also read. ISRO to develop advanced version of GSLV 17.08.02. Vajpayee dedicates Insat-3C to nation 03.07.02 ...
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`Space travel an integral part of ISRO`s future programmes`

19 Jun 2009 ... Space travel would be an integral part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)`s future mission programmes, including sending man ...
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Video of Moonwalk From 1969 Restored

Washington Post - ‎15 minutes ago‎
NASA on Thursday unveiled refurbished video of the first human landing on the moon, restored after it became clear that the original tapes of the July 20, 1969, moonwalk had been erased and reused.

India Moon probe 'malfunctions'

BBC News - ‎1 hour ago‎
India's first mission to the Moon has experienced a technical problem, India's space research officials say. A sensor of the unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft has "malfunctioned" and steps have been taken to ensure it is able to continue its work, ...

From the Desk of David Pogue Updates to Google Voice

New York Times - David Pogue - ‎6 hours ago‎
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Google Voice. To refresh your memory, I quote myself: The Times's technology columnist, David Pogue, keeps you on top of the industry in his free, weekly email newsletter.
 

Potter mania returns: The story till now

Zee News - ‎1 hour ago‎
Alohomora!!! Lo and behold, gates of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are open again. The Hogwarts Express is ready to chug along once more from platform 9 and three-quarters (it's between Platform 9 and 10, if you didn't know).

Hollywood to Bollywood

StarBoxOffice.com - ‎1 hour ago‎
Industrialist Anil Ambani has joined hands with Hollywood directors Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider for a few joint ventures in which he will invest Rs.
Economic Times - Reuters India - BBC News - IBNLive.com हिंदी में

Stand on climate change unchanged: Shyam Saran

Hindu - ‎2 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: Allaying fears that India had diluted its stand on the climate change at the recently concluded G8 meeting in Rome by accepting carbon emission caps, Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran said on Thursday that there ...
How India scored at G8 Hindustan Times

Indian, French navies free dhow from pirates

Times of India - ‎8 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: The Indian and French navies have managed to ensure the safe release of 14 Indian hostages by scaring off the pirates who had hijacked their dhow in the Gulf of Aden on July 10.

Righteouness in heart ensures peace in world, says Kalam

Times of India - ‎6 hours ago‎
PATNA: Great minds do not impose ideas, rather they make people flow with them. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam, the brain behind the Indian missile programme, epitomised the fact here on Thursday.
 
Where the dividend lies
In the mid-1940s, the country's apex bank, the Reserve Bank of India, was still very much a fledgling institution, groping its way around. To improve the quality and processing of data as well as its global understanding of economic and monetary issu...  | Read.. 
 
Finally, Nano hits streets today
17 Jul 2009, 1115 hrs IST, Reeba Zachariah, TNN

 
MUMBAI: The common man's car is set to reach the common man. After overcoming obstacles like rising commodity prices and political opposition ,

Ratan Tata will finally hand over the keys of the Nano—his dream project—to its first owner here on Friday.

Though the identity of the first Nano buyer is not known , he or she is likely to be the quintessential 'man on the street' , with ordinary aspirations . In all likelihood he or she has even taken a loan for the prize catch.

The defining moment—for Tata Motors, the buyer and the global auto industry—will be held at the company's showroom in Prabhadevi. The rollout, which begins on Friday , will prove to be the litmus test for the much-awaited car's on-road performance.

Tata Motors, through a lottery , selected one lakh customers out of the 2.06 lakh applicants who had booked the snub-nosed car. While a significant number of people opted for a loan, the top-end LX model has been the most sought after.

Beginning Friday, the first one lakh cars would be delivered in a phased manner by the last quarter of 2010. The first one lakh owners are price-protected and will get the Nano at the ex-showroom price of Rs 1 lakh.
 
 Striking against hunger
17 Jul 2009, 0159 hrs IST, Bhaskar Dutta,
 
A very common reaction to the budget is that it is completely devoid any big-ticket reforms. However, this ignores the government's determination to

continue with PDS. Any legislation which seeks to enshrine the right to food as a legal entitlement is as big a reform measure as one can think of.

It will be wonderful complement to the right to employment, which was perhaps the most important piece of legislation of the last government.

What should be the contours of a "right to food" Act? Who should be the beneficiaries? How should such a law be implemented? These are crucial questions which require much thought and discussion before any right to food Act is brought before the Lok Sabha.

We first heard of the government's intention to enact such a law during President Patil's speech to Parliament a couple of months ago. The specific promise at that time (and repeated in the finance minister's budget speech) was that the government would provide 25 kg of foodgrains per month at Rs 3 per kg to families below the poverty line (BPL).

However, several social activists have expressed a strong preference for a significantly wider definition of the right to adequate nutrition, arguing that access to cheap food grains is just one component of the bundle constituting good nutrition.

They believe that an acceptable "right to food" Act must entitle the poor to a balanced basket of nutritious food (and not just grain), clean water, child care and many other essentials.

At an abstract level, there is much to be said for a comprehensive Act which promises the beneficiaries the legal right to a wide range of basic goods and services that are deemed necessary for a minimum acceptable standard of living.

However, policies and perhaps more importantly, legislation have to take into account ground realities. In particular, what sort of institutional mechanisms can one think of which will immediately — that is, as soon as the Bill is passed — deliver the goods and services to the intended recipients?

And is there much point in framing a piece of legislation which has no chance of being implemented properly? That is why a simpler Act which identifies the right to food with the provision of foodgrains alone may be desirable, at least as a first step. As I mention below, even this will pose tremendous challenges in implementation.

The government would like to extend the right to food to the BPL families. But, who are the BPL families and how many BPL families are there in the country? As some readers of the Economic Times surely know, there is a fair amount of controversy about the number of people below the poverty line. Indeed, there is a large variation in the estimates of the incidence of poverty in the country.

The 'official' figure, used for instance in the allocation of foodgrains to different states for the public distribution system is roughly 6.5 crore BPL families. But, this is based on somewhat ancient poverty estimates — those pertaining to 1993-94, combined with population estimates for 2000.
 
 
Star sensors in Chandrayaan I fail; mission may end prematurely! Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here early on Friday after attending the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Egypt. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left on a much awaited trip to India, the US again stressed the importance it placed on the role India can play not just in the region, but as a global player.
 
Britain's helicopter fleet will be cut by a quarter over the next decade even though aircraft shortages are putting troops in greater danger, MPs disclosed yesterday.
 
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi headed to his parliamentary constituency Amethi on Friday but preferred to maintain silence on the alleged derogatory remarks made by Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi against Chief Minister ...
 
 Iran's official IRNA news agency says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has appointed a new chief for the country's nuclear program.
 
Near-simultaneous bomb blasts ripped through the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta's business district on Friday, killing nine people and injuring 42 including foreigners ...
 
Bengal remained Standstill on Friday. I have been insisting how our marxist frineds hate Pragmatism and lives in virtula reality! I have been telling you all these days how they evaded the Lession from Nandigram, Singur, Lalgarh and Gorkhaland! Enough is NEVER enough for our comrades indulged in GLASNest and Prestroica! They remain Habitual to Commit Historical Blunders and Comrade Jyoti Basu survive to witness all this NONSENSE! Now, they have created another Permanent Disturbed Area named MANGALKOT in Burdwan! Potentilly enough to invoke Presidential rule in Bengal or set the Rest of undisturbed peaceful bengal on Fire! We witnessed the Overwhelming anarchy only last day all over Bengal with incidents of clashes, riotrun, arson, road blocked and citizens IMMOBilised! bengal on STANDSTILL. Thanks to Mayawati rita bahuguna Feud trest of the country missed the Live Clippings!
 
Two major, all important VULVES of Indian nationality Heart inflicted with SELF Destruction, DEVDAS Phenomenon and they NEVEr realise how ROMANTIC they showcase themselves sidelining all important basic issues! And waht a coincidence, Indian Parliamentray SOP opera witnessed the Same thing in Parliament while the SANGH Parivar walked out of Parliament on the fake issue of terror Delink! Wise Man like failed  RSS Prime Minister Prospect LK adwani Never does realise the ROOT lies in INDO Us strategic Zionist realliance as well as Indo US Nuclear deal! Meanwhile, superslave, the Universal soldier dr manmohan singh got ENDORSED the Nuclear agenda as well as Hillary tasks in the Parliament!
 
It was calm and quite Morning , we did not have for decades! Domestic Help absented and I had to help Sabita. She is an INSULINE Dependent sugar patient under mediacal supervision! She is suffering from ACUTE Stomach pain! The doctor prescribed so many tests and Full abdomen ULTRASOUND! She had an apointment with the Doctor tomorrow!
I went to the lab! It was open only to inform that neither the Doctors nor the technicians could reach as Auto Rickshaws too missing on the roads! excellent! We would not be able to show up in the Doctor`s chamber and the treatment is delayed!
 
I described the subjective experience so you may feel the general Grievances of those stranded in the way in Ambulences or reaching the Hospitols find the Doctors, Nurses and Technicians ABSENT just because of Connectivity! 
 
A 12-hour shutdown called by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee crippled life across the state as hundreds of Congress supporters blockaded roads and staged demonstrations Friday. The state Congress leadership said the 12-hour shutdown had been called in 12 of the 19 districts of West Bengal.The party claimed that one of its supporters had died and five others were injured in clashes with the police during a 12-hour shutdown Thursday in the violence-affected Mongolkote block in Burdwan district. 

 

I had always been questioning the logic of Biman Bose bening the State secretary in the shoes of ANIL Biswas! I know personally Bimanda and respect his personal Integrity, Honesty and commitment, but the fact remains that ALIMUDDIN street has lost CONTROL over the Government , Party, cadres and eventually on the Grassroot level support base!

 

It has been well EXPOSED with Cosecutive DEFEATS three TIERED!

 

What for they wait to take any action prudential enough! I am afaraid that it would be rather VERY late!

 

I also had been singling out the Writers Building quite AUTONOMOUS! Buddhadeb does not lead the ADMINISTRATION any more! Nirupam Sen runs the State machinery. All Credits to SEN for all the NONSENSE in Nandigram, Singur and Lalgarh while laxman Seth partially responsible only for Nandigram! gorkhaland Trouble is more or less created by Ashok bhattacharya , the North Bengal DON!

 

But MANGALKOT Event has EXPOSED NIRUPAM Sen naked!

 

I had been talking to the people from various spheres of life! So much so annoyed with Rotten marxist hegemony, they tend to INVITE SELF DESTRUCTION in form of PUBLIC PRIVATE Enterprise Ms mamata Bannerjee!

 

Do you remeber NIRAD C Roychowdhury who is best known for An AUTOBIOGRAPHY by an Unknown Bengali! He has also written a Book in Bengali ATMOGHATI BANGALI! Comment Irrelevant!

 

DEVDAS being the national Hero, we Indulge so easily in self destruction!

 

"The shutdown has been peaceful so far. We've not received any report of untoward incidents in any part of the state," Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told IANS.

 

Sources said a bus was damaged by Congress activists Friday morning at Baguihati near Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Later, Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed at the spot to bring the situation under control.

 

"As of now, we've not received any such report. Maybe we will get it in the next few hours," Mr. Kanojia said.

 

Train services were also disrupted due to the shutdown. Many long-distance and local trains were halted midway following protests by Congress supporters.

 

A number of short-distance trains like Biswabharati Fast Passenger, Asansol-Haldia Express, Howrah-Purulia Express and Steel Express were stopped at different railway stations due to blockade of tracks.

 

 

 
 India's ambitious Chandrayaan-I Moon mission might come to a premature end as star sensors on board the spacecraft have failed.

"Star sensors are malfunctioning," S Satish, spokesperson of the Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told the media.

Star sensors played the crucial role of orientation towards the Moon.

ISRO said it has devised innovative technology and is using antenna pointing mechanism and gyroscopes to overcome the problem.

But the space agency is not confident on how long they can hold to this mode.

"We are not sure how long we will be able to sustain it. The life of Chandrayaan-I designed for two years may be reduced," Satish said.

He, however, maintained that the mission is not crippled adding, "it is continuing satisfactorily.".

Chandrayaan-I was launched from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on October 22 last year.
 
Nevertheless, Rajat Pandit, TNN reports in Economic times:
 
India set to launch nuclear-powered submarine
 
: Fifty-four years after the world's first nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus took to the ocean depths, smashing all submerged speed and distance records thereafter, India's long hunt for its own N-sub has finally entered the last lap.

Sources say India's first nuclear-powered submarine, built under the top-secret ATV (advanced technology vessel) project, will be 'launched' for 'preliminary trials' at the shipbuilding centre at Visakhapatnam naval dockyard around 10 days from now.

In fact, if things go as planned, it will be PM Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur who will break the 'auspicious' coconut against the ATV hull on July 26 to mark India's entry into the exclusive club of US, Russia, China, France and UK, which design and operate nuclear submarines.

Extensive sea trials will, of course, have to follow after the first of the three approved ATVs, designed to carry a miniature 80MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) and its containment vessel in the hull, is put in the water by flooding the dry dock at the naval dockyard.

"It will take a minimum of two years before the first 6,000-tonne ATV can become fully operational," said an official. Nevertheless, it will constitute a big step towards India's endeavour to build a 'credible nuclear weapon triad' — the capability to fire nukes from air, land and sea.

India does have fighters like Mirage-2000 jury-rigged to deliver tactical nukes as well as nuclear-capable Agni ballistic missiles. But airbases and missile launch infrastructure can conceivably be taken out with a crippling first-strike by an enemy. This is where the triad's third leg comes in, especially for a country like India which has a declared no-first-use nuclear doctrine.

A nuclear submarine, whose reactor usually needs to be refuelled only after a decade or more, provides a difficult-to-detect-and-target platform for launching punishing retaliatory nuclear strikes.

Even US and Russia have ensured that two-thirds of the strategic warheads they eventually retain, under arms reduction agreements, will be in the shape of SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles).

Interestingly enough, India's first ATV is to be named INS Arihant (destroyer of enemies). Incidentally, defence minister A K Antony earlier this year declared the ATV project was in the "final stages now". This was indeed a rare admission because even existence of the project, first conceived during Indira Gandhi's reign as PM in 1970 but which really got going only in the mid-1980s, has been officially denied in the past.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/LATEST-NEWS/India-set-to-launch-nuclear-powered-submarine/articleshow/4787608.cms
 
Economic Times Further reports:
 
As US secretary of state Hillary Clinton travels to India, she will not only hold talks with the political leadership but also meet

people from different walks of life ranging from business leaders to artisans.

The trip of the secretary of state is aimed at setting the agenda for the future of Indo-US ties but it is also expected to generate goodwill for the Obama administration.

In fact the Mumbai leg of Ms Clinton's visit, which begins on Friday evening, is full of symbolism. Apart from staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel, she is also scheduled to sign the 26/11 memorial guest book at the Taj.

This is expected to send the message that the US is serious about helping India in the fight against terrorism and particularly on bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

Ms Clinton is also scheduled to meet business leaders in Mumbai but at the same time she is putting aside some time to visit artisans and volunteers of NGO Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA).

After Mumbai, Ms Clinton arrives in Delhi on Sunday. In her busy itinerary is a visit to Gurgaon to inaugurate the ITC green building in Gurgaon and a visit to the PUSA agriculture university.

On Monday, she will hold talks with the political leadership. She will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hold talks with external affairs minister S M Krishna which will be followed by the signing of agreements. She is also scheduled to call on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leader of the Opposition L K Advani. A dinner hosted by Mr Krishna at Hyderabad House will cap the day.

But the crucial aspect of her visit, which is also aimed at reassuring India, will be the talks she holds with the Indian leadership. Even before her visit she has tried to reassure New Delhi about the future of Indo-US ties and on the Obama administration's continued interest on pushing the civilian nuclear deal forward.

One of the sticking points is likely to be the NPT and the CTBT. Even though the Obama administration is keen to push the civilian nuclear deal forward, it is also expected to raise issues related to nuclear non-proliferation, an issue on which India and the US don't really see eye to eye.

 

Kolkata has come to a standstill on Friday (July 17) as Congress workers observe a bandh to protest the assault on eight Congress MLAs by alleged CPI(M) cadres.
 
Indian Express reports:
 
India's first moon mission Chandrayaan-I, launched in October last with a two-year life span, has lost a major sensor and may meet a premature end, ISRO said on Friday.

"Unfortunately, during the last month we have lost a vital sensor - the star sensor," ISRO Chief G Madhavan Nair said.

"Like in the olden days when one used to look at the stars to fix a direction, likewise an onboard electronic equipment was doing all this and it was required for precise pointing (towards the moon). With its loss we are really worried," he said.

"But to the credit of the ISRO scientific team, they have worked out a very innovative way of overcoming the problem," the ISRO chief said, but added that if some more failures happen, "then we will have problems".

Madhavan, however, said that in the last eight months of the operation of the mission, "we have collected almost all the data that we wanted" and that most of its objectives have already been completed.

Chandrayaan-I was launched from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on October 22 last year.

ISRO Spokesperson S Satish said, "We are not sure how long we will be able to sustain it. The life of Chandrayaan-I designed for two years may be reduced".

He, however, maintained that the mission is not crippled adding, "it is continuing satisfactorily."

ISRO said it has devised innovative technology and is using antenna pointing mechanism and gyroscopes to overcome the problem.

Giving details about the problems encountered by the mission after its launch, Nair said "Space missions are very, very complex. There are instances of problems on board. We were also not spared from these."

He said that the craft had faced fairly hostile environment around the moon especially in terms of thermal cycling as well as radiation.

"The first thing what we encountered when it was put in the 100 km orbit, it simply reached a stage of thermal runaway. The entire spacecraft would have been baked. We would have lost it," he said, adding that it was a scenario about a month after the launch.

The ISRO chief said the mission has reached a stage where many of the electronics have failed and indeed some of the power supply instruments have malfunctioned.

"But fortunately, we were able to energise the redundant units and keep them alive all this time. This has been going on for quite sometime. Unfortunately, during the last month we have lost one vital sensor," he said.

"Chandrayaan can continue but of course one cannot predict....failures can always happen if some more failures happen, then we have problems," he said, adding that the mission is a "100 per cent success".

On Chandrayaan-II, Nair said the scientists had to take care of environmentally greater issues.

"As you know we did not have experience of this kind anytime earlier. This is for the first time we have understood the intricacies of going around the moon and this data will help us make the subsequent mission much more reliable," he said.

The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-I included surveying the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimension topography.

 
Friday, July 17, 2009

Talks subject to Pak respecting anti-terror pledge: Manmohan

Prime Minister Mahnmohan Signh

New Delhi: A day after his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Egypt, Prime Minister Mahnmohan Signh Friday made it clear that any "meaningful dialogue" will depend on Islamabad fulfilling its anti-terror pledge "in letter and spirit."

The prime minsiter asked Pakistan to take "sustained, effective and credible action" not only against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage, but also against the larger infrastrucure of terrorism on its territory.

"I also conveyed to Gilani that sustained, effective and credible action has to be taken not only against the pertpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, but also shut down the operations of terrorist groups to prevent future attacks," Manmohan Singh said in a prepared statement he read out in the Lok Sabha within hours of his return.

Manmohan Singh returned here Friday morning after a hectic five-day visit to France and Egypt. He was speaking about his meeting with Gilani at Sharm el-Sheikh Thursday.

Manmohan Singh said he conveyed to the Pakistani leader "strongest sentiments of people of India" on terrorism, and specially the Mumbai attacks."

A joint statement at the end of the meeting was seen as delinking terorrism from resumption of the 'composite dialogue' process, an interpretation that was denied by the prime minister but was nevertheless slammed by critics and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here as "capitulation" to Pakistan over the issue of terrorism.

The BJP staged a walkout in protest against Manmohan Singh's statement, saying it allegedly compromised India's position on the sensitive issue of cross-border terrorism.

 

Friday, July 17, 2009

Ratan Tata hands over first three Nano cars to customers

Ratan Tata hands over first three Nano cars to customers

Mumbai: A gleaming lunar silver-coloured Nano was handed over to a proud owner here Friday to mark the commercial rollout of the jellybean-shaped small car, which has been drawing global attention since the prototype was unveiled last year.

Ratan Naval Tata, the chairman of the $62.5-billion Tata group who had promised to deliver what he has been calling the "people's car" at just Rs.100,000 ($2,500) at factory gates, himself handed over the car keys to Ashok Vichare.

He also gave away the keys of the second, sunshine yellow, Nano to Ashish Balakrishnan, while the third went to the Indian arm of Corus India - the Anglo-Dutch steel maker that was acquired by the Tatas two years ago.

"There are three things in life which one cherishes - to own a house, buy a car and start a family. For me, the second dream is coming through," Balakrishnan said. "I now hope I can now settle down with a family soon."

Vichare chose to drive the car straight to the Siddhi Vinayak Mandir, a temple dedicated to the elephant god, which is popular among celebrities and the average residents alike.

Source: IANS


 
 
SEZ developers get stamp duty waiver
17 Jul 2009, 0627 hrs IST, Deepshikha Sikarwar & Amiti Sen, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: Developers of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will get a blanket exemption from stamp duty on land purchases within the notified area for

non-core activities such as building hotels, housing complexes, shopping malls and golf courses, according to a government official.

The exemption had become a contentious issue with states, where these projects are located, demanding that it be restricted to core manufacturing areas, which has to cover at least 50% of the total SEZ land.

The government has extended this to cover the whole area and has issued guidelines detailing circumstances in which the sop can be availed of, said the official, asking not to be named. For the developers of the 500-odd SEZs slated to bring in investments of over Rs 1 lakh crore, this ends the uncertainty that had cropped up after some states had voiced their opposition.

Orissa had objected to the Centre giving such a tax sop without consulting states and had termed the move as ultra vires.

It had pointed out that while the Centre had powers to legislate on stamp duty, the power to fix rates of the duty lay with the states.

This had forced the commerce department to seek law ministry's opinion on the provision in the SEZ Act.
As per the new guidelines, the facility of stamp duty exemption on purchase of land by a SEZ developer for activities such as housing, hostel, recreation and entertainment would be available only with respect to land that falls within the SEZ area.

However, any facility will not be available outside the zone. Moreover, stamp duty exemption will be applicable on sale or lease of land to units or entities permitted to carry out operations within SEZ.

The exemption, however will be available only after formal approval of the zone. For the propose of land bought before formal approval, but after in-principle approval, the state government may either give the exemption of stamp duty upfront or collect the duty and refund it after the zone has been set up. If under some circumstances, notification of a zone is cancelled, a state government will be entitled to withdraw the concession of stamp duty and recover the same from developer.
 
MFs hardsell equity funds before load ban kicks in
17 Jul 2009, 1035 hrs IST, Shailesh Menon, ET Bureau
 
MUMBAI: Mutual fund (MF) houses are pushing distributors to sell as many equity schemes as possible before the ban on entry load kicks in from
August 1. Distributors say they are being offered higher upfront commission and higher trail fees for meeting sales targets.

Trail fees are paid out depending on the duration for which the investor stays in a scheme. Reliance MF, DSP Blackrock, ICICI Prudential, Birla Sun Life, Religare MF and HDFC MF are among the funds hard-selling their products, claim distributors.

While Religare and DSP Blackrock are promoting their NFOs, the other fund 'biggies' are focusing on their flagship schemes and other popular schemes (like large-cap schemes, flexicaps, and infra and power sector funds).

"There is a feeling among all fund houses that equity schemes will not sell well once the ban on entry load comes to effect, mainly because of a lack of interest on the part of distributors," said Rakesh Goyal, head-distribution, Bonanza Portfolio.

According to sources, fund houses have raised commission on distribution to about 4%. Asset management companies (AMCs) are also promising distributors higher (annual) trail commission in the range of 0.75-0.90%.

IFAs and brokers in tier-II and tier-III cities have been offered cash commission in the range of Rs 40-60 per application received.

According to mutual fund tracker Value Research, top-performing equity schemes include UTI Opportunities, HDFC Top 200, Reliance NRI Equity and Birla Sun Life Frontline Equity with one-year returns in excess of 20%.

Principal Largecap, DSP Blackrock Top 100, IDFC Imperial Equity and Canara Robeco Equity Diversified have given 10-16% returns over the past one year. However, investment experts are quick to advise that one-year return is hardly any indication to value the performance of any fund.


Also Read
 → Pvt banks plan size-based fee structure for MF investors
 → MFs now bet big on international funds
 → Mutual funds line up launches before Aug 1
 → MFs flood mkt with NFOs before entry load removal


"Investors should not invest in equity fund schemes now. They should wait till August to avail themselves of the benefits of no-load investments," said ace financial planner Gaurav Mashruwala.

"Funds, which are pushed to investors now are open-ended schemes; these schemes will be available to investors at lesser cost from next month onwards. Moreover, it is very unlikely, investor will miss out a big market rally over the next two weeks," Mr Mashruwala added.

Echoing Mr Mashruwala is Anil Rego of wealth management firm Right Horizons: "It makes sense to invest in equity fund schemes when markets are falling. Moreover, top performing funds of the year may not be the best bet. Investors should look for stable performers than inconsistent gainers. Investors would be better off avoiding NFOs and sectoral funds," Mr Rego added.
 
 
US gets conviction in 1st economic espionage trial
17 Jul 2009, 0618 hrs IST, AGENCIES

CALIFORNIA: A Chinese-born engineer's conviction in the United States' first economic espionage trial could be an important step to stop the flow

of critical trade secrets to China, experts say.

A federal judge on Thursday found former Boeing Co. engineer Dongfan ``Greg'' Chung guilty of six counts of economic espionage and other charges for hoarding 300,000 pages of sensitive documents in his home, including information about the U.S. space shuttle and a booster rocket.

``The trust Boeing placed in Mr. Chung to safeguard its proprietary and trade secret information obviously meant very little to Mr. Chung,'' U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney wrote in his 31-page ruling. ``He cast it aside to serve the PRC (People's Republic of China), which he proudly proclaimed as his `motherland.'''

Federal prosecutors accused the 73-year-old stress analyst of using his 30-year career at Boeing and Rockwell International to steal the documents. They said investigators found papers stacked throughout Chung's house that included sensitive information about a fueling system for a booster rocket _ documents that employees were ordered to lock away at the end of each day. They said Boeing invested $50 million in the technology over a five-year period.

Rick Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the conviction _ and potentially lengthy prison sentence _ sends a message that U.S. officials won't let Beijing try to tap into the Chinese diaspora to procure military and security secrets.

``The Chinese communist government is seeking to divide the loyalties of Chinese-Americans,'' Fisher said. ``By defending ourselves in this way, asserting our sovereignty, we are making clear to all those who would be turned by nationalist appeals from China's communist government that there is price to pay.''

The judge convicted Chung of six counts of economic espionage, one count of acting as a foreign agent, one count of conspiracy and one count of lying to federal agents. He was acquitted of obstruction of justice.

Chung was taken into federal custody after the verdict. He could face more than 90 years in prison at his sentencing scheduled for Nov. 9, federal prosecutor Ivy Wang said.

``I hope that one of the messages that goes out is if someone is going to steal proprietary information and steal that information for the benefit of another country, they are going to be charged in this country and face very serious punishment for doing so,'' Wang said after the verdict.

Chung opted for a non-jury trial that ended June 24. During 10 days of proceedings, defense attorneys said Chung was a ``pack rat'' who hoarded documents at his house, but they insisted he was not a spy.

During the trial, Chung's lawyers argued that he may have violated Boeing policy by bringing the papers home, but he didn't break any laws by doing so, and the U.S. government couldn't prove he had given secret information to China.

In his ruling, the judge wrote that the notion that Chung was merely a pack rat was ``ludicrous'' and said the evidence showed that he had been passing information to Chinese officials as a spy.

Defense attorney Thomas Bienert said he planned to appeal. ``A big feature (of this case) is not about what China wanted Mr. Chung to do, but about what Mr. Chung was willing to do,'' Bienert said outside the courtroom. ``There is no evidence that China used or benefited from anything in this case.''

Chung had been free on $250,000 bail before the verdict. His attorneys asked the judge to let him remain with his family in Orange until sentencing, but the government said a man facing such a long sentence with close ties to China could easily flee.
 
BJP terms attack on Joshi as mock fight between Cong-BSP
17 Jul 2009, 0746 hrs IST, PTI
 
NEW DELHI: BJP on Friday described the attack on Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi's house by alleged BSP workers as "a mock fight" between the

two parties to win Dalit votes and to divert the attention of the people from issues like drought and price rise.

"BJP neither approves the speech of Joshi nor the violent reaction of the BSP. It is concerned that real issues are not being addressed," BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"This incident is not for the good or welfare or security of the Dalit but a mock fight between the Congress and the BSP in their clamour for Dalit votes," he said.

Naqvi alleged that the attack was aimed at diverting the attention of the people from real issues like drought, price rise, crime and power crisis faced by the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP leader said the interest of the people is being "ignored" by the Congress at the Centre and BSP in Uttar Pradesh.

Joshi was arrested in Ghaziabad district last night for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in Moradabad district.

A portion of her house was set on fire in Lucknow by alleged BSP supporters.
 
Cong smells chance after street rampage

Calcutta, July 16: A buoyant Congress has called a 12-hour bandh on Friday from 6am, hoping to come out of the shadow of the Trinamul Congress, after using an opportunity gifted by the CPM to display long-forgotten street muscle.

Congress supporters today burnt buses and blocked roads in the city and adjoining districts to protest the attack on its MLAs in Burdwan yesterday, giving party a feeling of potency it had "forgotten a long time ago" and the scent of a chance to reassert itself.

Trinamul has extended "moral support" to tomorrow's bandh — the first potent call for shutdown since a Citu strike almost a year ago in last August.

The bandh has prompted the Calcutta, Jadavpur, Kalyani and Burdwan universities to postpone Friday's undergraduate and postgraduate exams, which over two lakh students were to take. (See Metro)

The attack on the MLAs has posed a test for chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee — whether he will be able to proceed against the accused, some of whom could be linked to the powerful Burdwan unit of the CPM.

In the Assembly, the chief minister condemned the attack and admitted the administration's "lapses" in letting the situation slip out of control. "The police failed to assess the situation beforehand and did not realise it would flare up so dangerously," Bhattacharjee said. "I would be failing in my responsibility if I merely condemned the attack."

Yesterday afternoon, armed CPM activists chased Congress MLAs across slushy paddy fields in Dhanyarukhi, Mangalkot, and attacked them with stones, injuring one of them badly enough to need eight stitches and another to be admitted to hospital.

Trinamul leader Mamata said the Centre should "intervene" immediately. "I have spoken to home minister P. Chidambaram and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. They have promised to look into the matter," she said.

Bengal chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said: "The administration will ensure that ministers and political leaders can go to Mangalkot. But why should they only want to go to Mangalkot, Khejuri and Darjeeling? There are so many other places they can go to."

If the senior-most official was trying his hand at humour, few who went through a harrowing day in the state would have been amused.

Congress supporters descended on the streets in Calcutta, North 24-Parganas, Howrah and Nadia, joined by Trinamul workers at some places. The mayhem seemed to gladden the Congress, eager for a "resurgence".

"Congress supporters coming out on the roads, deflating bus tyres and setting them ablaze are things we had forgotten a long time ago, particularly after Mamata took centre-stage," said Congress working president Subrata Mukherjee.

Police stood by as mobs besieged thoroughfares from Esplanade to Gariahat and Sealdah to Howrah at the 9am rush hour, blocking traffic and targeting state buses. Six government buses burnt, one of them in Murshidabad, and many more had their windscreens and windows smashed.

Traffic across south Calcutta went haywire as Congress supporters put up roadblocks at Hazra, the Rashbehari crossing, Jadubabur Bazar and Jadavpur. From 11am till noon, the Youth Congress blocked both Howrah bridge lanes, forcing thousands to get off buses and cars and walk across.

Trains in Eastern Railway's Howrah division were disrupted for hours.

 

Naga groups rapped for fuelling terror

Kohima/New Delhi, July 16: The Centre has decided to come down heavily on the NSCN factions for allegedly turning Nagaland into a terror hub.

Union government officials will separately meet the leaders of the NSCN (I-M) and NSCN (K) to discuss sheltering of terror outfits from other states of the region by the two factions.

Leaders of both the factions have already reached New Delhi for the meeting. Nagaland chief secretary Lalthara and director-general of police K. Kire today had separate meetings with the officials of the home ministry on the issue.

Sources said home ministry officials would first meet the NSCN (I-M) tomorrow, where home secretary G.K. Pillai and other officials from the ministry, along with top military and intelligence officials would discuss the implementation of the truce ground rules.

Sources said the meeting would discuss the presence of several Northeast insurgent outfits operating in Nagaland under the patronage of the NSCN factions.

The sources said the Centre was deeply perturbed over the presence of proscribed outfits sheltering and operating from Nagaland taking advantage of the current ceasefire between Delhi and the two NSCN groups.

The Centre had asked the Naga outfits time and again not to harbour any militant outfit in their camps, but this has been ignored. "This has not gone down well with the Centre and it is likely to deal very firmly with the situation," the source said.

According to the state government, there are over a dozen non-Naga outfits from the Northeast actively operating in the state in connivance with the NSCN factions.

Nagaland home minister Imkong L. Imchen said these outfits have "taxed" Naga people to a great extent and sought the intervention of the Centre to tackle the menace. He said to check this terror outfits the state government had decided to raise a commando battalion.

Assam-based militant outfits like Ulfa and the DHD (J) are believed to be using Nagaland for taking shelter and even carrying out operations in their home states from there.

Both the Centre and the state government are also concerned about the illegal arms trade from Dimapur, which, according to Imchen, has turned into a nerve centre of criminal activities.

The sources said during the meeting with the NSCN groups, home ministry officials would make sure that Naga outfits stopped harbouring other banned outfits, stop all sorts of criminal activities such as extortion, kidnapping and ransom.

On the eve of the meeting, Union home minister P. Chidambaram met top home ministry, defence ministry and state government officials, besides interlocutor K. Padmanabhaiah.

Chidambaram is understood to have told the state government that local police should crack down on extortionists and hardcore militants if they violate ground rules. The alleged involvement of the NSCN (I-M) in the ethnic disturbances between Nagas and Dimasas was also discussed.

Interestingly, Naxalite leaders had called on NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingalang Muivah two years ago.

The meeting will also discuss the setting up of more designated camps for the NSCN (K).

Both the security forces and the NSCN groups accuse each other of violating the truce ground rules.

The two groups have often engaged in bloody gun battles that have left several cadres dead.


Govt shelves Salim road

Calcutta, July 16: The Bengal government today announced that it would "not proceed with" a showpiece highway project assigned to the Salim Group and washed its hands of land acquisition, signalling the burial of the re-industrialisation effort that was on life support since Nandigram and Singur.

The proposed 108km highway was intended to connect Barasat in North 24-Parganas to Raichak in South 24-Parganas. The highway would have helped link Dum Dum airport and Haldia port without break. Several clusters of amenities and shops and a township at the Haldia end were also part of the now-shelved proposal.

"The government is not proceeding with the Salim Group's highway project connecting Barasat to Raichak. The decision was taken following a discussion with the chief minister," finance minister Asim Dasgupta told the Assembly.

Dasgupta's assertion confirmed what was already seen as a distinct possibility. The state government had failed to acquire any land for the project in the face of mounting opposition from the Trinamul Congress which now controls the zilla parishad in South 24-Parganas and has emerged as a force to reckon with in North 24-Parganas after winning all five Lok Sabha seats.

Told about the government's announcement, Prasoon Mukherjee, director of New Kolkata International Development, a partner of the Salim Group, expressed surprise.

"We are surprised. This was not known to us. I do not know how one of the parties can take a decision when there is an agreement signed between the Bengal government and us," Mukherjee said.

A consolation for the government came from Changi Airport International which announced a $20-million investment in an airport township project in Burdwan's Andal where the Trinamul Congress appeared to be in favour of the project. ( )

The second announcement made by Dasgupta was less surprising, though it brought out the contradictions within the government. "Investors will have to buy land directly from the farmers. If they are in need of a small portion, the government can help," he said.

The announcement itself is not new but it appeared to contradict what industries minister Nirupam Sen said this week while presenting his department's budget. "The state's intervention was essential when a large quantum of land was involved. This is because the government can't allow landowners or farmers to be left at the mercy of land sharks," Sen had said.

The highway project is the second big initiative associated with the Indonesia-based Salim Group in Bengal that is running into trouble.

The chemical hub project in Nandigram was shifted to Nayachar after the initiation of the land acquisition process triggered a backlash that changed the face of Bengal politics. At least five other projects, ranging from infrastructure to motorcycle manufacturing, involving the Salim Group are mostly at the early stages in the state.

Several Calcutta-based industrialists described the government's decision to scrap the highway project as "unfortunate".

"The cancellation of the Raichak-Barasat expressway is really unfortunate. That was needed for the betterment of the state's physical infrastructure. But regarding the government's move on land acquisition, this should be the way. Industry should buy land directly from the owners and the government could act as a facilitator," said Vishambhar Saran, the president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

WHERE THE DIVIDEND LIES
- The Union budget has ignored the Economic Survey

In the mid-1940s, the country's apex bank, the Reserve Bank of India, was still very much a fledgling institution, groping its way around. To improve the quality and processing of data as well as its global understanding of economic and monetary issues, the RBI decided to set up a research department. A few members of technical staff were scraped together from the bank's operational wings along with a handful of bright young economists and statisticians recruited from outside. They were boxed in an obscure corner on the top floor of the bank's imposing building on Bombay's Mint Road and left to their own devices. One afternoon, an out-of-town visitor keen to meet a college-mate, who had joined the RBI research staff, walked into the Mint Road office and enquired where exactly the research department was located. He asked hither, he asked thither, nobody could help him. He was about to give up and leave when a bank clerk took pity and called him back: "Well sir, you take the lift at that corner, take it and go to the top floor, step out of the lift, walk twenty paces to the right, then turn to the left, walk another fifteen paces from that spot, now turn to the right and you will come to a biggish room where you will find a cluster of young people gossiping and occasionally reading newspapers. May be they are the research department."

In other words, in that era, nobody took the research department of the RBI — or for that matter, that of any other official institution dealing with economic, monetary and financial matters — seriously. More often than not, an outfit of this kind was the object of banter and ridicule. The members of research staff were at most tolerated, few believed they could make any substantive contribution to either policy-making or operational efficiency.

A sea-change has taken place since Independence. Economics is now a holier-than-thou profession. Most ministries dealing with economic affairs now recruit sophisticated research staff with formidable academic credentials and are equipped with state-of-the-art computers. The state governments have not lagged behind, nor have banks and corporate firms. The country's prime minister himself had once headed the government's economic research division. Senior economists with, for instance, the ministry of finance and the Planning Commission are at present a much-sought-after, high-profile species. They produce reports, in season and out of season, on the burning economic issues of the day. Their advice, admonitions and prognoses are supposed to be major inputs at the disposal of policy-makers, including ministers. None dare keep them at arm's length. On the contrary, if gossip is to be lent an ear, their sage words uttered every now and then have a considerable impact on the movement of share prices in the market.

The Economic Survey put out annually on budget eve by the ministry of finance is the product of its economic research contingent. This year's Survey has a breathtaking quality. It is seemingly unaware of the grave economic recession — the gravest in eight decades — that has currently overtaken the United States of America as well as Europe. The fact that at the root of the crisis is the greed and venality of private enterprise is of no matter to those who have authored the document. Problems of both economic stability and economic growth, the Survey assumes, have a unique solution: globalization and even more globalization; the nation's fate is to be left entirely to the care of private initiative. It recommends disinvestment, at galloping speed, in public sector undertakings including in the nine undertakings that are making huge profits, the navaratna. It pitches for privatization of the country's railway network and mines. It totally ignores the hard reality that foreign — particularly American — banks and insurance companies are now a thoroughly discredited lot and proven hotbed of corruption and other gross financial irregularities, often necessitating injection of public funds for their survival. The Economic Survey actually urges greater scope for their entry into the Indian economy.

Those who have prepared the Survey are true-blue neo-liberal economists, on the same wavelength as savants on the staff of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and other admirers of the concept of global economic equilibrium nestling in American and British academic institutions. The central objective of the Economic Survey, evidently in the view of its authors, is not to inform the nation and politicians in charge of its destiny about the economic realities here and overseas, nor to suggest policies and programmes which take into account the substance of these realities, but to indulge in abstract pedantry. Perhaps their product is more intended for consumption abroad: dear friends, please see how much we have learned by sitting at your feet. Even if the Survey is not taken seriously within the country, those who have scripted it will have no regrets; as long as their neo-liberal whimsies are duly appreciated — and suitably rewarded — by appropriate quarters in distant lands, their day is made.

The preachings and precepts strewn across the Economic Survey, have mostly not been heeded in the preparation of this year's Union budget. The finance minister has charted his own course. On the issue of disinvestment, he has dissembled beautifully: it will all depend, you know, on market conditions. He has not even bothered to refer to the extravagant proposal to privatize railways and mines. There is similar reticence on whether to allow wider opportunities to foreign banks and insurance companies to mulct the Indian economy. Also worth noticing is the spectacle of the finance minister maintaining a certain distance from the fetishism of gross domestic product growth. His airy-fairyness conveys the message that was intended to be conveyed: wait out till the global situation clarifies; meanwhile, no harm humouring the hugely rural electorate, even if this involves some fiscal deficit. After all, in the US, he has gently rubbed it in, the fiscal deficit is almost double of what he has proposed.

In sum, the budget is a slap on the face of the wisdom-laden architects of the Economic Survey. It is as if we have come full circle. Sixty or seventy years ago, the research personnel of government institutions were considered irrelevant for policy-making because of a general ignorance about what they do. The research personnel are once more being regarded as irrelevant, but because the inanities they produce are now in the domain of full public knowledge and invite derision. Which is all a great pity. The intellectual calibre of those who have prepared the Survey is of the highest grade, and yet, their advice and suggestions are out of alignment with the realities the nation has to grapple with. One is almost tempted to ask whether there is not a need to 'nationalize' the government's economic research units. An independent nation cannot afford to carry the burden of a comprador research outfit in the sphere of either science or economics.

The budget has exercised its judgment: there is little percentage at this moment in acting as cheerleader for globalization. Class issues are an altogether different matter though. Additional generosity in the form of both higher exemption limits and special exemptions, abolition of surtax, reluctance to raise the rates of direct taxation, disappearance of the fringe benefit tax, and so on, pack a message from the finance minister's party to the urban classes: please go ahead and enrich yourselves, the budgetary dispensations will act as your security guard; government measures will not be as naïve nor as aggressive as the oddballs in the research wing recommend, but for all that will be immensely more fruit-bearing.

Finally, why forget the triple bonanza of the by-now-routine increase, by more than one-third, in the outlay on defence, pleasing, at one go, the patriotic lobby, the military-industrial complex and the commission agents? Nobody will have the temerity to suggest that the fiscal deficit is because of the hefty rise in defence spending.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090717/jsp/opinion/story_11247748.jsp

Chandrayaan-1

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Chandrayaan-1

Chandrayaan-1 lifts off on the PSLV-C11
Organization Indian Space Research Organisation
Mission type Orbiter
Satellite of Moon
Orbital insertion date 12 November 2008
Launch date 22 October 2008 from Sriharikota Andhra Pradesh, India
Launch vehicle PSLV-C11[1]
Mission duration 2 years
COSPAR ID 2008-052A
Home page Chandrayaan-1
Mass 523 kg (1,153 lb)
Orbital elements
Eccentricity near circular
Inclination polar
Apoapsis initial 7,500 km (4,660 mi), final 100 km (62 mi), final (wef 19 May 2009) 200 km (124 mi)
Periapsis initial 500 km (311 mi), final 100 km (62 mi), final (wef 19 May 2009) 200 km (124 mi)

Chandrayaan-1, (Sanskrit: चंद्रयान-१, lit: Moon-vehicle[2][3] pronunciation (help·info)) is India's first mission to the Moon launched by India's national space agency the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The unmanned lunar exploration mission includes a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft by a modified version of the PSLV, PSLV C11[1][4] on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh about 80 km north of Chennai at 06:22 IST (00:52 UTC).[5] The mission is a major boost to India's space program, as India competes with Asian nations China and Japan in exploring the Moon.[6] The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.[7]

On November 14, 2008, the Moon Impact Probe separated from the Moon-orbiting Chandrayaan at 20:06 and impacted the lunar south pole in a controlled manner, making India the fourth country to place its flag on the Moon.[8] The MIP impacted near the crater Shackleton, at the lunar south pole, at 20:31 on 14 November 2008 releasing subsurface debris that could be analysed for presence of water ice.[9]

The estimated cost for the project is Rs. 386 crore (US$ 80 million).[10]

The remote sensing lunar satellite had a weight of 1,380 kilograms (3,042 lb) at launch and 675 kilograms (1,488 lb) in lunar orbit [11] and carries high resolution remote sensing equipment for visible, near infrared, and soft and hard X-ray frequencies. Over a two-year period, it is intended to survey the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimensional topography. The polar regions are of special interest, as they might contain ice.[12] The lunar mission carries five ISRO payloads and six payloads from other international space agencies including NASA, ESA, and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, which were carried free of cost.[13]

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Objectives

The stated scientific objectives of the mission are:[14]

  • To design, develop, launch and orbit a spacecraft around the Moon using an Indian-made launch vehicle.
  • Conduct scientific experiments using instruments on-board the spacecraft which will yield the following results:
    • Preparation of a three-dimensional atlas (with high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10 m) of both the near and far side of the Moon.
    • Chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface at high spatial resolution, mapping particularly the chemical elements Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Calcium, Iron, Titanium, Radon, Uranium, & Thorium.
    • The impact of a sub-satellite (Moon Impact Probe — MIP) on the surface on the Moon as a fore-runner to future soft-landing missions.

[edit] Specifications

Mass 1380 kg at launch, 675 kg at lunar orbit,[15] and 523 kg after releasing the impactor. Dimensions Cuboid in shape of approximately 1.5 m Communications X band, 0.7 m diameter parabolic antenna for payload data transmission. The Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TTC) communication operates in S band frequency. Power The spacecraft is mainly powered by its solar array, which includes one solar panel covering a total area of 2.15 x 1.8 m generating 700 W of power, which is stored in a 36 A·h lithium-ion battery.[16] The spacecraft uses a bipropellant integrated propulsion system to reach lunar orbit as well as orbit and altitude maintenance while orbiting the Moon.[15]

[edit] Specific areas of study

  • High-resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of the permanently shadowed north and south polar regions.
  • Search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the Moon, especially at the lunar poles.
  • Identification of chemicals in lunar highland rocks.
  • Chemical stratigraphy of lunar crust by remote sensing of the central uplands of large lunar craters, and of the South Pole Aitken Region (SPAR), where interior material may be expected.
  • To map the height variation of the lunar surface features.
  • Observation of X-ray spectrum greater than 10 keV and stereographic coverage of most of the Moon's surface with 5 m resolution
  • To provide new insights in understanding the Moon's origin and evolution.

[edit] Payloads

Chandrayaan 1

The scientific payload has a total mass of 90 kg and contains six Indian instruments and five foreign instruments.

[edit] Indian Payloads

  • TMC or the Terrain Mapping Camera is a CCD camera with 5 m resolution and a 40 km swath in the panchromatic band and will be used to produce a high-resolution map of the Moon.[17] The aim of this instrument is to completely map the topography of the Moon. The camera works in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum and captures black and white stereo images. When used in conjunction with data from Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI), it can help in better understanding of the lunar gravitational field as well. TMC was built by the ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) at Ahmedabad.[18] The TMC was successfully tested on 29 October 2008 through a set of commands issued from ISTRAC.[19]
  • HySI or Hyper Spectral Imager will perform mineralogical mapping in the 400-900 nm band with a spectral resolution of 15 nm and a spatial resolution of 80 m.
  • LLRI or Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument determines the height of the surface topography by sending pulses of infrared laser light towards the lunar surface and detecting the reflected portion of that light. It will be operating all the time and will take 10 measurements per second on both the day and night sides of the Moon.[20] It was successfully tested on 16 November 2008.[20][21]
  • C1XS or X-ray fluorescence spectrometer covering 1- 10 keV, will map the abundance of Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe at the surface with a ground resolution of 25 km, and will detect solar flux.[22] This payload is collaboration between Rutherford Appleton laboratory, U.K, ESA and ISRO. It was activated on 23 November, 2008.[23]
  • MIP or the Moon Impact Probe developed by the ISRO, is an impact probe which consisted of a C-band Radar altimeter for measurement of altitude of the probe, a video imaging system for acquiring images of the lunar surface and a mass spectrometer for measuring the constituents of the lunar atmosphere.[24] It was ejected at 20:00 hours IST on 14 November, 2008. The Moon Impact Probe successfully crash landed at the lunar south pole at 20:31 hours IST on 14 November, 2008. It carried with it a picture of the Indian flag. India is now the fourth nation to place a flag on the Moon after the Soviet Union, United States and Japan.

[edit] Payload from Other countries

[edit] Space flight

Chandrayaan-1 Launch - PSLV C11.ogv
Chandrayaan-1 is launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched on 22 October 2008 at 6.22 am IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre using ISRO's 44.4 metre tall four-stage PSLV launch rocket, and it took 21 days to reach final lunar orbit. ISRO's telemetry, tracking and command network (ISTRAC) at Peenya in Bangalore, will track and control Chandrayaan-1 over the next two years of its life span.[33]

Chandrayaan-1 was sent to the Moon in a series of orbit-increasing manoeuvres around Earth instead of a direct shot to the Moon.[34] At launch the spacecraft was inserted into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) with an apogee of 22,860 km and a perigee of 255 km. The apogee was increased with a series of five orbit burns conducted over a period of 13 days after launch.[34]

100 days of Chandrayaan-1 launch

Scientists from India, US and Europe conducted high-level review of Chandrayaan-1 on January 29, 2009 after the Chandrayaan-1 completed its 100 days in space.

[edit] Earth orbit burns

First orbit burn

The first orbit-raising manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was performed at 09:00 hrs IST on 23 October 2008 when the spacecraft's 440 Newton Liquid Engine was fired for about 18 minutes by commanding the spacecraft from Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Peenya, Bangalore. With this Chandrayaan-1's apogee was raised to 37,900 km, and its perigee to 305 km. In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft took about 11 hours to go around the Earth once.[35]

Second orbit burn

The second orbit-raising manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was carried out on 25 October 2008 at 05:48 IST when the spacecraft's engine was fired for about 16 minutes, raising its apogee to 74,715 km, and its perigee to 336 km, thus completing 20 percent of its journey. In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft took about twenty-five and a half hours to go round the Earth once. This is the first time an Indian spacecraft has gone beyond the 36,000 km high geostationary orbit and reached an altitude more than twice that height.[36]

Third orbit burn

The third orbit raising manoeuvre was initiated on 26 October 2008 at 07:08 IST when the spacecraft's engine was fired for about nine and a half minutes. With this its apogee was raised to 164,600 km, and the perigee to 348 km. In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 took about 73 hours to go around the Earth once.[37]

Fourth orbit burn

The fourth orbit raising manoeuvre was carried out on 29 October 2008 at 07:38 IST when the spacecraft's engine was fired for about three minutes, raising its apogee to 267,000 km and the perigee to 465 km. This extended its orbit to a distance more than half the way to the Moon. In this orbit, the spacecraft took about six days to go around the Earth once.[38]

Final orbit burn

The fifth and final orbit raising manoeuvre was carried out on 4 November 2008 04:56 am IST when the spacecraft's engine was fired for about two and a half minutes resulting in Chandrayaan-1 entering the Lunar Transfer Trajectory with an apogee of about 380,000 km.[39]

[edit] Lunar orbit insertion

Chandrayaan-1 successfully completed the lunar orbit insertion operation on 8th Nov 2008 at 16:51 IST. This manoeuvre involved firing of the liquid engine for 817 seconds (about thirteen and half minutes) when the spacecraft passed within 500 km from the Moon. The satellite was placed in an elliptical orbit that passed over the polar regions of the Moon, with 7502 km aposelene (point farthest away from the Moon) and 504 km periselene (nearest to the Moon). The orbital period was estimated to be around 11 hours. With the successful completion of this operation, India became the fifth nation to put a vehicle in lunar orbit.[7]

First orbit reduction

First Lunar Orbit Reduction Manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-1 was carried out successfully on 9 November 2008 at 20:03 IST. During this, the engine of the spacecraft was fired for about 57 seconds. This reduced the periselene from 504 km to 200 km while aposelene remained unchanged at 7,502 km. In this elliptical orbit, Chandrayaan-1 took about ten and a half hours to circle the Moon once.[40]

Second orbit reduction

This manoeuvre, which resulted in steep decrease in Chandrayaan-1's aposelene from 7,502 km to 255 km and its periselene from 200 km to 187 km, was carried out on 10 November 2008 at 21:58 IST. During this manoeuvre, the engine was fired for about 866 seconds (about fourteen and half minutes). Chandrayaan-1 took two hours and 16 minutes to go around the Moon once in this orbit.[41]

Third orbit reduction

Third Lunar Orbit Reduction was carried out by firing the on board engine for 31 seconds on 11 November 2008 at 18:30 IST. This reduced the periselene from 187 km to 101 km, while the aposelene remained constant at 255 km. In this orbit Chandrayaan-1 took two hours and 9 minutes to go around the Moon once.[42]

Final orbit

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was successfully placed into a mission-specific lunar polar orbit of 100 km above the lunar surface on 12 November 2008.[43][44] In the final orbit reduction manoeuvre, Chandrayaan-1's aposelene was reduced from 255 km to 100 km while the periselene was reduced from 101 km to 100 km.[44] In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 takes about two hours to go around the Moon once. Two of the 11 payloads – the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) and the Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM) – have already been successfully switched on. The TMC has successfully taken pictures of both the Earth and the Moon.[44]

[edit] Injection of MIP on lunar surface

The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) crash-landed on the lunar surface on 14 November 2008, 15:01 UTC (20:31 Indian Standard Time (IST)) near the crater Shackleton at the south pole.[43] The MIP was one of eleven scientific instruments (payloads) onboard Chandrayaan-1.[45]

The MIP separated from Chandrayaan at 100 km from lunar surface and began its nosedive at 14:36 UTC (20:06 IST) going into a free fall for thirty minutes.[43] As it fell, it kept sending information back to the mother satellite which, in turn, beamed the information back to Earth. The altimeter then also began recording measurements to prepare for a rover to land on the lunar surface during a second Moon mission planned for 2012. When the MIP was closer to the surface, rockets were fired to slow down its speed and to soften impact.[8][46][47]

Following the successful deployment of MIP, the other scientific instruments were turned on one-by-one starting the next phase of the two-year mission.[45]

[edit] Rise in space craft temperature

ISRO had reported on 25 November, 2008 that Chandrayaan-1's temperature had risen above normal to 50°C,[48] they said that it had occurred due to higher than normal temperatures in lunar orbit.[48] The temperature has been brought down by about 10°C by rotating the space craft by 20 degrees and switching off some of the instruments.[48] Subsequently ISRO reported on 27 November, 2008 that the space craft was operating under normal temperature conditions.[49] In subsequent reports ISRO says, since the space craft is still recording higher than normal temperatures, it will be running only one instrument at a time until January 2009 when lunar orbital temperature conditions are said to stabilise.[50] The space craft was experiencing these high temperatures because it is currently over the sunlit side of the Moon, where it will be receiving energy both from the Sun and infrared radiation given off by the Moon.[51]

[edit] Mapping of minerals

The mineral content on the lunar surface has been mapped with Moon Mineralogy Mapper(M3), a NASA instrument on board the orbiter. The presence of iron has been reiterated and changes in rock and mineral composition has been identified. Orientale Basin region of the Moon has been mapped, indicating abundance of iron-bearing minerals such as pyroxene.[52]

[edit] Mapping of Apollo landing sites

The landing sites of the Apollo Moon missions have been mapped by the orbiter using multiple payloads. Six of the sites have been mapped including that of Apollo 11, the first mission that put humans on the Moon.[53]

[edit] Chandrayaan beams back 40,000 images in 75 days

Chandrayaan-1 has transmitted more than 40,000 images of different types since its launch on October 22, 2008, which many in ISRO believe is quite a record compared to the lunar flights of other nations. ISRO officials estimated that if more than 40,000 images have been transmitted by Chandrayaan's cameras in 75 days, it worked out to nearly 535 images being sent daily. They are first transmitted to Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu near Bangalore, from where they are flashed to ISRO's Telemetry Tracking And Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore.

They said some of these images have a resolution of up to 5-metre providing a sharp and clear picture of the Moon's surface. On the other hand, they said many images sent by some of the other missions had a 100-metre resolution.

On November 26, the indigenous Terrain Mapping Camera, which was first activated on October 29, 2008, took shots of peaks along with craters. This came as a surprise to ISRO officials because the Moon consists mostly of craters.[54]

[edit] Detection of X-Ray signals

The X-ray signatures of aluminium, magnesium and silicon were picked up by the C1XS X-ray camera. The signals were picked up during a solar flare that caused an X-ray fluorescence phenomenon. The flare that caused the fluorescence was weaker that the minimum the C1XS was designed to sense but was still picked up, highlighting its sensitivity.[55][56][57]

[edit] Full Earth image

On March 25, 2009 Chandrayaan beamed back the first images of the Earth in its entirety. These images were taken with the TMC. Previous imaging has been done on only part of the Earth. The new images show Asia, parts of Africa and Australia with India being in the center.[58]

[edit] Chandrayaan-1 orbit raised to 200 km from moon

After the successful completion of all the major mission objectives, the orbit of Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface since November 2008, has now been raised to 200 km. The orbit raising manoeuvres were carried out between 0900 and 1000 hours IST on May 19, 2009. The spacecraft in this higher altitude will enable further studies on orbit perturbations, gravitational field variation of the Moon and also enable imaging lunar surface with a wider swath.[59]

[edit] Star sensor failure

As per an ISRO announcement, the failure of the star sensor, a device for precise pointing towards moon, has the potential to reduce the lifespan of the mission. But the mission team has worked out a technique for orienting the craft using antenna pointing and gyroscopes. This can enable the craft to continue its operation without any disablement which has already completed most of its mission objectives.[60]

[edit] Team

The scientists considered instrumental to the success of the Chandrayaan-1 project are:[61][62][63]

  • G. Madhavan Nair – Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation
  • Dr. T. K. Alex – Director, ISAC (ISRO Satellite Centre)
  • Mylswamy Annadurai – Project Director, Chandrayan-1
  • S. K. Shivkumar – Director - Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network.
  • Mr. M.Pitchaimani – Operations Director, Chandrayan-1
  • Mr. Leo Jackson John – Spacecraft Operations Manager, Chandrayan-1
  • Dr. K.Radhakrishnan – Director, VSSC
  • George Koshy – Mission Director,PSLV-C11
  • Srinivasa Hegde – Mission Director,Chandrayaan-1
  • M C Dattan – Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre,Sriharikota
  • Prof. J N Goswami – Director of Physical Research Laboratory,Ahmedabad and Principal Scientific Investigator of Chandrayaan-1

[edit] Chandrayaan-2

ISRO is also planning a second version of Chandrayaan named Chandrayaan II. According to ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, "The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hopes to land a motorised rover on the Moon in 2012, as a part of its second Chandrayaan mission. The rover will be designed to move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, do on-site chemical analysis and send the data to the mother-spacecraft Chandrayaan II, which will be orbiting above. Chandrayaan II will transmit the data to Earth."

[edit] NASA Lunar Outpost

According to Ben Bussey, senior staff scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, Chandrayaan's imagery will be used to decide the future Lunar outpost that NASA has recently announced. Bussey told SPACE.com, "India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter has a good shot at further identifying possible water ice-laden spots with a US-provided low-power imaging radar." Bussey advised — one of two US experiments on the Indian Moon probe. "The idea is that we find regions of interest with Chandrayaan-1 radar. We would investigate those using all the capabilities of the radar on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter", Bussey added, "a Moon probe to be launched late in 2008."[64] (The LRO was launched June 18th, 2009).

[edit] Images and Video Obtained by Chandrayaan-1

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Mission Sequence". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/mission_sequence.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-05. 
  2. ^ "chandra". Spoken Sanskrit. http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=candra&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes. Retrieved on 2008-11-05. 
  3. ^ "yaana". Spoken Sanskrit. http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=yaana&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes. Retrieved on 2008-11-05. 
  4. ^ "Chandrayaan-1 shifted to VAB". The Hindu. 2008-10-22. http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101556421300.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-15. 
  5. ^ "PSLV-C11 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-1". Indian Express. 2008-10-22. http://isro.org/pressrelease/Oct22_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-22. 
  6. ^ Pasricha, Anjana (2008-10-22). "India Launches First Unmanned Mission to Moon". Voice of America. http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-22-voa11.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-12-27. 
  7. ^ a b "Chandrayaan-1 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Nov08_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-08. 
  8. ^ a b "Tricolour's 4th national flag on moon". Economic Times. 2008-11-15. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Tricolours_4th_national_flag_on_moon/articleshow/3714959.cms. Retrieved on 2008-11-18. 
  9. ^ "Chandrayaan team over the moon". The Hindu. 2008-11-15. http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/15/stories/2008111560851200.htm. 
  10. ^ "How India flew to the moon economy class". The Times of India. 2008-10-26. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/How_India_flew_to_the_moon_economy_class/articleshow/3641756.cms. Retrieved on 2008-10-28. 
  11. ^ "Spacecraft Description". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/Chandrayaan/htmls/spacecraft_description.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-04. 
  12. ^ Bhandari N. (2005). "Title: Chandrayaan-1: Science goals" (PDF). Journal of Earth System Science 114: 699. doi:10.1007/BF02715953. http://www.ias.ac.in/jessci/dec2005/ilc-14.pdf. 
  13. ^ "India sets its sights on the Moon". BBC. 2008-10-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7681701.stm. Retrieved on 2008-10-22. 
  14. ^ "Objectives". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/objective_scientific.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-30. 
  15. ^ a b "Specifications of Chandrayaan 1". Indian Space Research Organisation. October 2008. http://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan/htmls/spacecraft_description.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-22. 
  16. ^ "FAQ on Chandrayaan 1". Indian Space Research Organisation. October 2008. http://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan/htmls/faqs.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-22. 
  17. ^ A. S. Kiran Kumar, A. Roy Chowdhury (2005). "Terrain mapping camera for Chandrayaan-1" (PDF). J. Earth Syst. Sci. 114 (6): 717–720. doi:10.1007/BF02715955. http://www.ias.ac.in/jessci/dec2005/ilc-16.pdf. 
  18. ^ "Chandrayaan 1 - The payloads". http://www.isro.org/pslv-c11/brochure/page7.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  19. ^ "Chandrayaan-1 Camera Tested". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Oct31_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-01. 
  20. ^ a b c "LASER Instrument on Chandrayaan-1 Successfully Turned ON". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Nov16_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  21. ^ a b "Laser instrument on board Chandrayaan-1 activated". The Hindu. 2008-11-17. http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/17/stories/2008111759491100.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  22. ^ "The Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer: C1XS". Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/c1xs/. Retrieved on 2008-10-21. 
  23. ^ a b "Chandrayaan-1 Starts Observations Of The Moon". Space Daily. 2008-11-24. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124131241.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26. 
  24. ^ "Chandrayaan-1: The Payloads". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/pslv-c11/brochure/page7.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-14. 
  25. ^ Bhardwaj, A., S. Barabash, Y. Futaana, Y. Kazama, K. Asamura, D. McCann, R. Sridharan, M. Holmström, P. Wurz, R. Lundin (2005). "Low energy neutral atom imaging on the Moon with the SARA instrument aboard Chandrayaan-1 Mission" (PDF). J. Earth System Sci 114 (6): 749–760. doi:10.1007/BF02715960. http://www.ias.ac.in/jessci/dec2005/ilc-21.pdf. 
  26. ^ "Sub keV Atom Reflecting Analyser (SARA)". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sara_esa.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-03. 
  27. ^ "NASA Instrument Inaugurates 3-D Moon Imaging". JPL. http://jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-239. Retrieved on 2008-12-19. 
  28. ^ Basilevsky A. T., Keller H. U., Nathues A., Mall J., Hiesinger H., Rosiek M. (2004). "Scientific objectives and selection of targets for the SMART-2 Infrared Spectrometer (SIR)". Planetary and Space Science 52: 1261–1285. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2004.09.002. 
  29. ^ "Near-IR Spectrometer (SIR-2)". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/sir-2_esa.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-03. 
  30. ^ P. D. Spudis, B. Bussey, C. Lichtenberg, B. Marinelli, S. Nozette (2005). "mini-SAR: An Imaging Radar for the Chandrayaan 1 Mission to the Moon". Lunar and Planetary Science 26. 
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  32. ^ "Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment ( RADOM )". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/radom_bas.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-03. 
  33. ^ "Chandrayaan-1 successfully put into earth's orbit". Indian express. 2008-10-22. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ChandrayaanI-successfully-put-into-earths-orbit/376522/. Retrieved on 2008-10-22. 
  34. ^ a b "How Chandrayaan-1 is raised to higher orbits". The Hindu. 30 October 2008. http://www.hindu.com/seta/2008/10/30/stories/2008103050121400.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-31. 
  35. ^ "Objectives". ISRO. http://isro.org/pressrelease/Oct23_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-30. 
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  39. ^ "Chandrayaan-1 enters Lunar Transfer Trajectory". ISRO. http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Nov04_2008.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-04. 
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  64. ^ Moonbase: In the Dark On Lunar Ice | Space.com | 26 December 2006

[edit] External links

Chandrayaan Payloads

Injury didn't prevent Clinton from shaping US foreign policy

Washington (PTI) "I broke my elbow, not my larynx".

This was how US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reacted hours before embarking on her maiden official visit to India to launch a major foreign policy initiative, when asked if she had missed out on some action due to her elbow injury.

Ms. Clinton, who kept a low profile for the last few weeks after fracturing her elbow, had to miss out on several major foreign policy events including the G-8 summit in Italy and President Barack Obama's first visit to Russia.

"I broke my elbow, not my larynx," she shot back dismissing reports that she was being sidelined by former campaign-rival Obama.

Ms. Clinton, 61, insisted that all was well between her and the President. "I feel very honoured and positive about my working relationship with the White House and my personal relationship with President Obama," Ms. Clinton told newsmen.

She said she might have lost on some action due to her injury but was "consistently involved in the shaping and implementation of our foreign policy, and I am off to India and Thailand tonight".

She returned with a major foreign policy speech on the eve of her five-day visit to India, saying this would be the "most wide-ranging" strategic dialogue ever between the two countries.

"I think I am just going to do the work and make the contribution," she said.

PDP slams Indo-Pak statement; terms it ambiguous

Srinagar (PTI) Opposition People's Democratic Party on Friday expressed its displeasure over the joint declaration issued by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan saying the Sharm Al Sheikh statement represents an "inadequate" response to the problem of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are concerned over the omission of Jammu and Kashmir from the joint declaration and ambiguity about resumption of composite dialogue. This has caused understandable disappointment among the people of the state who looked up to the summit with considerable hope," PDP leader and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said here.

Mr. Sayeed said pushing of the dialogue process over the issue into the "cold storage" not only dampens the prospects of a lasting peace but would even dent the oft repeated vision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of a new, peaceful and prosperous South Asia.

He, however, said it was a positive development that the two sides had agreed on measures to fight the menace of terrorism together, though adding it was not the only aspect of Indo-Pak relations.

"The efforts to redefine these relations by the leadership of two countries to usher in an era of understanding and reconciliation would fall way short of the required impetus in absence of a composite dialogue that would address all issues including Kashmir", Mr. Sayeed said.


EU to discuss the issue of imported wines with India

New Delhi (PTI) The European Union will hold a meeting with the Indian Government in September seeking redress of "discriminative" duties of up to 800 per cent on imported wines and spirits imposed by some states.

"In September, EU trade Commissioner will visit India to hold a discussion with Anand Sharma, Minister of Trade and Commerce, to resolve the issue of discriminatory duties imposed on imported wines and spirits," Ambassador, Head of Delegation, European Union (EU), Daniele Smadja told reporters here on Friday.

"The choice of the venue, Delhi instead of Geneva, is the sign of EU's willingness to solve this long dispute and to allow India to bring all the relevant experts for constructive discussions," Ms. Smadja said.

She said that after India abolished additional custom duties (ACDs) on imported wines and spirits in 2007, some states had imposed even higher duties on them, particularly Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, which account for over 50 per cent of the total market segment.

In certain cases, the duties imposed on imported wines and spirits are as high as 800 per cent, European Commission Head of Legal Dispute Settlement J F Brakeland said.

"As a result imported wines and spirits do not benefit...since many products are either shut off the market or are simply too expensive", Mr. Brakeland said.
Lanka-India ties hinge on Tamils' issue: Manmohan

New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday said it has asked Sri Lanka to take "effective measures" to address the concerns of displaced Tamils, as relations between the two neighbours would hinge on the issue.

Recalling his meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Shram-el-Sheikh this week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Rajya Sabha that "bulk" of the meeting was focussed on the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.

"We are deeply concerned. I explained to him (Rajapaksa) we have legitimate concern about the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils. It has a bearing on Sri Lanka's relations with India.

"I emphasised to him that he must take all effective measures to provide meaningful relief and rehabilitation," the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Singh was responding to CPI member D Raja who wanted to know the outcome of his meeting with the Sri Lankan President.

"I spent considerable amount of my time in my meeting with Sri Lankan President discussing the Tamil problem. I expressed our concern about the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils, about three lakh people who are internally displaced and living in 33 camps," he said.

Mr. Singh was replying to clarifications sought on his statement about his meetings with world leaders at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Egypt.

He also informed Mr. Rajapaksa that Colombo has to create conditions for meeting "legitimate political aspirations" of the Tamils under the devolution package.


Pak media hails decision to resume Indo-Pak talks

Islamabad (PTI): Hailing the decision of India and Pakistan to resume dialogue, media here on Friday said credit must go to both sides for "seizing the moment and breaking the impasse" and that they should build on the "breakthrough" achieved in the meeting between the two Prime Ministers.

The influential Dawn newspaper, in an editorial titled "A Step Forward", said "considerable give and take" will be required by both countries in the days to come.

"Credit must go to both sides for seizing the moment and breaking the impasse. Instead of describing the outcome of the meeting as some kind of victory for Pakistan we would do well to hail India's timely recognition that terrorism and militancy should not be allowed to come in the way of improved relations," it said.

Following the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday on the sidelines of the NAM Summit in Egypt, India and Pakistan agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism and announced tentative steps aimed at resuming talks that were suspended in the wake of the Mumbai attacks in November 2007.

The Nation, in an editorial titled "The Core Issue", said Mr. Gilani's observation during the NAM summit that there could be no lasting peace in the region unless the issue of Kashmir is resolved should be heeded by the Indian leadership.

Bilateral relations cannot improve "if India sticks to an erroneous kind of thinking that Islamabad is in cahoots with the militants", it cautioned.

Also see:

Joint statement by India and Pakistan at Sharm-el-Sheikh India and Pakistan to 'delink' action on terror from dialogue Joint statement flowed from meeting of Prime Ministers Where is Kashmir, ask Pakistani media India, Pakistan positive on talks India, Pakistan facing 'last chance' for dialogue A peace song from across the border Audio: An ode to India-Pakistan peace "Security Council resolution no basis for Saeed's detention" India hopes for forward movement For the peace dividend Stage set for fresh engagement with Pakistan Pakistan, terrorism top Manmohan's agenda Gilani seeks all-party support Pakistan should take credible action against terrorists: Manmohan Trial of Mumbai terror attack suspects may begin next week: Pakistan Four more questions from Pakistan http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200907171421.htm
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200907171421.htm
 
Poor monsoon shrinks paddy acreage by 21 per cent

New Delhi (PTI) Delayed monsoon has affected paddy sowing across the country with the area under the crop declining by 21 per cent to 114.63 lakh hectare till today against 145.21 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.

However, there is substantial improvement over last week when acreage stood at 74.28 lakh hectare (LH) till July 10.

The acreage of coarse cereals comprising jowar, bajra and maize have also declined mainly due to lower planting of bajra, an official statement said on Friday.

Cotton, arhar (pigeon peas), urad (black matpe), sunflower are the only crops that have seen an increase in the sowing area, according to the weekly crop weather data released by the Agriculture Ministry.

The sowing area under cotton has risen to 68.92 LH as on July 17, compared with 61.68 LH in the corresponding period last year. The sugarcane acreage has dipped to 42.50 LH from 43.79 LH.

Jute area has been lower at 6.89 LH from 7.06 LH, while bajra is down at 34.67 LH against 46.01 LH. Jowar and maize areas have marginally fallen to 16.57 LH from 17.16 LH and 46.18 LH from 47.41 LH, respectively.

The groundnut acreage has come down to 25.69 LH from 27.63 LH, while soyabean dipped to 71.36 LH from 72.37 LH.

 

CAG raps Delhi Metro; says govt. delayed report

New Delhi (PTI) After facing flak over recent accidents claiming six lives, Delhi Metro has come under attack from the Comptroller and Auditor General which raised questions on its accountability and blamed the government for "deliberately" delaying tabling of the report in Parliament.

The CAG report for 2007 also accused the Metro of compromising quality control procedures on the request of contractors and found that testing requirements were scaled down in four contracts as the projects were behind schedule.

"Audit analysis of quality control indicated scaling down of testing requirements, non-witnessing of tests by the company's representatives, testing of material in non- accredited laboratories and non-preservation of test reports.

Testing requirements were scaled down in four contracts as these contracts were running behind the schedule, the report said adding that the company representatives were not present at tests conducted by contractors.

Deputy CAG A.N. Chaturvedi said "in order to hasten projects, quality control procedures were relaxed deliberately at the request of contractors.

"If these reports have been presented before Parliament in time, it would have been better as some of which have clear and direct linkage of what we are witnessing today," Mr.Chaturvedi told reporters in a veiled reference to Sunday's mishap in Jamrudpur.

He also said the government "deliberately delayed the tabling on one pretext or other" after the auditor submitted it to government.


US has a role to play in the region, says Hurriyat

Srinagar (PTI) Accusing Indian and Pakistan leaderships of lacking "commitment and seriousness" on the issue of peace dialogue, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat on Friday said the US has a role to play in the region and sought a time-frame for resolution of Kashmir issue.

"We are looking for a change.... We want a solution of all issues through peaceful means and Amercia can play a role in the region," its chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said addressing a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.

Welcoming the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he said, "we are not against cordial relations between India and US but want New Delhi to accept the ground realities and take concrete steps for resolution of Kashmir".

Referring to the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday, Mr. Mirwaiz said, "We have welcomed the development but we feel there is a lack of commitment and seriousness.

"There is a void as both the countries started commenting on the statement of their premiers in such a way that suits them," Mr. Mirwaiz said.

The Hurriyat chairman said the involvement of India, Pakistan and Kashmiris is imperative for an everlasting solution to the Kashmir issue and stressed on the need "to institutionalise the dialogue process and set a time-frame for resolution of the Kashmir issue."
 
Rahul attacks Mayawati govt. as "not operational" Govt working on consensus to regulate TV news content Opposition demands special parliament session on agri crisis Normal traffic restored at Metro bridge mishap site Azharduddin courts arrest, released 'Rita Bahuguna 's remarks not pardonable, she will be punished' Sri Lankan national escapes from custody, two cops suspended Noisy scenes in RS over absence of minister RIL can't sell gas to RNRL; asks SC not to stop 3rd party sale Two militants among 3 killed in Doda encounter Cong MPs raise Bengal law and order situation in LS Govt to give Soil Health Cards to farmers Sikkim remains cut off for fourth successive day AI cancels two flights, reschedules five for bandh Abdul Kalam to visit Bangladesh next week Hooch tragedy: Key accused arrested Militant killed in Doda encounter Manmohan arrives in Delhi Vayalar Ravi to be chief guest at GOPIO celebration Three Hizb militants killed http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002hdline.htm
 

PM puts ball in Pak's court, BJP calls it 'capitulation'

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Agencies

Posted: Jul 17, 2009 at 1708 hrs IST
Manmohan gilani

New Delhi Under attack from BJP for the outcome of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that the starting point for "any meaningful dialogue" will depend on actions by Islamabad to end cross-border terror and hoped there would be "forward movement" in the coming months.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha against the backdrop of BJP's charge of reversal of India's long-standing position, Singh said "action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and therefore cannot await other developments."

BJP was not satisfied, with Leader of Opposition LK Advani charging that India had "conceded" and "capitulated". He then led a BJP walkout from the House.

Singh, who met Gilani at Sharm-el Sheikh in Egypt on Thursday, said he had conveyed to the Pakistani leader that "sustained, effective and credible action needs to be taken not only to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice but also to shut down the operations of terrorist groups so as to prevent any future attacks."

Underlining that India seeks cooperative relations with Pakistan and "engagement is the only way forward to realise the vision" of a stable and prosperous South Asia, he said India is "willing to go more than half way provided Pakistan creates the conditions for a meaningful dialogue".

He said "Whether, when and in what form we broaden the dialogue with Pakistan will depend on future developments."

"It has been and remains our consistent position that the starting point of any meaningful dialogue with Pakistan is a fulfilment of their commitment, in letter and spirit, not to allow their territory to be used in any manner for terrorist activities against India," Singh insisted.

He pointed out that Gilani and he himself had agreed that the Foreign Secretaries will meet as often as necessary and report to the two Foreign Ministers who will meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Singh said he had discussed with Gilani the present condition of bilateral ties, the future potential and the steps that are necessary to enable the two countries to realise the potential.

"I conveyed to him (Gilani) the strong sentiments of the people of India over the issue of terrorism, especially the terrorist attacks in Mumbai," the Prime Minister said. He said Gilani had assured him that Pakistan would "do everything in its power" to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice.

BJP, which raised the issue in both Houses, accused the government of reversing the country's long-standing position that dialogue cannot be pursued if terrorism continues.

After Singh's statement, Advani said de-linking of terrorism from composite dialogue has been the "demand" of Pakistan and that "we have conceded" seven months after the Mumbai attacks.

"What has happened that made you change the stance?... The government has capitulated," he said.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee objected to Advani's queries, saying there is system of seeking clarifications in the Lok Sabha on the Prime Minister's statement.

Unhappy over this, Advani led a walkout of his party members from the House.

The Prime Minister's statement came after BJP slammed the government in both Houses of Parliament over the outcome of the meeting between Singh and Gilani, saying it was a "reversal" of India's long-standing policy that there would be no dialogue till terrorism, emanating from Pakistan, ends.

The mention, in the Indo-Pak joint statement, that "action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed" has come as a "surprise and also disappointment", Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha while raising the issue.

He wanted to know what "prompted" the change of stance. In the Lok Sabha, Deputy Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj raised the matter, terming it as a "serious situation".

Contending that the "nation is concerned since yesterday", she said the government should tell the House as to what happened during Singh's meeting with Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh in Egypt on the sidelines of the NAM Summit.

 

Joshi's remarks not pardonable, she will be punished: Maya

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Agencies

Posted: Jul 17, 2009 at 1528 hrs IST
Mayawati

Lucknow Congress President Sonia Gandhi's disapproval of Rita Bahuguna Joshi's remarks notwithstanding, UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said legal action against her would continue and she would be punished.

She said Gandhi's disapproval of the UPCC chief's remarks was more of a "compulsion in the wake of the declining political graph of the Congress among the people, especially Dalits".

Mayawati told a press conference that the "reprehensive" and "derogatory" remarks made by Joshi were "not at all pardonable".

"Whatever legal action is being taken against Joshi on her July 15 remarks against me will continue and like Varun Gandhi, she may get bail, but it will not minimise the intensity of her crime," she said.

"Sooner or later she will be punished for the crime she has committed as per law," she added.

Mayawati, however, said that in view of Gandhi's disapproval of the remarks against her, her party will not disrupt business in both houses of Parliament.

The BSP chief said, "After my statement that Joshi made derogatory remarks against me in Moradabad on the directives of the Congress high command, Sonia Gandhi was compelled to express anguish and pain because of the declining goodwill of the party.

"I have come to know that Gandhi has expressed deep pain and anguish over Joshi's reprehensive and indecent remarks against me. Therefore, in the interest of the country and the people, the party has decided to assist in peaceful and smooth conduct of both houses of Parliament," Mayawati said.

 

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/PM-puts-ball-in-Paks-court-BJP-calls-it-capitulation/490666/

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Morning Skim: Clinton's Role, a Message to the NAACP and More

New York Times - Eric Etheridge - ‎4 hours ago‎
Wall Street Journal: Peggy Noonan writes, "By this spring it must have become apparent to [Hillary Clinton] that when the nice new ...

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Hillary Clinton

The Associated Press - Nedra Pickler - ‎18 hours ago‎
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday threw out a 13-year-old lawsuit against Hillary Rodham Clinton involving the White House's handling of FBI ...

Hillary Clinton: Jakarta Bombings Show 'Viciousness of Violent ...

Politics Daily - ‎2 hours ago‎
Following Friday's two hotel bombings in Jakarta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced the "viciousness of violent extremists" who carried out the ...

Hillary in Asia, round two

guardian.co.uk - Simon Tay - ‎11 hours ago‎
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is travelling to Asia again to meet foreign ministers at the Asean regional forum, and to visit India. ...

Clinton and Sotomayor Endure Man-Made Perils: Margaret Carlson

Bloomberg - Margaret Carlson - ‎Jul 15, 2009‎
July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton and Sonia Sotomayor have risen to the top of their professions being the best students in the class, homework always ...

'Harry and Louise' Return to Hawk Health Care Reform

FOXNews - Judson Berger - ‎Jul 16, 2009‎
The actors were credited with taking the wind from the sails of the 1993 health care reform effort led by then-first lady Hillary Clinton. ...

Hillary Clinton, Back After a Break

Washington Post - Al Kamen - ‎Jul 14, 2009‎
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton kicks off her worldwide "I'm Ba-aack" tour today, starting with what's being billed as a "major policy ...

Is the honeymoon between Clinton and Obama over?

Examiner.com - ‎1 hour ago‎
There is increasing evidence that Hillary Clinton is not very content as Obama's Secretary of State and might be running into the same problems and ...

Clinton Arrives in India to Boost Partnership

Voice of America - ‎8 minutes ago‎
By VOA News US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in India for talks aimed at boosting emerging ties between the United States and India. ...

Clinton threatens Iran...again

Examiner.com - ‎14 hours ago‎
In an address to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Secretary of War Hillary Clinton declared that the US will not hesitate to pre-emptively attack ...
NJDC: Administration serious about Iran Jewish Telegraphic Agency


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