News Digest: 3 ministers will have to wait for private secretaries

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, June 17, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		3 ministers will have to wait for private secretaries The government has put on hold the appointment of private secretaries to three Union ministers, including home minister Rajnath Singh, who had served on the personal staff of ministers of the erstwhile UPA regime. With Indian Mujahideen defanged, SIMI regrouping across the country Forget Indian Mujahideen, the outfit keeping Indian agencies on tenterhooks these days is Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Govt plans 'soil health cards' for all farmers Seeking to spur agricultural growth, the Centre will soon launch a comprehensive plan to provide 'Soil Health Card' to all farmers across the country. More India News»

		Business
		We can contribute 1% to India's GDP: Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal, chairman of Rs 78,000-crore ($13 billion) Vedanta Resources, like a lot of Indian businessmen, has been extremely pessimistic about the Indian business climate for a while now. ICICI Ventures, Zodius eye stake in BigBasket Online grocer BigBasket is in talks with private equity investors ICICI Venture and Zodius Capital, among others, to raise about $33 million in funding, sources directly aware of the matter said. Sebi ordinance challenged in Madras high court The new rules which provided wide ranging investigative and enforcement powers to markets regulator ­­ Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had lapsed and had been subsequently reintroduced by the UPA government on March 28. More Business News»

		Environment
		Centre plans to turn eastern states into organic farming hub The central government is planning to turn India's eastern states into an organic farming-hub, Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said. Rapid response teams to counter wild elephants in Kerala In the wake of increasing incidents of wild elephants straying into human settlements in forest fringe areas, Kerala government has set up eight Rapid Response Teams (RST) to undertake urgent steps to check the menace. Madhya Pradesh tests Modi's lion-transfer mood The Madhya Pradesh government has forwarded a proposal for Rs 80 crore assistance to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), for the lion conservation project to be taken up at Kuno-Palpur. More Environment News»

		World
		US, Iran hold brief talks on Iraq crisis The United States and Iran briefly discussed the crisis in Iraq on the sidelines of a critical fifth round of nuclear talks in Vienna, US officials said Monday. Sharif vows to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan The operation called Zarb-e-Azb (strike of the Prophet's sword) was launched days after a terrorist siege at Pakistan's busiest airport in Karachi killed over 30 people. US asks Sri Lanka to quell anti-Muslim riots Three persons were killed and nearly 100 injured when a Buddhist a mob went on rampage and torched several Muslim-owned shops and businesses in cities across the south-western coast. More World News»

		Entertainment
		OMG: Sidharth Malhotra Kisses Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra's lip lock in Ek Villain What is Kareena Kapoor hiding behind her back? Kareena was spotted looking absolutely lovely in a slinky choli and a beautiful sari at the music launch of her cousin Armaan Jain's film 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil'. What makes Salman Khan Bollywood's Rajinikanth? Salman's action: Salman Khan, who is known for his golden heart is the top contender to be the next Rajinikanth in Bollywood. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		A bionic pancreas device created In a breakthrough for the global fight against diabetes, a bionic pancreas device has passed the major test to control insulin levels in diabetics. Progress made on a 'bionic pancreas' for diabetics A wearable, experimental device passed a real-world test, constantly monitoring blood sugar and automatically giving insulin or a sugar-boosting drug as needed, doctors said Sunday. New tooth decay treatment spells the end of fillings Scientists are developing a new technique that allows teeth to repair themselves, eliminating the need for drills, injections and filling materials. More Science News»

		Sports
		Germany crush 10-man Portugal 4-0 Thomas Mueller stole the limelight from World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo with a hat-trick in a stunning 4-0 demolition of Portugal at the World Cup. Schumi out of coma, but will he recover? Michael Schumacher has been in coma, induced by doctors using powerful drugs, when he sustained severe brain injuries while skiing in the French Alps. Dempsey, Brooks give US 2-1 win Substitute John Brooks headed an 86th-minute winner as US beat Ghana 2-1 in a World Cup Group G clash, just as the Africans thought they had snatched a draw. More Sports News»

		Technology
		HTC Desire 816 review: Big on features With Desire 816, HTC is perhaps looking at offering a feature-complete, yet affordable, big-screen smartphone. Amazon's 3D phone, last link in colossal enterprise Amazon is expected to introduce a smartphone, a long-rumoured project that aims to close any remaining gap between the impulse to buy and the completed act. Micromax launches Canvas Win Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones The two phones are powered by 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad core processor with 1GB RAM. More Technology News»

		Education
		Teri University under ministry, UGC lens over deemed tag The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked Teri University to submit a detailed report on various allegations labeled against it by an RTI activist. CBSE schools triple as board's popularity grows across India The Central Board of Secondary Education, which was largely designed for those who moved home and could not be loyal to a state board, is picking up popularity across the nation. B-schools have more girls on campus as compared to last year Several B-schools, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), have been increasingly admitting more female candidates to bring about gender diversity on their campuses. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		HC willing to hold daily trial in Syedna suit The Bombay HC on Monday said it is willing to conduct a speedy, day-to-day trial in July in the suit filed by the uncle of Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin to declare the former as head of the Dawoodi Bohras. State forms panels at two levels to deal with hostage crises Nearly a year after a directive from the Centre, the state home department has drafted the standard operating procedure for hostage situations, particularly in case of abduction of government officials or civilians by Naxalites. Chaos over KG level RTE seat in SoBo school Woes over admissions to the 25% seats reserved under the RTE Act are far from over with confusion over entry level admissions being a common problem parents are facing. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Urban development secretary puts 'better Delhi' plans on fast track If the plans discussed at an unprecedented meeting between the Union urban development secretary and heads of government and civic agencies in the capital come to fruition, Delhi would be a city transformed within a few years. E-rickshaws violate motor vehicle rules, crackdown on Delhi government is gearing up to take stringent action against e-rickshaws. It’s planning to come out with a notification making “type approval” mandatory for these vehicles, failing which these will be impounded. Helmets must for women, but Sikhs remain exempt Helmets are going to be mandatory for women. Highly placed sources in the government confirmed that a notification in this regard, which had come out a month ago for objections and suggestions, will be notified this week. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Bangalore-Kanakapura Road to become four-lane Kanakapura road was among the few roads motorists preferred to avoid because of its numerous curves, turning it into a death trap. Encourage scientific temper: Karnataka CM Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday urged citizens to shed superstitious beliefs and develop a scientific temper while announcing a Rs 10-crore grant to the Vision Group on Science and Technology headed by CNR Rao. CM to BBMP: Make realistic budgets Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday took the BBMP to task for its "unrealistic budgets and huge borrowings". More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		AP jails overflowing with red sander smugglers Jails in Rayalaseema are now flooded with red sandalwood smugglers following Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to the police to crack down on the practice. Gas leakage kills two engineers at Vizag Steel Plant Two years after a major blast left 19 dead at state-run Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd's Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, two engineers were killed in the container laboratory of the same Steel Melting Shop-2 (SMS) of the plant here on Monday reportedly due to gas leakage. Double-murder case cracked The South Zone police on Monday cracked the case of the brutal murder of Samina Fatima. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		SC judge offers to recuse from Jayalalithaa case Justice Vikramjit Sen, heading the Supreme Court's lone vacation bench, on Monday offered to recuse from hearing Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's appeal questioning the procedure adopted by a Karnataka trial court in a disproportionate case against her. Chennai boys who topped MBBS counselling best in engineering too It is double delight for two Chennai boys who are at the top of the engineering counselling rank list released on Monday in Anna University. Scaffolding at work site falls killing 5-yr-old girl A five-year-old girl died after a scaffolding fell on her while she was playing with her brother at a construction site for a railway over-bridge at Athipattu near Minjur, 45 km from here, on Sunday. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Man held for molesting minor Vejalpur police caught a 35-year-old man after he was named for molesting a four-year-old girl from the same area in Juhapura on Sunday. Girl alleges rape in Sarkhej, police suspect love affair gone awry A 19-year-old girl from Markarba accused her neighbour of raping her inside her home at knife point on Saturday night. Police suspect that the two were involved and the complaint was filed when the matter came to light. Three robberies in 3 days A transport firm employee was targeted by bike-borne robbers in Maninagar on Monday afternoon as they decamped with a bag containing Rs 3 lakh. This is the third such incident in the past three days in Maninagar. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		No 'father figure' in museum The Allahabad Museum boasts of a treasure trove of artifacts and objects dating back to over 5,000 years. Dozens of these artifacts belong to Mother Goddess, but there is no statue depicting father as an art object. Special train to Mumbai from June 20 In view of passengers’ demand, the railway administration has decided to operate a special train between Allahabad and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai. Monsoon delayed by a week: Weatherman The monsoon this year will be delayed by a week and the pre-monsoon rain will hit the city on June 19 and 20, said the weatherman attributing the development to cyclonic development in the Arabian Sea. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Monsoon delayed, may hit Odisha by Wednesday There will be slight delay in the onset of monsoon.It is now expected to hit Odisha by Wednesday, latest forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday. Two Chilika Fresh non-veg outlets in Bhubaneshwar Seafood lovers can now enjoy fresh fish, shrimp, crab and prawn from Chilika Lake as the state government has decided to set up two 'Chilika Fresh' outlets in the city. Khadi board to brand products Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board has identified two unique handicraft products from every district for marketing and branding. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Nirbhaya fund: Rs 80 crore sought The state government would be asking the Centre to sanction Rs 80 crore under 'Nirbhaya Fund' to set up One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) across Madhya Pradesh. Monsoon at MP border Those who were waiting with bated breath for monsoon have some news to cheer about. Minor raped in Gwalior, accused on the run A 14-year-old girl was raped at her home in Gwalior district on Sunday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		As Badal tries to return to contentious issues, Dal Khalsa reminds him of his forgotten promise of a panel for Punjab The move of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to return to Panthic agenda and taking up contentious issues of Punjab with Prime Minister Narendera Modi and top BJP leaders has also given handle to other Sikh organizations for putting him also in the dock on the similar issues. Protesters stopped from entering politically-active Talwandi Sabo With chief minister Parkash Singh Badal regularly holding 'Sangat Darshans' in the area ahead of assembly bypoll, the police did not want to take any chances. Beas tragedy: Attempts to recover more bodies fail, search to continue Parents and guardians of the missing engineering students from Hyderabad lost all hopes about recovery of bodies on Sunday as even the technologically advanced sonar system could not detect bodies in Beas river. More Chandigarh News»

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