Karnataka HC judge dies of cardiac arrest

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 12 (PTI) Justice V G Sabhahit, senior
judge of Karnataka High Court died here today following a
cardiac arrest, police said.
    The judge, after completing the day's proceedings of the
court, complained of severe chest pain at about 1630 hrs in
his chamber and was rushed to a private heartcare hospital
where the doctors declared him brought dead, they said.
    Justice Sabhahit, born on November 26, 1955, practiced in
the High Court and was appointed as district judge on April
18, 1988.
    He was appointed as additional judge of the High Court in
2000 and was made a permanent Judge the next year.

Hegde against junior officer probing illegal mining complaint

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 12: Former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde
today criticised appointment of a lower-grade Lokayukta
officer to investigate alleged involvement of former chief
ministers S M Krishna, H D Kumaraswamy and Dharam Singh in
illegal mining activities in Karnataka during their tenure.
       "It is unfortunate that a report prepared by a former
Supreme Court judge (Hegde himself) on illegal mining in the
state is being investigated by Lokayukta Deputy Superintendent
of Police among others ... This is not correct," he told
reporters on the sidelines of his felicitation function here.
       The investigation has been entrusted to a team led by S M
Jagadeesh Prasad (Tumkur Lokayukta SP). Other officers are
Chitradurga Lokayukta DySP M R Sannathimmappa and Davangere
Inspector T G Sridhar Shastry.
       On December 8 an FIR was registered against External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna and two other former chief
ministers by Lokayukta Police on a private complaint alleging
that they facilitated illegal mining during their tenure.
       Hegde alleged that the state government does not have the
will to act on his report, which he said would ultimately go
to the Supreme Court, which would decide its probity.
       He referred to action taken by Andhra Pradesh and Goa
against illegal mining in their states, based on his report.
"Sadly the Karnataka government is silent over it. I think
they do not have belief in me or the Lokayukta," he quipped.
       "The government should take action on my report as I have
laboured hard to give shape to it," Hegde said.
       He, however, said it was not mandatory for the government
to accept his report, which had raised a storm after it
indicted former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.
       Hegde said expressing views publicly on issues discussed
in Parliament does not amount to insulting it. "It is the
people's right to speak on any issue debated in Parliament.The
Constitution has given this right under Art 19 (1A). How can
anyone say it is wrong," he asked.
       Hegde expressed happiness over Opposition parties
supporting social activist Anna Hazare's quest to bring a
strong Lokpal Bill in Parliament. "It is a good development,"
he added.

Will not appoint tainted judge as Lokayukta: Bhardwaj

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 12: In the continuing war of words
between him and ruling BJP in Karnataka, Governor H R Bhardwaj
today said he would not ratify appointment of any tainted
judge as Karnataka Lokayukta.
   "Let me make it very clear. I will not appoint any judge
as Lokayukta if he is accused in any case," he told reporters
on the sidelines of a function here.
   Bhardwaj said he had no malice against any judge as he
knew all of them, but "some illegalities" have been found
against Justice S R Bannurmath. "How can I appoint a judge
accused of illegalities? I cannot betray people of the state,"
he said.
   The Governor had rejected Justice Bannurmath's appointment
as Lokayukta after reports came to light of irregularities
committed in allotment of a site in his name
   Bhardwaj said he was in consultation with the government
to appoint an honest and sincere judge as the Lokayukta.
   Last week former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had
charged Bhardwaj with trying to destabilise the government by
recommending former Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde to again head
the anti-corruption body.

Yeddyurappa requests party leaders not to field candidates

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Hassan (Kar), Dec 11: Seeking to ensure unanimous
election of Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda in the December 22
Legislative Council bye-election, his predecessor B S
Yeddyurappa today said he had requested leaders of JD-S and
Congress not to field their candidates in the poll.
   "I have called up JD-S supremo Deve Gowda, state PCC chief
G Parameshwar and opposition leader in the Assembly
Siddaramaiah, requesting them not to field their candidates
and elect Sadananda Gowda unanimously to the Upper House," he
told reporters after visiting the Kodi Mutt here.
   He, however, refused to divulge what the reactions of
these leaders were to his request.
   Siddaramaiah reportedly told Yeddyurappa the Congress High
Command would take decision on the matter and he would abide
by it.
   Yeddyurappa's request came amidst speculation that BJP
rebel leader B Sreeramulu, who has claimed he has 22
legislators with him, would join hands with Congress and JD-S
to defeat his close aide.
   Sadananda Gowda, sworn in Chief Minister in August, is a
Lok Sabha member and has to get elected to the state
legislature within six months to fulfil a Constitutional
requirement.

Sreeramulu, JD-S for defeat of CM in by-polls: Siddaramaiah

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 11: Leader of the Opposition in
Karnataka Assembly and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah
today said JD-S and BJP rebel leaders and Bellary strongman B
Sreeramulu have assured support to the party to defeat Chief
Minister D V Sadnanada Gowda in the December 22 Legislative
Council bye-election.
   "We will do everything possible to defeat Sadananda Gowda
in the election to the Legislative Council... JD-S and
Sreeramulu have assured support to Congress in this regard,"
he told reporters here.
   His statement comes in the wake of internal dissensions in
the ruling BJP with Sreeramulu claiming to enjoy support of 22
BJP legislators, which is enough to bring down the government.
   Siddaramaiah said the government would fall if Gowda loses
the election. "In this possible scenario, Karnataka will
either be under President's rule or go for fresh elections,"
he said.
   He rejected former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's
request to Congress not to field a candidate for the polls,
saying, "We will not change our plans to field our candidate.
We will definitely field a candidate and make serious efforts
to defeat Sadananda Gowda."
   On the party's stand on fight against illegal mining if
Sreeramulu supports Congress to defeat Gowda, he said there is
no question of protecting him. "We will continue our fight
against illegal mining despite Sreeramulu's support,"
Siddaramiah said.
   To another query, he said there was no question of
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's resigning following
the filing of an FIR against him in the Lokayukta court for
his alleged role in dereserving forest land for illegal
mining.
   "The demand for Krishna's resignation is politically
motivated. Former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has denied
his (Krishna's) role in illegal mining.... Demanding Krishna's
resignation is incorrect," Siddaramaiah said.
   He said BJP's recommendation of appointing Justice
Bannurmath for Lokayukta post has raised suspicion over its
intentions.
   The BJP government and Governor H R Bhardwaj are at
loggerheads over appointment of Justice Bannurmath as
Lokayukta as he is facing allegations of securing allotment of
a residential site in judicial layout on a land earmarked for
civic amenities.

Anna Hazare, team to take out rally in city on Dec 17

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 11: Social activist Anna Hazare and
members of his core team will participate in a rally here on
December 17, as part of their demand to "save the Lokayukta
institution in Karnataka."
       Team members Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kiran
Bedi would participate in the rally, which would be part of
many held across Karnataka, said Prithvi Reddy coordinator
of India Against Corruption.
       Former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde and noted Gandhian
H S Doreswamy would lead the rally, Reddy added.
    Public rallies for strengthening Lokayukta would also be
held in Mysore, Gulbarga, Dharwad, Tumukur, Chikballapur and
other important cities of the state, Reddy said.
    The rally will be held days ahead of Hazare's threat to
go on an indefinite fast from December 27 at Ramlila Maidan if
a strong Lokpal bill is not passed in the ongoing Winter
Session of Parliament. 
     Extending support to Anna Hazare's fight to bring in a
strong Lokpal Bill, Senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar told
reporters in Bangalore that the Prime Minister and the entire
bureaucracy should come under the purview of the ombudsman.
   "My party wants the Prime Minister and government
officers to come under the purview of Lokpal," he added.
   The citizens charter and Lokayukta in every state should
also come under the purview of Lokpal, Ananth Kumar said.
   Attacking Congress-led UPA government,the BJP leader
said his party was committed to waging a fight for a strong
Lokpal Bill, both inside and outside Parliament.
   Ananth Kumar also flayed Congress for not participating in
the public debate organised by Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar.
  "Whether the Congress is for corruption or against it?
Whether it is for a strong Lokpal or not? Why it is dithering
and shying away from such democratic process," he asked.
   Ananth Kumar also questioned Sonia Gandhi's silence on
price rise, black money, FDI in retail and corruption.
   "Sonia Gandhi is not just Congress President, but also
Chairperson of UPA and National Advisory Council which guides
the principles of administration. She should speak up. Her
silence on these vital issues lead to suspicion," he said.
   Expressing confidence, Ananth Kumar said Karnataka Chief
Minister D V Sadananda Gowda would win the December 22
election to the Legislative Council.

Anna fighting against Congress: Moily

B D Narayankar



Press Trust of India

Mangalore, Dec 11: Union Minister M Veerappa Moily
today questioned Anna Hazare's intentions behind his one-day
sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, saying it had proved that
his fight was more against Congress than for a strong Lokpal.
   "What is Anna's intention behind going on a one-day fast
at Jantar Mantar? He should explain to the nation. It is clear
he is fighting against Congress party," he told reporters
here.
   The Union Corporate Affairs Minister's remarks came soon
after several political parties, including BJP, the Left and
BJD shared the dais with Hazare and backed Team Anna's key
proposals for a strong Lokpal.
   Moily said his party was committed to pass the Lokpal Bill
and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was making all efforts to
expedite the process.
  "In spite of this, it is difficult to understand why Anna
Hazare went on a one-day fast at Jantar Mantar," he said.
    On the appointment of Lokayukta, Moily said the BJP-ruled
government in Karnataka was 'aping' the Gujarat's Narendra
Modi government which is not serious about filling the vacant
Lokayukta post.
   "The Gujarat government did not appoint Lokayukta for
seven years.... the same path is being followed by the state
government," he said.
   Moily also said the political system in Karnataka would
collapse completely if horse trading continued in state
politics.

NGO names Sreeramulu, Reddy brothers in alleged land scam

 B D Naryankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 9: The National Committee for
Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR), an NGO, today claimed
to have unearthed a land scam involving the Reddy brothers and
former minister B Sreeramulu illegally acquiring about 251
acres of agricultural land in and around Bellary town.
  "Prima facie, we have found serious illegalities and
irregularities committed by Reddy brothers and Sreeramulu in
acquiring agricultural lands in violation of various land
norms including Land Reforms Act in and around Bellary town,"
NCPNR convenor S R Hiremath told reporters here.
  Urging the BJP-ruled state government to take action
against over the Committee's findings, he said they would
approach the Supreme Court over the issue if no action was
taken on the findings within a month.
  NCPNR in its findings charged Sreeramulu, his wife
Bhagyalaxmi, Gali Laxmi Aruna (wife of Janardhan Reddy),
Karunakara Reddy, Vanaja Reddy (wife of Karunakara Reddy),
Somashekhar Reddy, B V Srinivas Reddy and his wife Sarita of
having allegedly used agricultural land for private purpose.
  While Aruna acquired 133 acres of land, Sreeramulu and
Karunakara Reddy acquired 64 and 54 acres of land
respectively, Hiremath alleged.
  "We had moved the Supreme Court to ban illegal mining in
the state. We will do the same if government does not heed to
our demand," Hiremath said, adding he would soon meet Chief
Secretary S V Ranganath in this regard.

Adam Gilchrist backs Sachin Tendulkar to score 100th ton in Australia

B D Naryankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore: Dec 8: Australian cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist on Thursday said that batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has the best chance of scoring his 100th international century in the upcoming India-Australia series.

"Sachin has a very good chance of scoring his 100th ton in the series as he knows Australian conditions well. It is a matter of time he does that," he told reporters.

However, the Australian bowlers would be unhappy to give it away to the Indian master to get his 100th international ton," Gilchrist said.

Asked about calls for Ricky Ponting's retirement, Gilchrist said his last two innings were extremely encouraging and was playing with freedom and skill that the world knows about him.

"I am sure Ponting is feeling good about his game as he works hard on his batting. I think he is looking forward to India's tour to Australia," Gilchrist said.

On India's chances in Australia, Gilchrist said it would an exciting series and both teams were evenly matched.

"Whichever bowling attack dominates opponent batsmen will get gain advantage (of winning the series)," the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman said.

Gilchrist said Australia would miss its strike bowler Mitchell Johnson.

"Definitely it is a loss for us as he has the ability to change the course of a Test match. But at times he is inconsistent," he added.

Gilchrist also said Pat Cummins has had an impressive debut against New Zealand, but how much his nonavailability (against India) would be a cause of worry is difficult to say.

He also lavished praise on rookie Indian pacers Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav.

"Varun and Umesh have impressed me in IPL. They have made a reasonable start to their international career," he said.

On Harbhajan Singh, who would be missed in Australia, Gilchrist said, "Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha have performed well to keep Singh out."

"Racial attack on Indians in Australia are things of the past"

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 8:  The incidents of racial attacks on
Indians in Australia were thing of the past as many Indians
were feeling safe for now, former Australian captain Adam
Gilchrist said here today.
  "Which ever Indian I have spoken to, he has told me he is
feeling safe living in Australia. Nothing has happened in the
recent past," he told reporters at a promotional campaign
of Wollongong University, of which he is the brand ambassador.
  Gilchrist, however, condemned the racial attacks saying
that no Australian could be proud of racial attacks on
Indians. "No foreign students should be received in this
manner," he suggested.
  Gilchrist also said a very thin minority of the Australian
community indulged in racial attacks on Indians.
  He, however, said the environment at Wollongong
University was cordial and safe. "There were no such incidents
at the university campus," Gilchrist said.

K'taka announces steps to give fillip to nanotechnology sector

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 8: Announcing several measures to
give a boost to the nanotechnology sector in Karnataka,
Science and Technology Minister Anand V Asnotikar today said
the government is mulling a policy for promotion of this
rapidly developing field in the state.
    The government is also on the verge of introducing a
policy on animation and gaming to give a boost to the
promising sector, he said, reading out from Chief Minister D V
Sadananda Gowda's speech copy at the Fourth Bangalore Nano
Conference here.
    The government proposes to set up a state-of-the-art Nano
Park near the Bangalore International Airport and an
Expression of Interest has already been invited for
development of the park on a public-private partnership basis,
the minister said.
    "This initiative will give a major fillip to the
nanotechnology sector in the state," Asnotikar said.
    The government is also providing an acre of land for the
establishment of a nanotechnology lab under the Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research on the
neighbouring premises of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural
Energy and Development at Jakkur.
    Moreover, the government has taken up civil works for the
Indian Institute of Nano Science and Technology coming up on
Tumkur Road, Asnotikar said. "We have already alloted 14 acres
on Tumkur Road for setting up the Rs 100 crore institute," he
said.
    The state government is committed to providing enhanced
budgetary support for nano initiatives, such as those of the
Vision Group on Science and Technology, in the coming 2012-13
Budget session, he said. 

'Solve unemployment among armed forces veterans': Governor

B D Narayankar


Press Trust of India

  
Bangalore, Dec 7 (PTI): Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj
today urged both central and state governments to seriously
consider solving unemployment among Armed Forces veterans by
appointing them in departments where discipline is necessary.
  "The central and state governments must seriously consider
employing Armed Forces veterans in departments where there is
a demand for discipline," he said addressing the Armed Forces
Flag Day celebrations organised at the Raj Bhavan here.
   The governments could also utilise their expertise in
disaster management agencies, he said.
   "Supporting these proud men and their families, who have
served the country with dignity and distinction, is our duty,"
Bhardwaj said.
   State Home Minister and Transport Minister R Ashok said
government was considering granting tax exemption to houses
owned by Armed Forces veterans.
   Ashok also said free bus passes would be given to them for
a 10 year period.
   He urged Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to increase
funds allocation for the welfare of Armed Forces veterans.
  Gowda, who posthumously honoured some of the personnel who
had served the country at various points of time, called on
people to contribute for the welfare of Armed Forces veterans.
  Among the most prominent kin of martyrs to be honoured was
Dhanalaxmi Unni Krishnan, mother of late Major Sandeep
Unnikrishnan who was killed fighting terrorists in the 26/11
Mumbai attack.

CM responding well to find spotless judge for Lokayukta: Guv

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj
today said Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda "is responding
well" to find a spotless judge for appointment of Lokayukta,
apparently putting to rest Governor-BJP Government spar over
the issue.
     "The Chief Minister is responding well to appoint a
spotless judge as the new Lokayukta," he told reporters on the
sidelines of Armed Forces Flag Day organised at the Raj Bhavan
here.
    Bhardwaj had last month rejected the recommendation for
appointing former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R
Bannurmath as Lokayukta, alleging he was embroiled in a
controversy.
   Justice Bannurmath is facing allegations of securing
allotment of a residential site in a judicial layout on a land
earmarked for civic amenities.
   Bhardwaj, who has been having an uneasy relationship with
the BJP government ever since he occupied the gubernatorial
post, said he was waiting for the right person to assume
charge of the Lokayukta.
    "I will not take even a minute to ratify the appointment
of a judge as Lokayukta if people of the state and the press
have faith in him," he added.
  He, however, said he was in no hurry to address the issue
as he despised bothering the Chief Minister when the Assembly
session was underway.
    The Lok Ayukta post has been lying vacant for the past
two months after Justice Shivraj Patil quit over a land
controversy with opinion divided between the government and
the Opposition on appointing Bannurmath.
   Patil, a former Supreme Court judge who succeeded Santosh
Hegde in August, had quit over allotment of housing sites to
him and his wife in violation of rules.

OptSustain launched

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7: ITC Infotech, a leading global IT
services and solutions company, today launched its first
indigenously developed sustainability management and reporting
tool "OptSustain".
  OptSustain simplifies the process of sustainability
management in each of the stages of data capture, analysis,
monitoring and reporting, ITC Infotech Managing Director B
Sumant said in a statement.
  OptSustain, with its pre-configured templates based on
national and international reporting standards, will help
users to input and validate data, he said.
  It will also generate actual reports, charts, dashboards,
analysis reports and plans, Sumant added.
  The tool also effectively captures and analyzes carbon
footprint data, both at the enterprise and product level, he
said.
  It also enables managing and reporting on international
frameworks like GRI, UNGC and MDG, while at the same time
adhering to the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs
"Responsible Business" guidelines, Sumant said. 

JDS predicts fall of BJP govt in K'taka

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 6: Claiming that the BJP government in
Karnataka would fall anytime in the wake of the party's
humiliating defeat in the recent Bellary Rural byelection,
JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy today asked party workers to gear
up for Assembly elections.
  "The government will fall anytime and we (JDS) should be
ready to face the election," he told reporters after a meeting
of party leaders.
  Alleging that BJP has launched 'Operation Kamala' to win
over JDS MLAs to save its government, Kumaraswamy said, "No
JDS legislators will fall a prey to this... all our MLAs
are with us."
  BJP suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of former
minister B Sreeramulu, business associate of Bellary strongmen
and mining barons -- G Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara
Reddy, in the recent Assembly byelection which he contested as
an independent.
  Sreeramulu has lambasted the BJP, from which he had
resigned on the eve of the bypoll, for neglecting the
contributions made by him to the party's growth in Bellary
and indicated that he might float a regional party.
  Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had earlier maintained
that the bypoll outcome would not have any impact on the
stability of his government.
  Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister, said his party would
not destabilise the BJP government, but expected it to fall on
its own.
  He said party leaders had been directed to prepare a list
of 100 winnable candidates and send it to party supremo and
his father H D Deve Gowda.
  The meeting also discussed strategies to strengthen the
party at all levels in the state, he said. 

Karnataka govt mulls banning temple ritual

B D Narayankar


Press Trust of India


Bangalore, Dec 6: BJP Government in Karnataka is
mulling a ban on "made snana", an annual religious ritual in
which people roll on left over food consumed by Brahmins to
fulfil vow at a famous temple in the state, in view of
protests by various Dalit outfits against the practice.
  Announcing this, Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy
told reporters here that he had directed the department
officials to submit in next four days a report on the
practice, observed at the famous Kukke Subrahmanya temple
during 'shashti' festivities in Dakshina Kannada district.
  Leaders of various Dalit organisations have been demanding
a ban on "made snana" saying it hurt Dalit sentiments.
  They contend that such customs were increasingly being used
to subjugate Dalits and they were foisted on them in the name
of tradition.
  After getting a detailed report, the government would take
a decision on the matter, Narayanaswamy said.
  More than 2,000 devotees took part in the ritual on the
concluding day of three-day festival held at the temple on
November 30. The ritual is held as part of a vow for
fulfillment of wishes.

Bengaluru International Film Festival from Dec 15

B D Narayankar


Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 5 (PTI) The fourth edition of Bengaluru
International Film Festival (BIFFES) will be held here from
December 15 to 22 to bring the best of world cinema to the
city.
  The first film to be premiered at the festival would be
Kannada film 'Rasarushi', Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy
Chairman and BIFFES Director, T S Nagabharana, told reporters
here today.
  The festival panel was also making all attempts to screen
one of the movies of late Bollywood legend Dev Anand to pay
tribute to him. Dev Anand had died in a London hospital
yesterday.
  The fourth edition of the festival would also, for the
first time, screen political dramas like 'The Battle of
Algiers' (Algerian), 'Z' (French), 'Thaneer Thaneer' (Tamil),
'Lemon Tree' (Hebrew) and others, Nagabharana said.
  As many as 20 Kannada films would be screened during the
festival out of the total of 179 international and world
films, he said.
  Renowned Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui would take
part in the inaugural ceremony and five of his films would be
screened, he said.
  The five films would be 'The Cow', 'The Lodgers', 'Sara',
'The Pear Tree' and 'The Music Man', Nagabharana said.
  "Under the Indian film category, two Kannada films namely
'Sandhyaraaga' and 'Vasantsena' would be screened," he added.
  Selection of the films invited for screening at the
festival was made by an expert committee and prizes would be
awarded by jury panels comprising Indian and International
members, Nagabharana said.
  The fourth edition of BIFFES would feature both competition
and non-competition sections, he said, adding that the former
section has four categories namely World Cinema Award, Asian
Cinema Award, Indian Cinema Award and Kannada Cinema Award.

Censor board official denies producer's charges

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 5: Regional Censor Officer of Central
Board of Film Certification K Nagaraju today dismissed as
'baseless and mischievous' bribery charges levelled against
him by Kannada film producer Madan Patel and said the board
was contemplating a defamation suit.
  "Allegations made by Patel are false, baseless and
mischievous and appears he has done this to get cheap
publicity," he told reporters here.
  "CBFC is contemplating to file a criminal suit against
Patel... our regional office has sought legal opinion in this
regard," he said.
  Patel yesterday levelled allegations against Nagaraju
saying the officer had asked Rs 50,000 bribe for censoring two
songs of his controversial film 'Satyananda' and Rs five lakh
for censoring the entire film.
  He had also alleged there was no problem from Hyderabad and
Chennai censor officers in clearing his film.
  "While a few film makers might have differed with the
rating awarded to the film or cuts recommended, it goes
without saying that every producer have seen the prompt and
honest functioning of the regional office," Nagaraju said.
  The film has courted controversy after self-styled godman
Nithyananda moved the court seeking to stay of the film
apprehending that it was based on some of the aspects of his
life in the wake of rape and other criminal charges against
him.
  The CBFC has sought legal opinion from its chairperson on
two issues - whether CBFC can go ahead with examination and
certification of the promo song while the issue was before the
court and whether it is a case of subjudice, Nagaraju said.

Damani, Mifsud enter knockout stage at World Snooker Championship

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 30:India’s Brijesh Damani registered his third straight win of the tournament to join Australian legend Steve Mifsud and Saleh Mohammad of Afghanistan in the knockout stage of IBSF World Snooker Championship here on Wednesday.

Damani, a late entrant into the championship, did not face any problems in his 4—0 dismantling of New Zealand’s Garry Gillard in a Group L tie.

Damani outplayed the Kiwi cueist, who had lost all his previous three matches, 55—11, 104—16, 85—14, 65—37 to advance to the knockout stage which starts with the round of 32 from tomorrow.

A confident—looking Damani had pulled off wins against Scotland’s Craig Macgillivray (4—3) and Cyprus’ Antonis Poulos (4—1) in his previous two matches.

In another Group K round—robin tie, Mifsud stamped his class when he crushed Ukrainian rival Sergiy Isyenko 4—0 to storm into the knockout stage.

Mifsud was awarded the initial frame when Isyenko arrived late for the match. He won the following three frames 80—1, 62—17 and 67—60.

Mifsud had vanquished his opponents Ali Abd Mohsin of Iraq 4—0 and Mohammed Al Joaker of United Arab Emirates 4—0 in his previous two encounters.

Another cueist who booked his berth in the knockout stage was Afghanistan’s Saleh Mohammad who beat India’s H Manudev 4—2 in an enthralling Group G encounter. He won 73—0, 33—65, 66—18, 83—4, 0—87 and 69—58.

Mohammad won all three previous encounters in the tournament, against Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 4—0, Austria’s Alexander Gauss 4—2 and Russia’s Vladimir Bykov 4—0.

Indian cueist and current national junior champion Lalrina Renthlei lost to Australia’s Joe Minici 2—4. He lost 59—61, 105—8, 64—24, 95—8, 53—65, 115—16.

Lalrina has had a dismal tournament so far, winning just one out of four matches played so far. The lone success he had was against Gregory Kopec when he defeated the French cueist 4—3 in a closely—fought battle yesterday.

Bernard Bernhardsson of Iceland failed to appear for his match and his French opponent, Kopec, was awarded a walkover.

Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif registered a century break while playing against Michael Wild (England). In the last frame he made 111 to outplay the Englishman 4—2 with scorecard reading 91—28, 26—70, 0—95, 65—45, 71—9, 118—9.

Noppon Saengkham of Thailand also registered a break of 140.

 

Day 3 Session I Results:

Farhan Mirza (Sweden) beat Mohd. Al Joaker (UAE) 4—2: 86—19, 08—89, 52—69, 91—26, 62—12, 81—44; Saleh Mohammad (Afghanistan) beat I H Manudev (India) 4—2: 73 (72)—00, 33—65, 66—18, 83—04, 00—87(55), 69—58; Hossein Vafaei Ayouri (Iran) beat Alexander Gauss (Austria) 4—0: 69—14, 75(66)—41, 77(54)—33, 120(120) (15 red with 15 black) Gregory Kopec (France) got a walkover from Bernard Bernhardsson (Iceland) Joe Minici (Australia) beat Lalrina Renthlei (India) 4—2: 59—61, 105(60)—08, 64(60)—24, 95(88)—08, 53—65, 115(92)—16 Fung Kwok Wai (Hong Kong) beat Mohamed Isa Ebrahim Shaikh (Bahrain) 4—0: 62—22, 61(52)—01, 71—61, 105(81)—00; Brijesh Damani (India) beat Gary Gillard (New Zealand) 4—0: 55—11, 104—16, 85—14, 65—37; Noppon Saengkham (Thailand) beat Antonis Poullos (Cyprus) 4—1: 109(08)—140(140)—00, 45—73, 94(75)—27, 75—41; Steve Mifsud (Australia) Sergiy Isayenko (Ukrain) 4—0: First frame awarded for being late, 80(52)—01, 61—17, 67(60)—60; Susantha Boteju (Sri Lanka) beat Ali Jaafar (France) 4—2: 73—33, 71—40, 54—62, 77(61)—11, 25—64, 54—20; Antti Mannila (Finland) beat Yusuke Tanaka (Japan) 4—1: 62—29, 73—13, 35—70, 63—54, 74—14; Mohamed Shehab (UAE) beat Pierre Jordaan (South Africa) 4—1: 32—74, 66(53)—33, 75(75)—18, 77—26, 73—54; Rais Khan Sen Zahi (Afghanistan) beat Karl Heinz Beggel (Germany) 4—2: 57—34, 51—64, 55—69, 74—45, 59—07, 63(57)—12; Muhammad Asif (Pakistan) beat Michael Wild (England) 4—2: 91—28, 26—70(61), 0—95(95), 65—45, 71—09, 118(111)—09.

Merchant in knock-out stage of World Snooker Championshi

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 30: Indian ace Yasin Merchant managed to scrape through to the knock-out stage of the IBSF World Snooker Championship on Wednesday despite a loss to Syria's Omar Alkojah, thanks to his fellow group opponents who fared worse than him. Sweden's Bairaq Al-Urfy's one win placed him in fourth place while Libya's Khaled Elbakosh's winless show placed him in fifth in Group B.
Merchant began his match, winning the first frame 63-49, but lost the next three frames 35-70, 57-70 and 36-76.
Merchant, however, recovered in the fifth and sixth frames, winning with huge margins of 97-9 and 97-29. He failed to maintain the tempo, however, and conceded the deciding frame 14-62.
Merchant must have heaved a sigh of relief to enter the knockout stage, but the competition ahead is tough as he is scheduled to face Alkojah once again.
Alkojah won three out of four matches in his Group B encounters. He not only routed Al-Urfy and Elbakosh, but also Merchant.
Another top Indian cueist, Pankaj Advani, topped the Group D table by registering his fifth consecutive win in the league stage. He vanquished Switzerland's Pascal Camenzind 103-0, 29-72, 102-0, 79-20, 79-8, crafting his second century break (103) of the tournament.
In a Group P tie, another Indian cueist Kamal Chawla beat Switzerland's Stefan Schneider 4-1 to move into the knockout stage. He won 76-22, 56-18, 43-69, 135-12, 76-35.
India's Alok Kumar is virtually through to the next stage even after losing to Scotland's Mark Boyle 1-4 in Group E tie. He lost 82-14, 22-100, 33-69, 7-47, 41-57.
Former champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand also outplayed another Indian star Manan Chandra 4-1. He won 54-64, 67-33, 50-41, 82-29, 133-1, making a break of 125 in the last frame. Un-Nooh is through to the knockout stage after winning all four of his matches so far.
Earlier in the day, India's Brijesh Damani, along with Australian legend Steve Mifsud and Saleh Mohammad of Afghanistan, stormed into the knockout stage.
Damani, a late entrant into the championship, did not face any problems in his 4-0 dismantling of New Zealand's Garry Gillard in a Group L tie.
Damani outplayed the Kiwi cueist, who had lost all his previous three matches, 55-11, 104-16, 85-14, 65-37 to advance to the knockout stage.
In another Group K round robin tie, Mifsud stamped his class when he crushed Ukrainian rival Sergiy Isyenko 4-0 to storm into the knockout stage.
Mifsud was awarded the initial frame 1-0 as Isyenko arrived late for the match. He won the following three frames 80-1, 62-17 and 67-60.
Another cueist who booked his berth in the knockout stage was Saleh Mohammad who beat India's I H Manudev 4-2 in an enthralling Group G encounter. He won 73-0, 33-65, 66-18, 83-4, 0-87 and 69-58.
Current national junior champion Lalrina Renthlei lost to Australia's Joe Minici 2-4. He lost 59-61, 105-8, 64-24, 95-8, 53-65, 115-16.
Frenchman Gregory Kopec was awarded a walkover after his opponent Bernard Bernhardsson of Iceland failed to appear for the match.
Pakistan's Muhammad Asif registered a century break while playing against Michael Wild (England). In the last frame, he made 111 to outplay the Englishman 4-2 with scorecard reading 91-28, 26-70, 0-95, 65-45, 71-9, 118-9.

Advani in World Snooker Championship pre-quarters

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 1: Continuing his winning streak and appearing a cut above others, Indian ace cueist Pankaj Advani scripted a sizzling victory to enter pre-quarterfinals of the IBSF World Snooker Championship at KSBA auditorium on Thursday. The seven-time world champion's 5-0 demolition of Ireland's Mark Tuite would give a much-needed boost to his self-belief, which is a bit low in the event of not being able to win a single international title this year.
Even before the Indian fans could settle down in their seats, Advani powered in a classy 73-24 to win the initial frame 1-0 in the best-of-nine frame encounter against Tuite.
He continued dominating his rival almost putting him out of race with runs of 77-36 and 61-23 in the second and third frames. A break of 61 points in the fourth frame ensured there were no qualms for the former champion. He won the fourth and fifth frames 92-0 and 57-43.
Besides Advani, former champion from Thailand Thepchaiya Un-Nooh defeated Egypt's Mohammad Khairy 5-1 to seal his place in pre-quarters.
Thepchaiya outclassed Khairy 99-0, 77-18, 0-92, 108-40, 70-15, 91-15, rifling in classy breaks of 99, 77, 84 in first, fifth and sixth frames.
Scotland's Craig Macgillivray thrashed Ukraine's Sergiy Isayenko 5-1 and booked a berth in the pre-quarters.
The Ukranian cueist let Craig off the hook in his 55-62, 8-67, 76-18, 17-67, 1-86, 5-100 defeat in a match that seemed one-sided.
Australian cueist Vinnie Calabrese also stormed into the last 16 beating Syria's Karam Fateima 5-0.

Advani in World Snooker Championship semifinals

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 2: Sticking true to his reputation, local lad Pankaj Advani on Friday entered the semifinals of the IBSF World Snooker Championship defeating Belgium's Peter Bullen 6-2. Advani will now play Wales' Lee Walker, who caused a major upset, defeating former world snooker champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand 6-2.
Played in front of fairly packed KSBA auditorium, the quarterfinal got off to a flying start as Advani powered a break of 62 clinching the opening frame 71-7. But he conceded the next frame when his opponent crafted a break of 123.
The third frame followed a similar path but was decided on a superb snooker laid by Bullen. Advani failed to hit the colours on the cushion and as a result it left him out of the contention to claim the frame.
At 1-2, it appeared that Advani was down and out but he engineered a break of 62 in the fourth frame to make it 2-2.
An excellent break of 47 in the fifth frame seemed to rejuvenate Advani and he quickly claimed the hard-fought frame 67-50. The next three frames was all about Advani as the seven-time world champion dominated from the start of each frames.
The ace Indian cueist got off to a perfect start in the sixth frame as he fashioned a break of 63, winning the frame 70-9. Advani won the seventh frame 69-16.
Bullen tried fighting his way back into the game but was unable to get the crucial colours and when Advani constructed a break of 43 in the eighth frame, it was all over for the Belgian cueist.
Iran's Hossein Vafei Ayouri also stormed into the semifinals when he defeated Ireland's Brendan O'Donoghue 6-2.

Merchant loses to O'Donnel in World Snooker Championship

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 29: Ace Indian cueist Yasin Merchant has to wait till Wednesday to book a berth in the knockout stages as he lost to England's Martin O'Donnel on the second day of the IBSF World Snooker Championship.

Merchant, riding high on confidence after defeating Libya's Khaled Elbakosh and Bairaq Al-Urfy of Sweden on Monday, lost to Donnel 3-4 but not before giving him a tough fight in the Group A tie.

The game went like a see-saw and till the last frame it was hard to predict who is going to win the match. Merchant, down 0-2, came back strongly to win the next three frames.

The Mumbaikar conceded the first two frames 12-73 29-56. He trounced the English cueist in the next three frames 66-54 77-1 66-4.

Merchant, however, could not maintain the tempo and lost the next two frames 38-77 24-80. Martin's break of 74 in the deciding frame sealed the fate of Merchant.

The Indian will next face Syria's Omar Alkojah in his bid to qualify for the knockout stages.

Alkojah was beaten by Martin 2-4 in his first encounter on Monday. The Syrian, however, regrouped his resources to beat Sweden's Bairaq Al-Urfy 4-1 in his next match.

In yet another disappointment for Indian fans, Manan Chandra lost to Kevin Van Hove of Belgium 2-4. Chandra lost 14-65 21-71 48-57 77-27 54-66 23-70.

On the first day, Manan had a good match as he tasted victory crushing USA's Ahmed Aly Elsayed 4-0 with scorecard reading 72-28 96-07 100-29 72-49.

Kamal Chawla and Brijesh Damani provided the Indian fans a reason to cheer when they defeated Joris Maas of Netherlands and Craig Macgillivray of Scotland respectively.

Chawla registered his second round robin win by thrashing Maas 4-1 in Group P encounter. He won first two frames 79-15 67-53, but conceded the following frame 55-64.

The Indian hounded the Netherlands cueist out by securing the next two frames 52-47 70-60.

Chawla had registered a four-frame win over Ryan Somaratna of Sri Lanka last evening. He had comfortably won all four frames 80-27 70-5 109-0 72-41.

In another Group L match, Damani beat Craig 4-3 79-47 60-45 3-116 76-10 47-76 50-60 93-00.

In yet another match, Hong Kong's Au Chi Wai beat India's Neeraj Kumar (4-2) 6-62 82-2 5-83(69) 66-30 74-32 121-03.

Brendan O'Donoghue of Ireland comfortably defeated Toh Chee Keong of Singapore 4-0. Australia's Vinnie Calabrese recovered from Monday's defeat and won his match against Germany's Karl Heinz Beggel 4-1.

Pankaj Advani off to a good start in World Snooker Championship

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 28: Ace India cueist Pankaj Advani prevailed 4-0 over Japan's Atshutoshi Inoue in the first round robin match of the IBSF World Snooker Championship on Monday.
The seven-time world champion gave ample proof of his talent as he dominated Inoue from the outset in the Group D tie, winning the initial frame 71-0.
The champion cueist, however, did not stop there as he won the following frames 89-10, 63-4, 76-21 to seal the match in his favour.
Yasin Merchant, who is playing his last tournament, began his campaign in style defeating Libya's Khaled Elabakosh in four straight frames.
The two-time Asian Snooker champion from India faced no problems in overcoming Elabakosh in the best of seven-frame, winning the Group B encounter 81-30, 92-5, 107-19, 85-14.
Merchant struck gold with a break of 90 and 85 points in the third and fourth frames respectively while in the first two frames he scored a break of 42 points each.
In another match of the day, Asian Games bronze medalist Alok Kumar overwhelmed Mongolian Sergelen Batdelger 4-1 in a Group E match.
It was, however, a sad day for reigning national junior snooker champion, Lalrina Renthlei, who went down fighting 2-4 to Bemhard Bernhardsson of Iceland in the Group F encounter.
After conceding the first two frames 54-55 and 40-68, Lalrina bounced back to win the third and fourth 71-47, 64-60 but that did not prove enough as the Icelander won the last two frames 72-27, 69-56.
Ireland's Rodney Goggin registered an emphatic 4-0 win against Andrey Vill from Russia. Other players who won 4-0 in first session were Kevin Van Hove from Belgium, Anuj Uppal (India) and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh ( Thailand).
The first century break of the championship came from Marcin Nitschke ( Poland), who produced 101 in the third frame while playing against Yaser Elsherbiny ( Egypt).
Marcin, however, lost 3-4 in the decider frame. Yaser managed to score a break of 61 in the fifth frame.

Session I results: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thailand) beat Ahmed Aly Elsayed (USA) 4-0; 67-32, 86(55)-21, 73-46, 85-35; Kevin Van Hove (Belgium) beat Misja Van Vonderen (Netherlands) (4-0) 68-07, 70-56(55), 72-12, 89(50)-00; Yasin Merchant (India) beat Khaled Elbakosh ( Libya) 4-0 81-30, 92-05, 107(90)-19, 85-14; Martin O'Donnell (England) beat Omar Alkojah ( Syria) 4-2 11-70, 13-62, 65-48, 111(88)-00, 75(57)-05, 75-25); Rodney Goggins ( Ireland) beat Andrey Vill (Russia) 4-0 74-25, 100-14, 76-25, 104(71)-01; Anuj Uppal (India) beat Bikasem Dabob (Libya) 4-0 68-11, 55-31, 63-03, 69-47; Yaser Elsherbiny (Egypt) beat Marcin Nitschke (Poland) 4-3 76-46, 39-73, 00-137(101), 46-79, 108(61)-23, 55-26, 75-37; Pankaj Advani (India) beat Astutoshi Inoue (Japan) 4-0 71-00, 89-10, 78(56)-04, 76-21; Alok Kumar (India) beat Sergelen Batdelger ( Mongolia) 4-1 52-64, 49-40, 69-20, 88(88)-00, 72(60)-33; Fung Kwok Wai (Hong Kong) beat Gregory Kopec (France) 70-31, 86-20, 66-78, 89(50)-00, 58-56; Mohamed Isa Ebrahim Shaikh ( Bahrain) beat Joe Minici (Australia) 4-2 48-40, 65-32, 68-08, 35-67, 67-78, 74-33; Bernhard Bernhardsson (Iceland) beat Lalrina Renthlei (India) 4-2 55-54, 68-40, 47-71, 60-64, 72-27, 69-56.

Advani faces tough competition at World Snooker C`ship

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 28: Seven-time world champion Pankaj Advani may be the biggest name among the 11 Indians in fray at the IBSF World Snooker Championship here, but it would not be easy for him given his dismal form and the presence of tough challengers such as Yasin Merchant and Alok Kumar.

Advani has been going through the worst phase of his career and has not won a single international title this year.

Advani hopes to erase this statistic with an advantage of playing at his backyard -- the Karnataka State Billiards and Snooker Association (KSBA) where he honed his skills before he attained stardom.

It has been a lucky venue for Advani as he was the runner-up in the Asian Billiards in 2002 and won the IBSF Billiards crown here in 2008.

Even if Advani finds his touch, as he did in 2003, when he won the last edition of the World Snooker Championship in Syria, Merchant would give him a run for his money as he is playing his last tournament and wants to sign off in style.

Merchant, who is competing on a wild card which was handed out to him by the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, has been a two-time Asian Snooker champion.

Merchant, who has been focusing more on his business and family these days, has devoted limited time on the green blaize. Nevertheless, with his experience and lack of power players in the tournament, he may spring a surprise and give tough fight to the opponents.

Advani may have to negotiate with the emergence of Alok Kumar, who has been a record-breaking spree in the last 12 months.

Last November, he became the first Indian to win a pool (8-ball bronze) medal at the Asian Games and in March became the first to annex all the national titles when he lifted the 8-ball pool crown.

The players have been divided into 16 groups and three will qualify from each group for the next stage.

Pankaj Advani to lead Indian charge at world snooker c`ship

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 26: Multiple world snooker title holder and last year`s runner-up Pankaj Advani will lead the Indian charge at the IBSF world men`s snooker championship here from November 28 to December 3.


Advani last brought the snooker crown home in 2003.

The International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) decided to shift the tournament from Bahrain to Bangalore due to prolonged crisis in some parts of Middle East Asia.





IBSF Board Member and tournament Director Barrie Jones told reporters here that the round-robin matches would be held till Nov 30 followed by both quarterfinals and semifinals from Dec 2 and the final on December 3.

As many as 42 countries including India, Thailand, England, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland will take part in the tournament, the highest number for any international championship in this discipline, he said.

Indians Damandeep Singh and Balaji Reddy would be in the fray after two Qatari players declared their unavailability citing visa problems, Jones said.

A total of 87 cueists have been divided into 16 groups. The winner will get 40 per cent of the total prize money of USD 16000 with a trophy, certificate and medal. The runner-up and second runner-up would receive 20 per cent and 12.5 per cent of the total prize amount, he said.

Jones said financial constraints are a stumbling block to increase the number of world class tournaments. "If we get sponsorships, we hope to have more tournaments," he said.

Dechawat Poomjaeng of Thailand won last year`s world snooker championship in Syria.

Sachin has best chance for 100th ton in Aus: Gilly

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 8: Australian cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist on Thursday said that batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has the best chance of scoring his 100th international century in the upcoming India-Australia series.
"Sachin has a very good chance of scoring his 100th ton in the series as he knows Australian conditions well. It is a matter of time he does that," he told reporters here.

"However, the Australian bowlers would be unhappy to give it away to the Indian master to get his 100th international ton," Gilchrist said.
Asked about calls for Ricky Ponting's retirement, Gilchrist said his last two innings were extremely encouraging and was playing with freedom and skill that the world knows about him.
"I am sure Ponting is feeling good about his game as he works hard on his batting. I think he is looking forward to India's tour to Australia," Gilchrist said.
On India's chances in Australia, Gilchrist said it would an exciting series and both teams were evenly matched.
"Whichever bowling attack dominates opponent batsmen will get gain advantage (of winning the series)," the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman said.
Gilchrist said Australia would miss its strike bowler Mitchell Johnson.
"Definitely it is a loss for us as he has the ability to change the course of a Test match. But at times he is inconsistent," he added.
Gilchrist also said Pat Cummins has had an impressive debut against New Zealand, but how much his nonavailability (against India) would be a cause of worry is difficult to say.
He also lavished praise on rookie Indian pacers Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav.
"Varun and Umesh have impressed me in IPL. They have made a reasonable start to their international career," he said.
On Harbhajan Singh, who would be missed in Australia, Gilchrist said, "Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha have performed well to keep Singh out." 

"Racial attack on Indians in Australia are things of the past"

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 8: The incidents of racial attacks on
Indians in Australia were thing of the past as many Indians
were feeling safe for now, former Australian captain Adam
Gilchrist said here today.
  "Which ever Indian I have spoken to, he has told me he is
feeling safe living in Australia. Nothing has happened in the
recent past," he told reporters at a promotional campaign
of Wollongong University, of which he is the brand ambassador.
  Gilchrist, however, condemned the racial attacks saying
that no Australian could be proud of racial attacks on
Indians. "No foreign students should be received in this
manner," he suggested.
  Gilchrist also said a very thin minority of the Australian
community indulged in racial attacks on Indians.
  He, however, said the environment at Wollongong
University was cordial and safe. "There were no such incidents
at the university campus," Gilchrist said.

K'taka announces steps to give fillip to nanotechnology sector

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 8: Announcing several measures to
give a boost to the nanotechnology sector in Karnataka,
Science and Technology Minister Anand V Asnotikar today said
the government is mulling a policy for promotion of this
rapidly developing field in the state.
    The government is also on the verge of introducing a
policy on animation and gaming to give a boost to the
promising sector, he said, reading out from Chief Minister D V
Sadananda Gowda's speech copy at the Fourth Bangalore Nano
Conference here.
    The government proposes to set up a state-of-the-art Nano
Park near the Bangalore International Airport and an
Expression of Interest has already been invited for
development of the park on a public-private partnership basis,
the minister said.
    "This initiative will give a major fillip to the
nanotechnology sector in the state," Asnotikar said.
    The government is also providing an acre of land for the
establishment of a nanotechnology lab under the Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research on the
neighbouring premises of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural
Energy and Development at Jakkur.
    Moreover, the government has taken up civil works for the
Indian Institute of Nano Science and Technology coming up on
Tumkur Road, Asnotikar said. "We have already alloted 14 acres
on Tumkur Road for setting up the Rs 100 crore institute," he
said.
    The state government is committed to providing enhanced
budgetary support for nano initiatives, such as those of the
Vision Group on Science and Technology, in the coming 2012-13
Budget session, he said.

Solve unemployment among armed forces veterans: Governor

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj
today urged both central and state governments to seriously
consider solving unemployment among Armed Forces veterans by
appointing them in departments where discipline is necessary.
  "The central and state governments must seriously consider
employing Armed Forces veterans in departments where there is
a demand for discipline," he said addressing the Armed Forces
Flag Day celebrations organised at the Raj Bhavan here.
   The governments could also utilise their expertise in
disaster management agencies, he said.
   "Supporting these proud men and their families, who have
served the country with dignity and distinction, is our duty,"
Bhardwaj said.
   State Home Minister and Transport Minister R Ashok said
government was considering granting tax exemption to houses
owned by Armed Forces veterans.
   Ashok also said free bus passes would be given to them for
a 10 year period.
   He urged Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to increase
funds allocation for the welfare of Armed Forces veterans.
  Gowda, who posthumously honoured some of the personnel who
had served the country at various points of time, called on
people to contribute for the welfare of Armed Forces veterans.
  Among the most prominent kin of martyrs to be honoured was
Dhanalaxmi Unni Krishnan, mother of late Major Sandeep
Unnikrishnan who was killed fighting terrorists in the 26/11
Mumbai attack.
 

CM responding well to find spotless judge for Lokayukta: Guv

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7 (PTI) Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj
today said Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda "is responding
well" to find a spotless judge for appointment of Lokayukta,
apparently putting to rest Governor-BJP government spar over
the issue.
    "The Chief Minister is responding well to appoint a
spotless judge as the new Lokayukta," he told reporters on the
sidelines of Armed Forces Flag Day organised at the Raj Bhavan
here.
    Bhardwaj had last month rejected the recommendation for
appointing former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R
Bannurmath as Lokayukta, alleging he was embroiled in a
controversy.
    Justice Bannurmath is facing allegations of securing
allotment of a residential site in a judicial layout on a land
earmarked for civic amenities.
   Bhardwaj, who has been having an uneasy relationship with
the BJP government ever since he occupied the gubernatorial
post, said he was waiting for the right person to assume
charge of the Lokayukta.
    "I will not take even a minute to ratify the appointment
of a judge as Lokayukta if people of the state and the press
have faith in him," he added.
    He, however, said he was in no hurry to address the issue
as he despised bothering the Chief Minister when the Assembly
session was underway.
    The Lok Ayukta post has been lying vacant for the past
two months after Justice Shivraj Patil quit over a land
controversy with opinion divided between the government and
the Opposition on appointing Bannurmath.
    Patil, a former Supreme Court judge who succeeded Santosh
Hegde in August, had quit over allotment of housing sites to
him and his wife in violation of rules.
 

Construction of a new manufacturing facility commences

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7: Rolls-Royce and Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL) here today commenced construction of
a new manufacturing facility.
  The state-of-the-art facility is owned by International
Aerospace Manufacturing Private Limited (IAMPL), a Joint
Venture between HAL and Rolls-Royce, formed in 2010.
  The facility will produce components for the
technologically advanced Trent family of civil aero-engines
and a number of marine and energy gas turbines, HAL Chairman P
V Deshmukh said in a statement.
  Located near the HAL airport, the facility will start
production in 2012, he added.
  IAMPL will incorporate the latest Rolls-Royce manufacturing
techniques and will create job opportunities for highly
skilled technicians and engineers in India, Deshmukh said.
  Rolls-Royce President (India) Anil Shrikhande said his
company plans to develop IAMPL as a centre of excellence with
the latest manufacturing techniques and training programmes.
  IAMPL furthers company's common ob-jective of enhancing
high value-added manufacturing in India and will also
contribute to the country’s growing aerospace and technology
industry, he added.
 

OptSustain launched

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 7:  ITC Infotech, a leading global IT
services and solutions company, today launched its first
indigenously developed sustainability management and reporting
tool "OptSustain".
  OptSustain simplifies the process of sustainability
management in each of the stages of data capture, analysis,
monitoring and reporting, ITC Infotech Managing Director B
Sumant said in a statement.
  OptSustain, with its pre-configured templates based on
national and international reporting standards, will help
users to input and validate data, he said.
  It will also generate actual reports, charts, dashboards,
analysis reports and plans, Sumant added.
  The tool also effectively captures and analyzes carbon
footprint data, both at the enterprise and product level, he
said.
  It also enables managing and reporting on international
frameworks like GRI, UNGC and MDG, while at the same time
adhering to the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs
"Responsible Business" guidelines, Sumant said.
 

JDS predicts fall of BJP govt in K'taka

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Dec 6: Claiming that the BJP government in
Karnataka would fall anytime in the wake of the party's
humiliating defeat in the recent Bellary Rural byelection,
JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy today asked party workers to gear
up for Assembly elections.
  "The government will fall anytime and we (JDS) should be
ready to face the election," he told reporters after a meeting
of party leaders.
  Alleging that BJP has launched 'Operation Kamala' to win
over JDS MLAs to save its government, Kumaraswamy said, "No
JDS legislators will fall a prey to this... all our MLAs
are with us."
  BJP suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of former
minister B Sreeramulu, business associate of Bellary strongmen
and mining barons -- G Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara
Reddy, in the recent Assembly byelection which he contested as
an independent.
  Sreeramulu has lambasted the BJP, from which he had
resigned on the eve of the bypoll, for neglecting the
contributions made by him to the party's growth in Bellary
and indicated that he might float a regional party.
  Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had earlier maintained
that the bypoll outcome would not have any impact on the
stability of his government.
  Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister, said his party would
not destabilise the BJP government, but expected it to fall on
its own.
  He said party leaders had been directed to prepare a list
of 100 winnable candidates and send it to party supremo and
his father H D Deve Gowda.
  The meeting also discussed strategies to strengthen the
party at all levels in the state, he said.

Karnataka govt mulls banning temple ritual

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

 Bangalore, Dec 6: BJP Government in Karnataka is
mulling a ban on "made snana", an annual religious ritual in
which people roll on left over food consumed by Brahmins to
fulfil vow at a famous temple in the state, in view of
protests by various Dalit outfits against the practice.
  Announcing this, Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy
told reporters here that he had directed the department
officials to submit in next four days a report on the
practice, observed at the famous Kukke Subrahmanya temple
during 'shashti' festivities in Dakshina Kannada district.
  Leaders of various Dalit organisations have been demanding
a ban on "made snana" saying it hurt Dalit sentiments.
  They contend that such customs were increasingly being used
to subjugate Dalits and they were foisted on them in the name
of tradition.
  After getting a detailed report, the government would take
a decision on the matter, Narayanaswamy said.
  More than 2,000 devotees took part in the ritual on the
concluding day of three-day festival held at the temple on
November 30. The ritual is held as part of a vow for
fulfillment of wishes.
 

Bengaluru International Film Festival from Dec 15

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

 Bangalore, Dec 5: The fourth edition of Bengaluru
International Film Festival (BIFFES) will be held here from
December 15 to 22 to bring the best of world cinema to the
city.
  The first film to be premiered at the festival would be
Kannada film 'Rasarushi', Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy
Chairman and BIFFES Director, T S Nagabharana, told reporters
here today.
  The festival panel was also making all attempts to screen
one of the movies of late Bollywood legend Dev Anand to pay
tribute to him. Dev Anand had died in a London hospital
yesterday.
  The fourth edition of the festival would also, for the
first time, screen political dramas like 'The Battle of
Algiers' (Algerian), 'Z' (French), 'Thaneer Thaneer' (Tamil),
'Lemon Tree' (Hebrew) and others, Nagabharana said.
  As many as 20 Kannada films would be screened during the
festival out of the total of 179 international and world
films, he said.
  Renowned Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui would take
part in the inaugural ceremony and five of his films would be
screened, he said.
  The five films would be 'The Cow', 'The Lodgers', 'Sara',
'The Pear Tree' and 'The Music Man', Nagabharana said.
  "Under the Indian film category, two Kannada films namely
'Sandhyaraaga' and 'Vasantsena' would be screened," he added.
  Selection of the films invited for screening at the
festival was made by an expert committee and prizes would be
awarded by jury panels comprising Indian and International
members, Nagabharana said.
  The fourth edition of BIFFES would feature both competition
and non-competition sections, he said, adding that the former
section has four categories namely World Cinema Award, Asian
Cinema Award, Indian Cinema Award and Kannada Cinema Award.