Pvt engg colleges seek fee hike

HYDERABAD:
Private engineering collegeson Wednesday sought increase in the convener quota fee by Rs 23,000 from the new academic year. They put
forth their demand at a meeting convened by the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC). Representatives of over 60 colleges participated in the meeting.

Private college managements have also asked for increase in the management quota fee from Rs 91,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh from the new academic year.

This was the final representation from the Consortium of Private Engineering Colleges Managements Association. In the past one month, individual colleges had submitted proposals on fee increase along with their audited accounts.

The demands of the colleges had ranged from Rs 40,000 to Rs 75,000 for convener quota and Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh in management quota.

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After Sania, Sachin `issued' ration card!

 NELLORE: If Sania Mirza can be `issued' a ration card, why can't the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar get one too! In what is a classic case of
rank official apathy, two ration cards bearing Sachin Tendulkar's name and photographs were found during the exercise to weed out bogus ration cards here on Wednesday.

Both the cards were issued in Nellore town, with details such as father's name, family members, missing. The two cards were part of the 6,000 ration cards which were found to be bogus. Ironically, some cards were `issued' in the name of buildings and some to streets.

In all, two lakh ration cards were verified by officials after the district administration went into an overdrive to weed out fake cards.

Drop-boxes and a toll-free helpline have been set up to receive as many complaints as possible from the public on bogus cards. Officials said ten days' time has been given to the people to disclose the details voluntarily. "After that, we will conduct random raids, seize the bogus cards and book cases against the card holders," a senior official warned. According to official sources, there are 6,94,985 white ration cards in the district and amongst them, nearly one lakh cards are suspected to be bogus.


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Homosexuality no crime

NEW DELHI:

In a historic judgement, the Delhi High Court
on Thursday decriminalized homosexuality by reading down section 377 of the Indian
HC decriminalises homosexuality
Gay activists celebrate after the Delhi High Court decriminalised homosexuality by striking down section 377 of the IPC, outside the court in New Delhi.

The Section 377 of the IPC as far as it criminalizes gay sex among consenting adults is violation of fundamental rights, said the high court. However, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalizes homosexuality, will continue for non-consensual and non-vaginal sex.

Love-bites don't lie, Deepika !

The actress who has returned to badminton and yoga with a vengeance, has lost five kilos. And, as she stands before you in a short green dress, she looks dishy. “Dishy is such a sexy word,’’ she smiles, her brown eyes lighting up like beacons on a cloudy monsoon day.

The actress has just wrapped up a rom-com with Saif Ali Khan, 39, and is actually packing her suitcases again for a 50-day schedule of Sajid Nadiadwala’s Houseful in London. “This will be my first full-on comedy film,’’ she says. “And I’m a bit excited and nervous.’’

Her co-star is Akshay Kumar, 42, and when you ask Deepika why she chooses men almost double her age to team up with, the 23-year-old says, “I don’t sign a film looking at the hero’s age.’’ She adds, “The script of a film has to turn me on. There are films that I have rejected that other actresses have accepted and vice versa.’’

Factors like money, too, don’t count for this gorgeous girl who is in a happy place in her career, simply because she’s not avaricious. Deepika who saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai when she was in Class 6, still says bagging Om Shanti Om with Shah Rukh Khan, 44, remains one of the best moments in her life.

And, though there are legions of fans who wish to see her team up with her real-life sweetheart Ranbir Kapoor, the actress says there is no project on the anvil with the two of them.

Currently, if there is one dark cloud that she is worried about, it’s the fact that she will have to spend 50 days away from Mumbai. “I get homesick when I’m away for long spells,’’ says the leggy lass. We’re guessing she misses two staple things in her life when she’s away — Ranbir and her favourite South Indian dish, rasam. Ummm...

Petrol price hiked by Rs 4, diesel by Rs 2

Government has hiked the petrol prices by Rs 4 per litre and diesel by Rs 2 per litre to cut losses of oil companies in view of rising international crude.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora discussed the necessity of raising fuel prices with party leaders and he is also reported to have sounded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] on the issue, sources close to the development said.

Public sector oil companies have seen losses on fuel sale widening to about Rs 170 crore (Rs 1.7 billion) per day on firming global oil prices and may end the fiscal with over Rs 49,000 crore (Rs 490 billion) in revenue loss.

Indian Oil , Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have seen losses on sale of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene inflating from Rs 130 crore (Rs 1.3 billion) to about Rs 170 crore (Rs 1.7 billion) per day, an industry official said.

The hike would come into effect from midnight.

The ministry, however, clarified that there was no change in the prices of kerosene and LPG.

Move to make AP slum-free by 2014

HYDERABAD:

Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy at a review meeting of the department of municipal administration on Sunday said that the
government would soon take up an ambitious and comprehensive plan to make Andhra Pradesh slum-free by 2014.

Reviewing the progress of the works under various urban development
schemes, the chief minister said the government would lay special emphasis on implementation of integrated housing and slum development programme (IHSDP), a centrally-sponsored scheme, under which integrated slum development including drinking water supply and sewerage management, housing, development of roads and solid waste management programme would be taken up.

The CM said that the Centre has so far sanctioned 268 projects to the state with an estimate of Rs 12,523.70 crore. YSR directed the officials to focus on the development of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation as futuristic metropolitan city. He said a decision would be taken on the Metro rail project soon. The CM said that 10 tmc of Godavari water will be brought from Pranahita Chevella at a cost of Rs 3,375 crore. He said the project named Moulana Abul Kalam Hyderabad Sujala Sravanthi has been sent for centre's approval under the JNNURM and it would be implemented within 30 months.

Congress MP slaps bank manager

HYDERABAD:

Congress MP from Nagarkurnool in Andhra Pradesh M Jagannath on Tuesday found himself in a spot after he allegedly slapped a bank
manager in Mahabubnagar district, following which the bank union threatened to step up its protests.

Jagannath allegedly slapped Ravinder Reddy, manager of a local branch of Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank, for not releasing the loan amount to SC/ST beneficiaries for the last six months at Uppununtala in the district, official sources said.

The MP alleged that the manager gave an improper reply when he called him up during a meeting of the mandal officials and public representatives to find out the reasons for not distributing the loans to the SC/ST beneficiaries.

Dissatisfied over the manager's reply, Jagannath headed to the bank from the mandal committee meeting and in the argument that followed, Jagannath allegedly slapped Reddy.

IcfaiTech leaves 1,200 students in the lurch

HYDERABAD: It is finally curtains for IcfaiTech, Hyderabad. The authorities on Monday served notices on the remaining B.Tech students to pack up

and leave. This has come as a final blow to the 1,200 students who had earlier filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking recognition of their degree on humanitarian grounds after the UGC had termed the degree issued by the Hyderabad campus as illegal.

Icfai has a university
in Dehradun and another in Agartala, Tripura. According to sources, the degrees awarded by the campuses at Dehradun and Agartala are recognised by the UGC. “After discovering that Icfai was enrolling students at the Hyderabad campus and then awarding them degrees from either Dehradun or Agartala, the UGC described this practice as illegal,” said sources.

Maytas may get more time

Hyderabad
June 30: The state government has decided to give some more time to the beleaguered Maytas Infra to achieve financial closure for the Hyderabad Metro Rail project. On the last day to achieve financial closure, Maytas Infra management submitted a letter to the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, telling him that it was talking to several financial institutions to finalise the closure and needs more time.

Though the Chief Minister has not formally responded, it is learnt that government has decided to give some more time to the company, a twin of the scam-tainted Satyam.

Gilly reveals DC’s success mantra

JOHANNESBURG

May 25: Whoever writes the scripts for Adam Gilchrist? The final on Sunday was personally not the best for the Deccan Chargers but the enviable leader that he is, the Australian put the failure with the bat quickly aside when he took the field. The heat and passion of the body language of the Chargers could be felt a good hundred yards away.

If Gilchrist was the tactical captain for the night, Andrew Symonds was the adrenaline leader. Throwing himself around like a kid in a water park, the positive energy from Symonds literally rubbed off on each of his mates. The Chargers did not just defend 143, their effort on the field was an assertion of intent. They deserved to win.

Afterwards, Gilchrist said he was surprised to see a match winner like Symonds being left out of the Ashes squad. “I was surprised. But it is not my job to pick the team for Australia. Symonds is that sort of a player — he has been such a team man and he gets the great spirit in the team.

“We saw a little glimpse of that in the last season of the IPL where he got just four games and what he added there. The respect he got from the international and Indian players and is huge. He became an instant favourite when he joined the squad this time. He is a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field. He can turn matches,” said Gilchrist.

For a player who has taken to the big stage with fondness, the IPL final was a rare one. No shame here as he was outfoxed by another legend who did not have his team-mates backing his extraordinary commitment in crunch games. Gilchrist paid a rich tribute to Anil Kumble and also noted that it was difficult for him to pick between Australia’s World Cup wins and the victory on Sunday.

“It is no surprise that a guy like Anil Kumble comes up with a standout performance in this tournament. His leadership from the outside, both in this competition and when he was leading the national team, he looks to me like a natural leader... a guy who defends everyone, makes them feel comfortable and part of the set up. So no surprise that the team did well under his guidance,” he said.

Praja Rajyam opts for rising sun sign

Hyderabad

June 30: The Praja Rajyam has requested the Election Commission to allocate the rising sun as the new symbol for the party. Majority of the party leaders agreed to the new symbol as the party did not want to contest the forthcoming elections, including the GHMC polls, with the “unlucky” rail engine symbol.

The Praja Rajyam said the party would consider the “umbrella” symbol if the rising sun is not allotted on technical grounds. The rising sun symbol is already allotted to the DMK, in Tamil Nadu. The DMK had reportedly objected to the proposal when Mr Chiranjeevi launched his party in Tirupati and used the rising sun as its symbol.

The PR is hopeful of getting the symbol since the PR and the DMK contest in different states. According to party sources, the Election Commission has the power to allocate the same symbol if the regional parties function in different states. For example, the Cycle is a symbol for both the Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh and the Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh.

“We want to contest the elections with a new symbol. I hope the Election Commission will consider our request for the rising sun since the PR was recognised as a regional party polling 19 per cent of the votes in the general elections,” Mr Chiranjeevi said. The PR has decided to launch an agitation against co-operative farming and construction of Babli project in Maharashtra. The party has asked the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to intervene in the issue to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh.

“The state government has failed to handle the issue properly. That is why Maharashtra has violated rules and constructed several projects,” Mr Chiranjeevi said.

The party extended moral support to the agitation of the Telugu Desam MLA, Mr Rama Rao, who is seeking withdrawal of CID inquiry on alleged charges of rape and murder of a college student.