Friday, February 26, 2010

Guwahati International Film Festival

Buoyed by the success last year , the Cine Arts Society , Assam (Cine ASA) organized the 2ND Cine ASA Guwahati International Film Festival recently. Famous Sri Lankan Director Prasanna Vithanage’s film ‘ Akasa Kusum’ was the inaugural film of the festival and many more of his famous films were screened.. The Festival featured a restrospective of films by noted Spanish Director, Pedro Almodovar. The Tribute section of the festival featured films by Soth Korean director, Kim Ki Duk. Many other acclaimed contemporary films from Asian as well as European countries, particularly French and Romanian , were screened . National award Indian feature films were also part of the festival. A seminar titled “ Future roadmap for films in NE India ‘ was also held in the sidelines of the Festival and was attended by eminent actors , directors , journalists and film critics.

Lamenting the absence of an environment that promotes good films, eminent filmmaker Jahnu Barua said that the best of cinema was not reaching the public.

“I do not know the exact reasons but the best of films are not reaching the people… we probably lack an enabling environment that inculcates a taste for good cinema among the people. We are not communicating with the people to make them see good films,” Barua said while addressing the concluding function of the 2nd CineASA Guwahati International Film Festival-2010 .

Bemoaning the neglect suffered by a powerful medium like cinema, Baruah said that the filmmakers in Assam and the North-East were doing a good job despite being plagued by constraints.

“A good filmmaker puts his best into his film and wants people to see it but that is not happening here… People are not realising how much they are losing by missing good cinema,” he said, adding that all concerned needed to do something to reverse the trend.

Barua also felt that notwithstanding the boom in the number of films across the country, the big question was “whether we are checking the quality” in making the correct choices for viewing.

“But despite the setback faced by good cinema we should be perseverant,” he said and added that film festivals were a welcome sign as they place a number of above-average films on a single platform for public viewing. “This process must be carried further,” he said.

Noted cinematographer from Mumbai Mazhar Kamran termed cinema as ‘literature in visuals’, saying that its purpose extended beyond mere entertainment and profit-making. “It relates to the viewer directly and is a reflection of our lives and times. Its language is universal, and therefore, can bridge boundaries,” he said. His well-received film ‘Mohandas’ was screened in the Festival.


The winners of the short film contest for upcoming filmmakers of the North-East were also announced at the function. While Taste of Hilsa directed by N Langsa won the award for the best director, Eye of an Eye by Chaoba Thyem got the best film award. Smile by Kashyap Barbora bagged the special jury mention award.

Noted filmmaker Gautam Bora who was one of the judges for the short film contest, lauded the young filmmakers for their sincerity and expertise in highlighting some of the burning issues in a poignant manner.

M Maniram, whose film ‘Mon Jai’ won the Rajat Kamal award in the National Film Awards , was also felicitated at the function.

Bringing Myanmar closer

An Imphal based NGO namely Indo-Myanmar Fraternal Alliance( IMFA) has decided to take tourists from NE to tour Myanmar from Moreh in coming March. IMFA President, R.K.Shivachandra said that such a tour is materialising after a hiatus of six odd years due to lifting of travel restrictions from the Manipur -Myanmar border by the Junta Govt. According to Shivachandra, the IMFA is organising this trip in collaboration with Diamond Palace Tourism Company of Myanmar.Shivchandra informed that 70 people from Manipur and Nagaland have already booked for this package tour. "Meities have their own blood and brothers in Myanmar. The same holds true for the Nagas. We appeal to the people of Assam to also join us as Tai Ahoms have very close links with the Shans. Mediapersons can come too but they have to book themselves as tourists, else they will not be allowed to travel inside Myanmar.In all we are expecting around 200-250 members to register for this trip.'', he said.
" The trip will start from Imphal and move through Tamu , Kalewa and Monywa in Myanmar to Mandalay. This will be a 7 day trip. With all fooding , 3star Hotel boarding , cruises and entertainment included it will cost Rs. 12,000 per head. But if there is wish and demand then from Mandalay we can arrange a day long trip to Psipaw(250 kms away from Mandalay), the place of the Shans for our Assamese brothers." "This initial tour will be a sort of root-tracing trip. We can explore so many other routes in Myanmar in future reaching right upto Yunnan in China. Touring with us from Imphal will be a much cheaper option than going by any other route." " Strong friendship and trade and economic relation can foster between NE India and Myanmar and neighboring countries like Thailand and Yunnan in China through people to people movement , understanding and collaboration. Opening of border tourism will pave the way for this understanding.", he said.
IMFA has also appealed to the Manipur Govt to allow Buddhist tourists from Myanmar and other SE Asian countries headed for Bodh Gaya in Bihar to come by Moreh-Imphal then take the land route via Assam for their destination. "We are not saying this but huge pressure is actually being applied from the Buddhists from the neighboring countries to make this a reality. Coutries like Myanmar are not exactly rich and it costs a religious tourist to Bodh Gaya around Rs45,000 for air travel via Kolkata. The same will come down to Rs 15,000 through Imphal. The affordability will also increase the volume of tourists hugely.'', said the President.
IMFA has also appealed to allow patients from bordering Myanmar like Tamu to undergo their treatment in Imphal which is at a distance of 100 kms, rather than moving to Mandalay around 500kms away. " This will not only be convenient but will also bolster friendship and ties.", said Shivachandra.
The IMFA was formed in 2003.

Telecom boost

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 250 crore for laying down an 800km optical fibre cable line in Assam to provide high-speed connectivity in the telecom sector.

This was announced by Union minister of state for communications and technology Sachin Pilot in Guwahati on 2nd February after holding a review meeting on the activities of information technology departments, rural telephony and quality of services in the Northeast.

The optical fibre cable network will be laid down by BSNL. “The Centre will provide all help to boost connectivity in Assam and the Northeast and this is the first step in that direction,” Pilot said, adding that efforts were on to make the region an investment hub for telecom sector.

Optical fibre cables have found wide application in long distance communication networks and have several advantages over copper-based cables like that of larger bandwidth.

Pilot said the Centre’s plan was not limited to providing best telecom facilities to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. It included providing services to rural India and regions like the Northeast where the teledensity is still very low as compared to big towns and cities.

In the coming year the BSNL will set up 843 mobile towers in the Northeast to deliver high quality telephone and broadband services to its remotest parts, he said. 40,000 new broadband connections will be provided. The planned fund outlay for this expansion is around Rs 384 crores. The number of telephone subscibers is expected to grow from 28.15 lakhs in December'09 to 32 lakhs by end of next financial year.

Pilot launched WiMax, BSNL’s high-speed wireless data services, at Chaygaon in Kamrup district to provide high-speed connectivity in the rural areas. High-speed Internet services will be available in an area of 15km with the launch of WiMax.

He said special emphasis had been laid on providing communication facilities in the border areas and those affected by insurgency.

Pilot also urged all BSNL staff and employees to remember their social obligation and maintain high quality of service.

On the same day Pilot visited Itanagar and announced a bonanza to spruce up telecommunication along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh to facilitate better co-ordination among the security forces manning the frontier.

“I am assuring 50 digital satellite phone terminals (DSPT) to the Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol (ITBP) jawans manning the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Our army and intelligence are faced with lack of proper telecommunication facilities in border areas. Altogether 245 mobile towers will be set up along the Indo-China border soon,” Pilot told in Itanagar.

He said the focus of the communication and IT ministry was to connect all urban and rural centres of the Northeast, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, with modern telecommunication within two to three years.

Pilot said his ministry would ensure that the fruits of telecommunication reach every nook and corner of the region, especially the border states.

A software technology park and an IT hub, which is one among the 51 hubs slated to come up in the country, is in the offing in the state and the Arunachal Pradesh government has promised to allot land for it, he added.

While tele-density is desired in urban areas, the ministry has also chalked out a road map to reach out to the rural areas, which are yet to be well connected through telephone and Internet facilities, within a span of two to three years.

Arunachal Pradesh has 1.72 lakh mobile subscribers and another lakh will be added to the number in 2011. Under a Union government scheme, eight of the total 299 post offices will be digitised in the state, he added.

Pilot said 140 jobs had been created for the Northeast circle of post office, and villages with a minimum population of 50 will be connected with broadband facilities soon.

Miss Mega North East

The 8th edition of the biggest and the most sought after beauty pageant of the NE, The Mega Miss North East, was held recently at the cultural hub of Guwahati , the Shilpagram . Since 2003 , the Mega Miss North East pageant has taken the region by storm. It has not only showcased the best beauties of the NE but has also highlighted that it is not physical beauty alone that matters but a good brain and caring heart are the requisites that makes a woman complete. To drive home this virtue , the Mega Miss Miss North East Movement has every year stood for a cause, right from its inception in 2003. This year it was Bharti Airtel group who became the corporate partner and title sponsor to back the cause of ‘promoting child care’.

22 young , beautiful and very talented girls from the different States of the NE descended down at Guwahati following clearance of tough preliminary auditions at their respective State level. The final pageant at Shilpagram , a a Mega Entertainment show in association with Rajbari Nattraj Troupe and Purnima Handicraft ,was a glittering affair that brought alive the beauty of North East unity as well as the vibrancy and delicate touch of its many hues woven around its simple ethnicity all through the medium of the 22 beautiful girls who sashayed down looking stunning in the best of sarees, gowns and traditional wear. The girls got impetus not only from a drooling and appreciative audience but also the bench of top class jury having in its fold the ultimate name in fashion designing in the country , Hemant Trivedi, former Mr. India World Kanwaljit Singh, Airtels North East Head , Sudipto Chowdhury and social activist , Nilakshi Baruah.

Punam Kalita of Assam was crowned the Airtel Mega Miss North’2010 while the Manipur duo of Soma Laishram and Sangreela Maisnam grabbed the first and the second runners up title respectively. The winner walked away richer by Rs1 Lakh , bagged a modeling contract with Mega Entertainment and became a member of the National Human Right Association ,Station NE. As per the contract the winner will visit different parts of NE all through the year to promote child care. A splatter of sub-titles were also given away during the glittering evenings programme. Catherine of Nagaland got the title of Airtel Loving and Caring Personality, Soma from Nagaland was adjudged the winner of Shilpagram Best Traditioal Costume, Sange of Arunachal was adjudged Miss Congeniality, , the Sky Aviation Miss Personality went to Sukanya of Assam, Sangreela of Manipur, apart from her 2nd Runners up title also walked away with the Kaya Clinic Beautiful Skin and Fast Track Miss Catwalk titles. Similarly Punam Kalita also had a memorable evening ….apart from being crowned the winner , she bagged Zoom Photogenic and Mega Entertainment Best Model titles.

Punam Kalita , a classical dancer, was ecstatic on winning the crown. She said that it was a great learning as well as emotional experience for her , being together with girls from all over the NE region. Her confidence showed when she said, “ I wanted to win . Felt I had it in me to win . The deserving candidate should become the winner …and I, think I was the most deserving.” She also was very excited after getting to showcase her talent and be part of the pageant in front of somebody like Hemant Trivedi.

She was also quite upto her responsibility saying that she will purposefully and diligently be the ambassador for Mega Miss North East and promote the cause of child care all through the coming year.

And last but not the least ,whenever one speaks of the Mega Miss North East and the fantastic journey that it has covered, going from strength to strength and thrilling one and all every year, one simply cannot complete the narration without mentioning and paying the due kudos to the man behind all this glory , Abhijit Singha. He is an ace designer himself who has worked in different parts of the country , that too with International brands like Dior. From conceptualizing the whole idea, living and realizing his dream of showcasing NE unity and nurturing his baby The Mega Miss North East , Abhijit has done it all with perfection and élan . Styled and powered by Abhijit , the Mega Miss North East has become not only the numero uno pageant of the NE but in its style and outlook an event that can match any of the best pageants in the country today.



* That the pageant highlights the essence of NE unity and its vibrant culture was embodied also in the scintillating presentation of the unique ‘Pung-Cholom’ dance from Manipur where the performers enthralled the audience with their acrobatic and rhythmic display with traditional drums as also the captivating Lion dance from Sikkim called ‘Singhi Cham’. Meghalaya band, NE Rempai also took the stage to bind the audience with a brief musical soiree. For the first instance in its 8 year history the pageant was not an event in itself but was part of the NE Shilpi Divas and lived upto the billing .
* Buoyed with the long success of Mega Miss North East, Abhijit treaded for the first time into different territory last year when he organized the 1ST Mega Mr North East,which was also turned out to be a huge success. He is now looking to hold the second edition of the same later this year as also a unique pageant for children. One can lie assured that the very talented young designer would leave no stones unturned to stamp his class in these forthcoming shows.
* Punam Kalita was crowned by last years winner , Delphine Marbaniang from Meghalaya
* The Punam Kalita part can be stretched and given in the form of an interview-----



Punam Kalita , the Guwahati girl , who also bagged Zoom Photogenic and Mega Entertainment Best Model titles was ecstatic on winning the crown. She talked briefly after being crowned the winner. Excerpts from this chat ---

Q. How does it feel winning the crown?

R. Obviously, I’m very happy. This title means so much to me.

Q. How was your whole experience like?

R. It was a great learning as well as emotional experience for me , being together with girls from all over the NE region. I learnt many things and made a lot of friends. Top names like Hemant Trivedi, who is perhaps the best in business and former Mr India World , Kawaljit Singh were there to judge the event . It would remain a lifetime experience and I consider myself lucky to be part of the pageant in front of such big and reputed names.

Q. Were you confident of winning or did the final verdict come as a pleasant surprise to you?

R. I wanted to win . Felt I had it in me to win . The deserving candidate should become the winner …and I, think I was the most deserving.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
R. I won’t look into look too distant a future but take things as they come. For the moment I must finish my studies. I am a dancer….Sattriya dance of Assam is my forte….I want to pursue it further and become more perfect. At the same time I cannot forget my responsibility after winning the crown. Going by the motto of ‘ beauty for a cause’ I will purposefully and diligently be the ambassador for Mega Miss North East and promote the cause of child care all through the coming year.

Functioning of government departments paralyzed as employee strike enters 40th day

The ongoing strike by government employees entered second month paralysing the working of government offices across the state.

The 60,000-strong body of government servants are on strike for the past 40 days demanding the implementation of the Sixth pay Commission recommendations of higher wages and perks.

The strike has also affected the common man with the health services also coming to a screeching halt after health department workers also joind the stir.

As a result functioning of almost all the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of the state and district level health centres was affected. The state-run JN Hospital in Imphal too was not functioning affecting the patients.

Further trouble is in store with employees working with essential services such as electricity and water supply departments announcing their intention to join the stir for higher wages.

“Employees of state secretariat and essential services such as electricity and water supply are also expected to join our strike from March 26,” Ch Chandramani,General Secretary of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Trade Union Council (AMTUC) and All Manipur Government Employees Organisation (AMGEO) told Hindustan Times on telephone.

“We understand that the move will inconvenience the general public, but the state government is responsible for it,” L Priyobartta, publicity secretary of the JAC added.

Denouncing the adamant silence of the government, he said if the government does not still responded then the employees of these hospitals will cease all work from March 2.

How can we compete with the central government employees who enjoy 6th pay commission benefits that include allowance for their children's education, said an employee of the state information office.

Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is yet to respond to the demand and has been pleading with the employees not to press the matter at a crucial juncture when the state plan was being formulated.

The state would need funds to the tune of Rs 2000 crore to pay the higher wages and arrears and another Rs 1050 crore to pay salaries. Pensions would cost the state government another Rs 250 crore per annum, he said.

It is not just the common people who are inconvenienced by the strike. The employees have also not received their salaries for the month of January.

The strike at the moment appears to be a long drawn one, as the government has not expressed any willingness to give into the employees demands.

A meeting of the striking employees had with the chief secretary DS Poonia recently failed to make any headway, sources said.

'Govt ready for talks with ULFA but operations to continue'

The government is ready to hold talks with the ULFA sans the sovereignty issue but there will be no immediate suspension of operations against the banned group, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, Gogoi told reporters "The
government is ready for talks with the ULFA but there will be no discussion on the sovereignty issue. Also there is no plan to suspend operations against the group now."

On participation of ULFA leaders in the talks, he said the government will try to bring everyone to the negotiating
table.

"We will even try to bring ('military chief') Paresh Barua. But if he does not come, we will go ahead," he said.

According to him, the indication from the ULFA is positive and the government is hopeful of initiating the
dialogue process soon.

But he did not specify any timeframe for the talks.

During the meeting with Chidambaram, Gogoi discussed modalities of the talks and also briefed the home minister
about the state's preparedness for the discussions.

Asked whether he had requested for an interlocutor specifically for the ULFA issue, Gogoi said P C Haldar has
been named to deal with all insurgent groups in Assam.

Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad X201 is the latest ultra portable business laptop from Lenovo and it is available both in standard form and one with a Wacom Tablet Screen. This is no meager powered iPad tablet that can only be used for some web based applications but it is powerful enough so that you can view HD videos on it without any problem or you can also play a 3D game on it, if you like so. The new X201 Tablet boasts the new Intel low voltage Core i7 CPU along with a 4GB of RAM. Before spending some $1,900 on the tablet, let us look closer into the tablet to find out if it has any deal breaking cons.
Performance

The system houses a 2.13 GHz Core i7 640 LM CPU and a 4GB RAM. Simply put, this is a powerhouse tablet. Though the Core i7 used here is alow voltage version and the performance of the processor is not like the standard desktop edition systems but it is more than enough to run a system like this. You can run many programs like iTunes, Microsoft Word, GIPM, Skype and at the same time switching between multiple tabs in Firefox does not break a sweat on the system. The 320 GB 5,400 rpm HDD is also fast enough so that launching programs won’t make you crazy. The graphics of this system is the integrated GMA 4500 MHD which is enough to runHD videos smoothly and perhaps some 3D games but does not have the performance like a dedicated GPU so don’t expect to run Far Cry at its highest settings on this machine. However, we don’t have any complain with that, after all, it is not a gaming laptop like Alienware.
Build and Design

The ThinkPad sticks to it original ThinkPad design elements. This means that it is a no frill notebook. There isn’t any noticeable design departure from the original ThinkPad root; there is the classic soft touch lid, square edges and the magnesium alloy chassis. The size of the notebook is as small as it can be keeping the standard size keyboard. However, if you consider its thickness, it is a tad bit thicker at 1.3 inches whereas the commonly available netbooks or tablets are merely 1 inch thick. The weight of four pounds also feels heavier especially as a tablet.
The hinge is perhaps the most important thing to look for before buying a tablet PC. This unit has a bi-directional 360 degree hinge that feels solid from the start. There is a latch that keeps it locked in place when positioned on top of the keyboard. Both the tablet orientation and the normal laptop like view operate smoothly on the device.
Display

The system packs a 12.1 inch 1280 X 800 pixels resolution display that is quite brighter than most other touchscreen tablets available in the market and there seems to be almost no lack of brightness due to the extra touchscreen layer on the screen. The viewing angles are surprisingly good and there is no graying on flipping the screen.
Touchscreen

The touchscreen works very good for both finger input and the stylus input. The capacitive touchscreen recognizes even the slightest touch of our fingers which makes multitouch least painful on the device. However, digging through Windows 7 menus is still a headache. Though there are not so many uses of it right now and you can do some two finger scrolling and pinching to zoom; there are also some Windows 7 touch games like scaring away the digital fish, if you like to spend some time with it.
Keyboard

The keyboard from the Lenovo ThinkPad series had been a pleasure for almost every model they have produced and this Lenovo ThinkPad X201 does not disappoint either. The keyboard is spill proof to incorporate some ruggedness into the keyboard. The keys are firm to push and have a good click effect when pushed. If you are planning to use this tablet’s keyboard for some longtime, there aren’t many competitors to this keyboard.
TouchPad and Pointing Stick

The inclusion of a touchpad in this lineup is always welcome but the size of the touchpad is very small. There are many among us (including me) who don’t like to use the pointing stick at all. This is why they have included the touchapad. Apart from the size, we don’t have any complaint against the smoothness of the touchpad or the clicking button.
Ports

The X201 Tablet has every standard port that you may need for general use. There are three USB Ports, Ethernet, VGA, Express Card 34 and the common headphone – microphone jack. The only thing we miss in this device is a HDMI Port. It would surely be a welcome feature on a powerful notebook like this. PlayingHD videos on my HDTV would be more pleasant than its 1280 X 800 screen. If the HDMI Port was present we might have forgiven the absence of the Card Reader slot.
Audio

This is not a multimedia system, so we did not expect hifi sound quality from the two speakers residing at the bottom of the device but to our disappointment, the quality of the sound was worse than many netbook speakers we heard. The tinny speakers only qualify to conduct a chat with a friend of yours and nothing else. You must use a good pair of headphones to listen to your favorite music collection.
Battery Life

The system comes with an eight cell battery that sticks its back almost an inch outside the laptop’s boundary. This does not look cool but does provide some decent battery life. The system can easily deliver six hours in normal condition but if you are a heavy user, it can provide at least four hours in the most extreme situations. Options for four cell battery will be available very soon but that won’t provide that much runtime.
Heat and Noise

Heating was one of our concerns when we heard that it would have a Core i7 processor. But the low voltage processor does not create that much heat to be worried about. The noise of the cooling fan was not audible even in a quiet room.
Pros

* Great Performance
* Display is very good for a Tablet
* TouchPad is there if you need it

Cons

* Underpowered integrated Graphics
* Heavier than other ultra lightweight notebooks

Conclusion

The Lenovo X201 is a device that really doesn’t have any cons that can be a deal breaking one. If an extra pound of weight is not a problem with you or you don’t want to play 3D games on it, you should do fine with the machine.

Rs.16 crore cut in budget for Delhi Police

NEW DELHI - The funds for Delhi Police have been cut by nearly Rs.16 crore for the coming fiscal in the 2010-11 budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday.

The force has been given Rs.125.20 crore for plan expenditure and Rs.2,833.93 crore for non-plan expenditure. Last year, the plan and non-plan expenditures were Rs.106.95 crore and Rs.2,868 crore respectively.

A senior Delhi Police official, however, said: “Last year we had to pay nearly Rs.325 crore in arrears following the Sixth Pay Commission. This year we do not have to pay this, so we see it as a hike of Rs.300 crore.”

Ford Figo Unveiled In India

CHENNAI, INDIA - After managing to stay afloat amidst the economic meltdown while it's US based rivals sank into bankruptcy, Ford Motors is planning to take the Indian car market by storm by launching technologically advanced models with lucrative prices. The company is going to launch its much touted model named Figo in the Indian car market before the end of March this year. This model is a compact car and with it, Ford is trying to snatch a share of the market hitherto dominated by Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors and Tata Motors.

The Ford Figo, when it is launched will lock horns with rivals like Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i10 and i20 and Tata Indica Vista. The exact price of the model is yet to be decided by the company. However, it will not be priced steeply as Volkswagen Polo and Chevrolet Beat, two recently announced models have been placed at competitive price points. Ford has tasted success inthe Indian car market with its midsized sedans like Ikon and Fiesta earlier. However, it is yet to make an impact on the fast growing compact car segment. It is betting high on the Figo.

2010 is going to be a crucial year for the leading car companies in Asian car markets including India. The Ford Figo will intensify the competition in the small car segment. It will be made in the company's Chennai facility in south India. To make things easier for the buyers, Ford India has opened as many as 28 new dealerships all over the nation.

Pranab Mukherjee to present Union Budget in Parliament today

NEW DELHI - Amidst high expectations Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will on Friday present the General Budget for 2010-11 in Parliament, but inflation and the rising fiscal deficit remains a concern for the government.

The common man will, however, hope that there is no further burden in terms of taxes and appropriate steps are taken by the Centre to control food inflation.he export sector, which has suffered the most due to global melt down, will also be looking forward for some relief.

The Economic Survey 2009-10 presented on Thursday favoured the gradual rollback of stimulus measures that were introduced following the global economic meltdown in late 2008.

However on the eve of the Union Budget, Mukherjee talked about the measures that would be taken by the government to deal with 17.85 percent food inflation and certain aspects of the economy. (ANI)

JD (U) MLA commits suicide after shooting wife and daughter

PATNA - Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Abhay Singh on Friday morning alllegdly committed suicide at his official residence inPatna after shooting his wife and six-month old daughter.

Singh’s father Narendra Singh is Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs in Bihar.

Narendra Singh, who was sleeping in another room at the time of the incident, fell unconscious after the incident and has been admitted in the ICU of Patna Medical College and Hospital with cardiac complications.

However, Abhay Singh’s elder daughter is reported to be safe as she was sleeping with her grandmother in another room.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Rabri Devi visited Singh’s residence on getting the news of the incident.

Kumar said, “We are with the family members of Narendra Singh,” describing the whole incident to be a sad one.

Police said the Jamui legislator Singh allegdly shot dead his wife and daughter with a gun before killing himself around 2 a.m.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, added the police.

However, the reason behind the whole incident is still unknown. (ANI)

Rail Budget 2010-11: Mamta Banerjee focuses on aam admi

New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee presented the Rail Budget 2010-11 for next fiscal in Lok Sabha today. The Rail budget 2010-11 laid special focus on PSU’s network expansion, while keeping the freight rates intact. Mamata’s speech emphasized on social responsibility, laying emphasized on her commitment to the “aam admi”. Confirming that Railway will not be privatized, she appealed the business houses to join hands for building partnership.

Mamata introduced a futuristic 10 year project called Vision 2020 aimed at modernizing railway network. According to Railway minister a special task force would be set up for early disposal of the projects.

The Railway Minister vowed “I prefer social responsibility to economic responsibility,”

Here are some salient features of Railway budget 2010 addressing the needs of aam admi

* Village panchayats, hospitals and court would have a e-ticket counter. A railway counter might also be set up at the office of the District Magistrate.
* Ensuring safety measures a ”chowkidaar” would be placed at every railway crossing in the next five years
* Rs 1302 crores would be spent for the safety of passengers
* Multilayer parking and cheap drinking water
* 117 of 120 new trains to be flagged off in current fiscal
* 6 bottling plants to supply water to Railways
* Promises cleanliness ad better amenities on train