The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released its manifesto for the general elections 2009.
BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad announced the party manifesto in the presence of senior leaders, including BJP's prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani and party president Rajnath Singh.Speaking on the occasion, Advani said that the manifesto is the BJP's way to build an ideal state.
At the manifesto release, Advani said that there is no need of Article 370, which means no special status be given to Jammu and Kashmir.
He reiterated that the BJP would be fighting the polls as NDA, despite releasing a separate manifesto.
"We have released BJP manifesto, but we are fighting polls as NDA. We will release an agenda for NDA after discussions with allies," said Advani.
Responding to mediapersons at the event, Advani attacked the Third Front by calling it a fallacy and denied the existence of a non-BJP and non-Congress government.
Addressing mediapersons on the occasion, senior party leader and former HRD minister Murali Manohar Joshi said that the Chandrayaan mission is a result of the Vajpayee government's efforts and the BJP will take it further.
Joshi also said that the BJP would try and remove encroachments on Wakf properties.
BJP president Rajnath Singh also spoke on the occasion, saying that the party supports the formation of smaller states, including Telangana.
Apart from this, the BJP manifesto says that no one will be allowed to touch the Ram Setu and a new route will be found.
The BJP has, in its manifesto, promised to provide rice and wheat to people below the poverty line at Rs 2 per kg.
The party manifesto also calls for better roads in villages and taking strict steps for bringing back illegal money in foreign accounts.
Addressing the issue of terrorism and Naxalism, the BJP manifesto says that the party will try to bring in a POTA-like law and will take strict measures against the Maoists.
The BJP manifesto also talks about the armed forces' demand of one rank, one pay. It says that the BJP will implement the same. In addition to this, the party also promises to try and bring in tax breaks for armed forces.
Apart from these, the BJP manifesto also promises special employment schemes for the youth.
Source From: http://elections.ndtv.com/news_story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20090089599&
Microsoft filing for fewer H-1B visas
April 02, 2009, (Washington):As the US Citizenship and Immigration Services started accepting applications from Wednesday for the much sought-after H-1B work visas for professionals, software giant Microsoft said this year it is filing less petitions for work visas under this category.
This is primarily because of the current economic situation in the country, Microsoft said. "Given the economic downturn, we are filing substantially fewer H-1B applications than we filed last year," Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith wrote in a blog posting on microsoftissues.com.
Unlike previous years, Smith said a solid majority of Microsofts applications in 2009 are for employees who are already working for Microsoft in the US, so that it can retain their talent and specialised skills in this country rather than risk losing them to a foreign competitor.
Observing that Microsoft would be creating several thousand new jobs
in 2009, Smith said the software giant would hire majority of them from the US but would also hire talented professionals from overseas so as to remain competitive in the market.
"To succeed and continue adding jobs in the highly competitive global technology
business, Microsoft and other US companies must be able to hire top talent wherever it is located," he said.
Source From:http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090089484&ch=43200992200AM
Maneka disallowed from meeting Varun in jail
Etah (UP): BJP MP Maneka Gandhi was denied permission to meet her son Varun in etah jail on Friday. He is detained under the National Security Act at the Etah jail since Wednesday.
District Magistrate Gaurav Dayal said that Maneka had sought permission to meet 29-year-old Varun but he had told her that she can only meet him after April 8."She was not allowed to met Varun as NSA detainees are allowed such a meeting only twice a week," said Dayal.
Asked whether any special facilities were being provided to Varun, who had complained of rough treatment at the jail, the DM said if any such application is moved to him he will consider it.
Varun, the BJP candidate from Pilibhit who landed in trouble with his anti-Muslim speeches during campaigning, "is being kept alone in a cell due to security reasons", the DM said.
"He is a prisoner and is being kept as a prisoner," the official said. Asked whether he was being provided newspapers, the official said that Varun had books with him.
Source From: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/maneka-disallowed-from-meeting-varun-in-jail/442715/
Late fightback takes India to 375 for 9 on Day 1
Friday, April 03, 2009 (Wellington):Half centuries from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar helped India surge to a respectable first-innings total of 375 for 9 at stumps on the opening day of the third Test in Wellington.
There was frenzy in the air of Wellington though the sun shined brightly and the conditions remained more or less calm. New Zealand's bowlers worked hard to try and fix up victory to level the series.
Captain Daniel Vettori did not hesitate to take a chance in deciding to field first on the batting-friendly Basin Reserve wicket. There were times when it looked like the gamble might yield the desired results as India slumped to 204-6 soon after tea but Dhoni and Harbhajan led the struggle to a healthy score.
The visitors, however, recovered in time to add 185 runs for the loss of four wickets in the second session as the tailenders left no stone unturned. They did all that they could to wipe the floor.
New Zealand's opening bowler Chris Martin tried hard throughout the day to finish as the hosts' most successful bowler with figures of 3-95 from 24 overs. Tim Southee and Iain O'Brien took two wickets each.
India got off to a vibrant start through a flying 48 from Virender Sehwag. He and partner Gautam Gambhir put on 73 runs in the first 15 overs. Sehwag hit seven fours and a six from 51 balls in a typically belligerent innings from the opener.
The replacement of Martin by James Franklin at the other end in the next over also paid off immediately, with Gambhir trapped lbw for 23 on the final ball of the new bowler's opening over.
Tendulkar's arrival made things look easy as he seemed all set to dismantle the attack.
But O'Brien dismissed Sehwag in his second over, tempting the batsman to take a short ball outside the off stump, with wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum taking an easy catch.
The master blaster put on 90 runs with Rahul Dravid for the third wicket before his dismissal for 62. His departure in the 42nd over set off a mini-collapse with VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh following immediately. Four wickets fell for the addition of 39 runs as India slipped from 165-2 to 204-6 shortly after tea.
Tendulkar passed 50 for the 95th time in Tests in his innings, hitting 11 fours, including his trademark drives and cuts, bringing up his half century with an exquisitely timed square cut off O'Brien after lunch in the 38th over.
New Zealand struck again soon after tea, with Martin trapping Rahul Dravid as the batsman mistimed a pull shot to Franklin at square leg to leave the visitors looking wobbly at 204-6.
Martin was unlucky 24 runs later when Martin Guptill failed to take a catch, though a difficult one, off Martin's bowling when Harbhajan was on 14. The Turbanator made the Black Caps pay, finishing with the second highest score of 60 off 78 balls.
Dhoni, returning from a back injury that kept him out of the second Test, scored a battling 52 and put on 79 runs with Harbhajan before top-edging an attempted pull shot to O'Brien at fine leg.
Zaheer Khan added to New Zealand's frustration, hitting a swift 33 from 23 balls. He got a boundary off each of the first four balls of an O'Brien over before falling on the sixth, giving a catch to McCullum. Munaf Patel replaced him to join Ishant Sharma for the last few overs of the day. Both managed to stay on the crease and pocketed some runs to take India to 375/9 at the end of the opening day's play.
Source From: http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage/ndtv/id/SPOEN20090089551/story.html
Satyam makes changes to bidding process
April 02, 2009 (New Delhi):Adding a new element for strategic sale to get higher value, Satyam on Thursday announced that it would conduct open auction in case there are one or more bidders within 90 per cent of the top financial bid.
"If one or more financial bids are at least 90 per cent of the highest bid, the Board will treat the highest bid as the floor price and conduct an open auction," the company said in a note to the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
In such a situation, the top bidder as also those within 90 per cent would be asked to participate in the open auction and raise their bids, the company said.
The move would enable the company to enhance the value for stake sale, for which engineering giant L&T and Tech Mahindra are among those in the race.
"If one or more financial bids are at least 90 per cent of the highest bid, the Board will treat the highest bid as the floor price and conduct an open auction by asking the highest bidder and those bidders whose bids are at least 90 per cent of the highest bid, to raise their bids," the note said.
If, however, none of the bidders raises his financial bids, pursuant to the open auction conducted, then the highest sealed bid received, shall be declared as the successful bid.
"If the bidders, as present for the open auction, raise the bid value, then the highest bidder in the open auction shall be declared the successful bidder," said the company.
Justice S P Bharucha, who is overseeing the bidding process, will open the sealed financial bids submitted by the shortlisted qualified bidders, whose technical bids have been found to be satisfactory and rank them based on price, it added.
Source From: http://profit.ndtv.com/2009/04/02193709/Satyam-makes-changes-to-biddin.html
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