The gold memento meant for cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s mother Rajni, which was supposedly stolen on January 29 during a function in Bandra, was recovered on Wednesday. The police said that the memento had got exchan-ged with another award receiver’s box because of similar packaging. The cricketer and his brother Nitin collected the gold-plated disc with a coin that was supposed to be awarded to Rajni Tendulakar during a launch of the CDs of late Ramesh Tendulkar’s poems at Rangsharda Auditorium on Saturday.
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US official’s view on tagging ‘disturbing’: Sibal
New Delhi, Feb. 2: HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday termed as “disturbing” the comments of a US diplomat calling ankle monitors tagged on some Indian students in California as “very hip and happening”.
“Comments of the US official (on ankle monitors tagged on some Indian students) are disturbing...,” Mr Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of an Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) function here.
Juliet Wur, public affairs officer at the US consulate in Hyderabad, had Tuesday said, “Those anklets are used when you have somebody who might flee. And so you give them the choice — would you go to the prison or would you like an anklet...” —PTI
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SC fines litigant `10 lakhs
Age correspondent
New Delhi
Feb. 2: Taking serious view of a litigant from Bengaluru for causing delay in an industrial project by persisting with litigation on acquisition of land for it, the Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed an exemplary fine of `10 lakhs on him while upholding the state government notification for acquiring the land.
Petitioner M. Nagabhushana was directed to deposit `10 lakh with the Karnataka HC Legal Services Authority, which would be spent on providing free legal aid to poor.
“In default of the payment, a proceeding will be initiated against the appellant...,” bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly ruled.
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Pawar: FDI is not needed in agriculture
Age correspondent
New Delhi
Feb. 2: Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said there is no need to encourage foreign direct investment in the farm sector as large number of farmers have small holdings.
“FDI in agriculture is not required. We have about 82-86 per cent farmers whose holding is below two hectares,” Mr Pawar said after the annual general meeting of Indian Council of Agricultural Research on Wednesday.
However, Mr Pawar welcomed FDI in the food-processing sector, which has come under his charge recently. “We will welcome FDI in cold chains and agro processing units but not in farming,” he said.
On the outlook of current rabi crop, the agriculture minister said the situation is quite encouraging and the country would have a bumper production of wheat, pulses and sugarcane.