Pranab, Sangma file Presidential nominations
NEW DELHI: The stage is set for a contest between Pranab Mukherjee and P.A. Sangma, with the two candidates filing their nomination papers yesterday for the July 19 Presidential poll in which the UPA candidate seems headed for a runaway victory, PTI reported. Both the UPA and opposition parties projected their strengths during the filing of the nomination papers in Parliament House, with top leaders from the respective camps accompanying their candidates.
PM assures help to Assam
NEW DELHI: As the flood situation in Assam deteriorated, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured all help to the state government on Thursday and directed the Defence Ministry to provide army assistance in rescue and relief, PTI reported. Singh called up state Health Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the condition in the state, a PMO statement said. The statement said Singh also spoke to Defence Minister A.K. Antony “urging full army assistance for the rescue and relief operations in affected areas”.
AI pilots want PM, Sonia’s intervention
NEW DELHI: Agitating Air India pilots urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass to step in and resolve the impasse over the 52-day long strike, even as the condition of some of pilots on fast worsened, PTI reported. The Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation and the five-day-old indefinite hunger strike, shot off letters to Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, seeking their “urgent intervention to resolve the prolonged agitation”.
11th century temples restored
NANDED: Archaeologists have successfully restored 11th century temples at Hottal in Nanded district of Maharashtra, dating back to the Kalyani-Chalukya era. The Department of Archaeology, along with the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and Tourism and the Cultural Affairs department, was engaged in rebuilding the temples for the past five years. “Loss of tensile strength, the long time span and frequent earthquakes in the region were among the reasons for the deterioration of the temples,” Rahul Bhosle, the assistant director at Department of Archeology, Aurangabad division, told PTI.
Aviation trials of Admiral Gorshkov in July
NEW DELHI: Fighter aircraft will start taking off from the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov next month as Russia will start trials of aviation facilities on the warship scheduled to join the Indian Navy by December, PTI reported. The Russian side will start critical trials of the aviation complex of the aircraft carrier from mid-July using two MiG 29K fighter aircraft, Navy officials said. The ship trials of the aircraft carrier had started early this month in the White Sea.
Bihar to computerise jails
PATNA: Bihar has roped in the National Informatics Centre(NIC) to develop a software to computerise all prisons. "NIC is developing a software for the computerization of prisons and to upload all data. It will be in our hands within six months," Inspector General of Police (Prisons) Anand Kishore said. The software will be launched at the Beur Jail as a pilot project followed by 54 other jails in the state, Kishore told IANS.
Petrol price cut by `2.46 a litre
NEW DELHI: Petrol price was cut on Thursday by Rs.2.46 per litre, the second reduction this month. Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs.67.78 a litre with effect from midnight as against Rs.70.24 a litre, three oil marketing companies have announced, PTI reported.