India is planning to establish Joint Command Analysis Centres (JCACs) near airports in major cities across India and weaponise them with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) that will be able to bring down rogue aircraft.

It has been quite an eventful journey for designer Samant Chauhan from Bhagalpur to the blinding archlights of the capital, but the talented style guru hasn’t forgotten his roots in an industry that is dominated by frivolousness. Maybe that’s why his dream remains to give employment to the people of Bihar and set up a factory there that will give weavers work throughout the year.

Heavy incessant rains in Delhi and the subsequent flooding of the Yamuna accompanied by release of water into the river from Haryana pose a threat to the Common-wealth Games with many projects already missing their deadlines due to it. The city authorities have been taking the rain and flood excuse for the delay in several projects.

Confusion and chaos continue to prevail in preparations for the Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG). About 25-30 ships carrying heavy equipment, like tower airconditioners, tents, and other such materials for CWG 2010 from South Africa and Australia, are reportedly stuck on the high seas. The ships were expected to arrive some time during August 15.

Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked bureaucrats to seek his consent before sending any policy note with financial implications to the Union Cabinet for approval.

In keeping with the Prime Minister’s “New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities”, the Union ministry of minority affairs (MoMA) is busy chalking out strategy to help improve the condition of the country’s minorities. It is also focusing on the proper implementation of various schemes already introduced by it to help improve the lot of the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims.

Looking toward restoring the peace process in Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for non-lethal methods to deal with public agitation and ordered the establishment of a high-powered task force to make recommendations on the issue within three months.

The government plans to leave a little more money in the hands of the taxpayer, but not too much. On Thursday, the Union Cabinet cleared the new Direct Tax Code (DTC) Bill, which seeks to exempt income of up to `2 lakhs per year from income-tax against the current limit of `1.6 lakh annually. For senior citizens, the limit will now be `2.5 lakhs.

Keeping in mind a circular issued by the government asking bureaucrafts to seek the personal approval of the finance minister before sending policy notes with financial implications for the consideration of the Union Cabinet, sources said many of the financial proposals have political implications and at times there are cases that may not be economically viable but have political ramifications.

The raging political battle between the Utter Pradesh chief minister Mayawati and Congress on creation of a new district out of Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi parliamentary constituency on Thursday reached the Supreme Court with the state government seeking top court’s intervention in the Allahabad high court order staying the notification on formation of the new district.