New Delhi, Jan. 26: The UPA government is planning an emergency recruitment drive to meet the shortfall of Indian Police Service Officers, the first such emergency exercise in post-Independence India. 

Chennai, Jan. 26: A "mobile phone recharge" helped reunite an India-born teacher from Belgium with her biological family after 28 years. The teacher, a young lady, has also learnt that she is actually younger than the 34 years she believed herself to be. 

New Delhi, Jan. 25: The Padma awards announced Monday, on the eve of the nation’s 61st Republic Day, are dominated by prominent figures in the arts, who account for 37 of the total 130 individuals to be honoured by President Pratibha Patil.

Eminent theatre personalities Ebrahim Alkazi and Zohra Sehgal have been conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour. This award also went to Nobel Prize-winning scientist of Indian origin Venkatraman Ramakrish-nan, Dr Prathap C. Reddy of Apollo Hospitals and former RBI governor Y.V. Reddy.

Bollywood actor-director Aamir Khan, recently much in the news for 3 Idiots; music maestro A.R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraaja, who composed the hit numbers of Amitabh Bachchan’s recent Paa; Akbar Padamsee and Mallika Sarabhai are among 14 from the world of arts to get the Padma Bhushan. Oscar-winning film sound editor Resul Pookutty (of Slumdog Millionaire) and filmstars Rekha and Saif Ali Khan are among 20 from the arts world to get the Padma Shri, which went to a total of 81 awardees. There are 17 women among the Padma award recipients. No one was conferred the Bharat Ratna. Cricketer Virendra Sehwag, hockey national Ignace Tirkey, Formula One driver Narain Kartikeyan, badminton ace Saina Nehwal, boxer Vijender Singh and Sachin Tendulkar’s "guru" Ramakant Achrekar got the Padma Shri in the sports category.

NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, neurosurgeon Satya Paul Agarwal and top cardiac surgeon Ramakant Panda, who had performed "beating heart" surgery on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year, have been chosen for the Padma Bhushan. Former CBI director D.R. Karthikeyan, who headed the Special Investigation Team that probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and environmental activist Ranjit Bhargava are among the Padma Shri recipients. Besides Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, three scientists got the Padma Bhushan and six the Padma Shri.

A senior government official, when asked why there was such a large number of people from the arts category this year, said: "There were approximately 1,200 applications... There is no hard and fast rule and a decision is taken on the merit of each application." The selection committee for this year’s Padma awards, chaired by Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, included playwright Girish Karnad, former HRD secretary Kapila Vatsayan (who is founder-director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts) and former CII chief mentor Tarun Das.

Former Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi, now a Planning Commission member, has got the Padma Bhushan along with former Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary Moosa Raza and former Goa University vice-chancellor P.R. Dubhashi for civil service. Another Planning Commission member, Dr Abhijit Sen, and S.K. Bandyopadhyay also got the award for public affairs, along with Newsweek International editor and well-known columnist Fareed Zakaria for journalism, and Prof. Tan Chung and Prof. A.J. Paulraj, both based in the United States, for literature and education and science and engineering respectively.

Nuclear scientist Bikash Chandra Sinha, former director of the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata, and US-based Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj, who made a significant contribution to the science of wireless communication, were conferred the Padma Bhushan, along with Delhi-based mathematician Jagdish Chandra Kapur. Prof. Palpu Pushpangadan, plant scientist and former director of the National Botanical Research Institute, is among six scientists to get the Padma Shri.

V.P. Dimri, director of the National Geophysical Research Institute, Vijaylakshmi Ravindranath, former director, National Brain Research Institute, and Pucadyil Ittoop John, a senior scientist holding the Meghnad Saha Chair at the Institute of Plasma Research, also got the Padma Shri, as did US-based Ponisseril Somasundaran and Karnataka-based M.R. Satyanarayana Rao.

In the trade and industry category, Venu Srinivasan of the TVS Group, Alluri Venkata Satyanarayana Raju, B. Raveendran Pillai, Deepak Puri, Irshad Mirza and Kapil Mohan have been selected for the Padma Shri. It was also awarded to Anu Aga, Ayekpam Tomba Meetei, J.R. Ganga Ramani, Deep Joshi, Baba Sewa Singh, Sudha Kaul and Kranti Shah for social work. Former Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil were awarded the Padma Bhushan for social work, while Ghulam Mohammad Mir and Arun Sarma got the Padma Shri for public service and the literature and education category.

Scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, said in a statement: "I am honored and touched that the country of my birth has chosen to recognise our work with this award." President Pratibha Patil approved a total of 130 awards — six Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 Padma Shri. Thirteen of these recipients are foreigners, NRIs or PIOs.

Age Correspondent

New Delhi, Jan. 25: In a bid to soothe the atmosphere and send a positive signal to students of 44 "deemed universities" after the human resources development ministry’s revocation of their recognition, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the government to maintain "status quo" on its decision till the matter was taken up for further hearing in March.

The court issued notice to all 44 deemed universities to file affidavits by the next hearing on March 8 detailing their grievances. A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A.K. Patnaik said till then "status quo" will be maintained on the government order, which means the HRD ministry’s order will be in suspended animation.

The court directed the attorney-general, Mr Goolam E. Vahanvati, to place before it the report of the task force set up by HRD minister Kapil Sibal to examine the functioning of 126 deemed universities as well as the report of the review committee as the ministry had acted on the recommendations of these two panels. It further directed Mr Vahanvati to submit an affidavit on the steps the ministry proposed to take to safeguard the interests of over two lakh students of these 44 deemed universities. This order, with multiple directions, came after a battery of the country’s top legal brains, appearing for different deemed universities, assailed the HRD ministry’s action, citing several legal "loopholes". The court was hearing a PIL by advocate Viplav Sharma challenging the grant of deemed university status to several institutions by former HRD minister Arjun Singh in a "reckless" manner.

Senior advocates Fali S. Nariman, K. Parasaran, K.K. Venugopal, Rajiv Dhawan and others took on the government, saying it had acted merely on the reports of the task force and review committee despite these bodies having no statutory status, while recommendations of the University Grants Commission, a statutory body, were overlooked.

Mr Prasaran said the way HRD ministry acted merely on the basis of the reports of the two non-statutory panels set by it was like "making a woman a widow even before her marriage is solemnised". The court, however, assured the lawyers for the universities that nothing will happen to the institutions and students before the matter was heard.

 S.S. Negi

New Delhi, Jan. 25: Rukhsana Kosser, who killed a terrorist single-handedly in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district last year, has been awarded the Kirti Chakra for gallantry this Republic Day. Her brother Ajaz Ahmed was also awarded the Kirti Chakra, the nation’s second-highest gallantry award in peacetime.

Ms Kosser and her brother successfully battled terrorists who entered their house in Rajouri in September last year and attacked their father. Ms Kosser struck one of them with an axe snatched automatic weapons from the stunned men. Both she and her brother then opened fire at the terrorists, one of whom was killed while the others fled. She and her family have been provided heavy security in case they are targeted by militants trying to avenge their humiliation. In all, the Kirti Chakra has been awarded to six people.

Havildar Rajesh Kumar of the Rajputana Rifles will be posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award. On August 1 last year, in an operation in the dense forests of Kupwara, he killed three dreaded terrorists but was hit by a hail of bullets in the abdomen, after which he succumbed to his injuries. Havildar Kumar "showed the unparalleled feat of most conspicuous gallantry, fortitude and the rare spirit of self-sacrifice in fighting the terrorists," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The Ashok Chakra will also be conferred on Major Mohit Sharma (posthumous) and Maj. D. Sreeram Kumar, who were awarded the Ashok Chakra on the eve of Independence Day last year.

 Age Correspondent

Chandigarh, Jan. 25: Former Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore was on Monday granted interim bail in two of three fresh cases charging him with attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forgery, fabrication of records and illegal confinement.

But the relief for Rathore, convicted for molesting teenage Chandigarh schoolgirl Ruchika Girhotra (who later committed suicide), is temporary and valid only until February 15, the date of the next hearing on his pleas for anticipatory bail in the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Handing down her interim order, Justice Sabina granted Rathore benefit of a four-day notice from the CBI if it sought to arrest him in connection with the third FIR, charging him with driving Ruchika to suicide (Section 306 IPC: abetment to suicide). She, however, referred it to a division bench.

Investigations first initiated by the police in Panchkula, Haryana, on complaints from Ruchika’s father and brother, were later transferred to the CBI on all three FIRs. The agency, which has constituted a special 30-member team to work on the case, filed its response to Rathore’s bail plea in two FIRs but sought three weeks to respond to the charge under Section 306.

CBI counsel Anmol Rattan Sidhu, who opposed bail, said investigations were time-consuming and laborious since the events had occurred between 16 and 19 years ago.

 Asit Jolly

Baghdad, Jan. 25: At least 36 people were killed and 71 wounded in three massive apparently coordinated minibus-borne bombings that targeted hotels in Baghdad on Monday less than six weeks from a general election.

Iraqi politicians and US forces have warned of rising violence ahead of the March 7 vote, the second parliamentary ballot since the 2003 US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein.

The first bomb struck near the Palestine and Sheraton hotels in Abu Nawaz, close to where a giant statue of Saddam was symbolically toppled almost seven years ago, at around 3.30 pm, an interior ministry official said. The second and third blasts just minutes later targeted the Babylon Hotel in the central district of Karrada and the Hamra hotel in Jadriyah, he added.

—AFP

New Delhi, Jan. 25: The Congress closed ranks with its NCP ally and downplayed agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s remark on the "Cabinet’s collective responsibility to check food prices" to stop the BJP fishing in troubled waters.

Sources said the BJP, which asked Mr Pawar to resign, was trying to derive mileage from attacks on Mr Pawar by various parties — including some Congress leaders — on the price rise, and the party did not want things to snowball into a direct confrontation with a key ally.

Mr Pawar, who said on Sunday that he alone in the council of ministers was not responsible for rising prices, on Monday denied attacking PM Manmohan Singh. AICC media department chief Janardan Dwivedi said Monday: "Pawar just reiterated the constitutional position. It is the collective responsibility of the Centre and state governments to take steps to check food prices."

Congress sources said though the party was concerned over the issue, targeting the NCP chief would not help in finding a solution. It would also have sent a wrong signal to other UPA allies such as the DMK and the Trinamul Congress, they added.

Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said checking hoarding and black-marketing of foodgrain was the responsibility of state governments and a 23 per cent fall in rainfall last year did bring down food production. "Every state government should act against hoarding, whether it is Congress or BJP ruled," Mr Ahmed said. The BJP said earlier Mr Pawar was "making a mess" of India’s food economy.

Amit Agnihotri

New Delhi, Jan. 25: Law and justice minister M. Veerappa Moily on Monday announced a six-month deadline, starting January 26, for the release of up to 70 per cent of the two lakh-plus undertrials languishing in prisons across the country.

This, he said, would be implemented by working with the various high courts in order to decongest jails. "The government expects 70 per cent of two lakh undertrials to be identified by July 31 for discharge or grant of bail," he said.

"The Jharkhand high court identified 436 and the Calcutta high court identified 37 undertrials ... who can be released immediately. Since tomorrow is a holiday, they can be freed on January 27," Mr Moily added.

 Age Correspondent

New Delhi, Freedom is defined as the ability to act according to one’s will, within accepted parameters, and not be forced to stop by a power greater than yours. Today the Republic of India completes 60 years, and you, the reader, must decide for yourself whether what was promised by the founding fathers of this country has been delivered in full measure.

We have been promised freedom, and for some of us this promise has been kept, notionally at least. We can live where we want in this country or overseas, we speak the language of our choice, we travel freely, we do the work we think will bring us the most reward and more people marry for love these days than they did half a century ago. Even the education system is starting to change. Most of all this holds true, in varying degrees, for most of the middle class and the elite. For all the rest, the story — and the promise — of modern India is still a work in progress.

In Maharashtra and certain other states, political outfits are trying to tell you where you may or may not live, work, even what language you must speak. This is but one example of how individual freedom is sought to be curtailed with an argument that has no backing except the threat of brute force.

This is not to say that there has not been progress on delivering on the promises that January 26, 1950 held out. Landmark legislation has been passed and legal decisions handed down, paving the way for greater social equality for ever-larger numbers of Indians.

Education and the options it throws up after college have expanded and the restrictions are starting to come loose, but much more needs to be done — for this area is crucial to the freedom of generations to come. School and college systems must change so that they encourage free thought, not rote learning, originality, not facsimiles. Every young parent must think about how their children will compete 20 years from now, when the world has become an even smaller place.

The world of the Indian consumer is probably expanding the fastest. More goods and services are available today than ever before but variety has a long way to go if it is to equal the power of choice that an expanding economy bestows upon its people.

A modern society makes possible the free flow of information. It helps research and productivity and maintains a balance between the government and the governed. The Right to Information Act, a landmark piece of legislation in itself, needs to be broadened and strengthened so that balance is created and maintained. In this direction, the large and growing number of the means of mass communication — electronic, print and Internet-based — is a healthy sign.

It is with your freedom in mind that today’s edition brings you articles on the very subject on almost every page. It offers you the choice to agree or disagree. Enjoy!

Age Correspondent