The much-awaited Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Act will come into effect on Wednesday. Immediately, the state government will start the process of delimitation of the constituencies of the proposed GTA. However, the dates of elections to the GTA are yet to be finalised.
“Today, we have finalised the elections rules. The gazette notification of the GTA Act will be issued tomorrow and thereafter the process of delimitation of the constituencies will start. The process is likely to be completed in two mon-ths. Though the dates of the elections have not been finalised yet, the district magistrate of Darjeeling will be responsible to conduct the polls,” state chief secretary said.
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Rushdie to be present in Delhi for conclave?
New Delhi, March 13: Controversial author Salman Rushdie is listed to participate in a conclave being organised by a news magazine but it is not clear whether he will be physically present. “Salman Rushdie will be a presence at the (India Today) Conclave. We are unable to reveal any further details at this point,” India Today said in an ambiguously-worded email response on the issue. Rushdie, whose controversial novel Satanic Verses is opposed by Muslims, had to cancel his visit to Jaipur to attend the Literary Fest there after Muslim organisations threatened to protest against his presence. — PTI
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Ajit singh meets PM over aviation crisis
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, March 13
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in a meeting where the poor financial health of the civil aviation sector and policy measures being taken to improve the financial health of the sector are understood to have been discussed, even as Mr Ajit Singh warned of strict action if rules on adherence to flight schedules and air-safety were breached by airlines.
The meeting with the Prime Minister comes in the wake of the latest crisis to hit private carrier Kingfisher in the form of a pilot strike which led to several Kingfisher flight cancellations for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
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Jairam TO MEET cms for annual plan
MANISH ANAND
New Delhi, March 13
Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is embarking on one of its own kind of initiative to meet various chief ministers in a bid to consult them to finalise the annual plan of the ministry. The minister is learnt to have sought time from the Gujrat chief minister Narendra Modi also.Apart from Mr Modi, the rural development ministry is chalking out schedules for Mr Ramesh, which will take him to various state capitals so that he could hold consultations with chief ministers. Sources said that Mr Ramesh would be meeting the chief ministers of the BJP ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Karnatka, Jharkhand. The rural development minister would also be meeting the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.