Australia: India beat Sri Lanka inside 37 overs and gain a bonus point

India managed a stunning batting display to ensure their chances of qualifying to the final of the CB series were still alive as they beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets on Tuesday.

Chasing Sri Lanka's total of 320 runs, Virat Kohli was the star for the Indians as he scored a blazing century to ensure India completed the herculean task of getting the target in less than 40 overs.

The win takes in India a bonus point, critical to their contention in the tri-nation series. Qualification although tough, is now possible with the two Asian nations tied with 15 points in the table.

India now hope for a favour from the hosts; who can trigger their qualification if they beat Sri Lanka by a margin that makes the islanders' run rate slip below that of India. Australia, who have beaten Sri Lanka just once in the three encounters in this series.

India needed to a achieve a run rate of over 8 an over - a bar that they were never far off from through their entire chase.

The mainstay of the Indian chase however was the stand between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir who added 115 runs in just 18.1 overs. The partnership was ended by a brilliant run out by Dinesh Chandimal.

 

For the first time in the series, Indian openers looked in command of the early overs but Sehwag's tendancy to have a go at every ball dealt India a severe blow after his partnership with Tendulkar had crossed fifty. His partner, who has had dual responsibility for almost a year now, perished to a deceptive low full toss by Lasith Malinga.

India reached the target within 37 overs, putting the pressure on Sri Lanka to sprint even at the last hurdle in the series, one that seemed non-existent before India's batting display.

Power crisis hits industries in A P

                                 

ANDHRA PRADESH : A major industrial crisis is staring at Andhra Pradesh with the small and medium industrial units threatening a lock-out following the decision of the power utilities to force the industrial sector to observe, what is effectively, a 17-day power holiday in a month. This is in view of the decline in quality power crisis.

The power utilities have issued notices to about 1.61lakh small and micro industrial units effective February 29, that they should observe 2-days power holiday in a week along with the regular weekly off. Apart from this, they have been told that no power would be supplied between 6 pm and 10 pm everyday in the name of peak load adjustment. Along with the 12 days forced by the three-day a week power occlusion, the four-hour shutdown between 6 pm and 10 pm would translate into 120 hours of closure or another 5 days of holiday in a month. As a result, the industrial units can work for only 13 days in a month!

On Monday, representatives of 17 small and medium industrial units in and around Hyderabad served lock-out notices to joint labour commissioner Ravi Bhushan Rao stating that the power crisis and the holidays enforced on them is virtually sounding the death knell for them even as other units across the state prepared to follow suit. "We are forced to close for 17 days in a month. We cannot survive under these circumstances," said APK Reddy, president of small and medium industrial units association. Many other industrial units have decided to announce lay-offs so that they can save on salaries. "I will bring the issue to the notice of the state government as the power cuts issue does not fall under the purview of the labour department," Ravi Bhushan Rao told TOI.

Nearly 6,000 units located in and around Hyderabad have decided to go for 15-day lock-out in a month so that they need not pay full salary to the workers. Nearly 13 lakh workers are employed in these units and they are set to receive only half the monthly salary from March onwards. "With only half the month's salary, how does one wait the worker to survive in this metro city," asked a trade union leader in Miyapur industrial estate.

In all, 37 lakh workers are employed in the 1.61 lakh small and micro industrial units across the state. Thanks to the power crisis and the power holiday, the unemployment rate is set to drastically increase in the coming months due to the lock-outs and lay-offs. Industrial units in Chittoor, , Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad Kadapa, Anantapur and Medak are also planning to go for lock-out in order to minimize their losses as the production in their units has come down to less than 50%.

"Normally, we take up extra production in January and February as there would not be any power cuts in these months. But because of the 17-day power holiday, we would not be able to meet the production targets this year," said a company owner in Jeedimetal industrial estate.

Even as many small and medium industrial units face closure due to the unprecedented power crisis, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is promising to provide 15 lakh jobs in the private sector during the next three years under Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu. "The state government is taking away jobs on the one hand and is promising jobs on the other. Isn't there a bigger irony," said one official.

Ironically, it is the political decision of free power to the agricultural sector that has triggered the power crisis in the state as the dole meant to keep the farmers happy accounts for 40% of the total power consumed in the state. "At present, we are not in a position to give any relief to the industrial sector as the Rabi season is at a crucial period. Any shortage of power to agriculture would adversely result in crop damage," said a senior energy department official.

Trade unions strike: Banking, transport likely to be hit across India

New Delhi: India may grind to a halt for the next 24 hours as a nationwide strike by trade unions and government employees has been planned for Tuesday. In all, 11 trade unions across party lines along with 8lakh public sector employees with the exception of those in the Railways are expected to participate. Banking, transport and government services are likely to be hit across the country including major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Unions leaders who have rejected appeals to desist from the strike said all 11 major trade unions including Congress-affiliated INTUC, Shiv Sena-backed Bharatiya Kamgar Sena and UPA ally Indian Union Muslim League's trade-wing STU would join hands to make the strike a success.

The main grudges of the unions on strike include rising prices, disinvestment of profit-making PSUs and the violation of labour laws.

"This a historic occasion as for the first time all the major trade unions irrespective of political affiliations are coming together to protest anti-labour polices of the government," AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said.

About 5,000 small unions have also decided to support the strike call, the union leaders said.

The government had last week appealed the trade unions to desist from going on strike with Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge saying they were ready to discuss any kind of labour-related issues.

Rejecting the appeal, Dasgupta said "We are not ready to consider such a ritualistic statement on the part of the government." He said the government had enough opportunity earlier to sit with the trade unions to discuss the issues.

The unions are demanding no contract out of work - permanent or perennial nature, amendment of Minimum Wages Act, assured pension for all and compulsory registration of trade union among others.

In view of the nationwide strike called by a number of trade unions, the Delhi government clamped the Essential Services Maintenance Act on all power companies in the city to ensure that there is no disruption in electricity supply in the national Capital.

In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed her ministers to ensure that no Govt employees take part in the bandh which she says is Left sponsored. She's warned of consequences if her orders are violated.

"Delhi government has clamped ESMA on all power companies including generation, distribution and other power companies in view of the proposed strike," a statement issued by the Chief Minister's office said.

As a result of the strike banks, telephone and transport services are likely to take a hit. A near complete paralysis is expected in Assam, Kerala, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Bihar.

YSR Congress Party leaders meet in Tirupati

Almost the entire leadership YSRCP, barring Y.S. Vijayamma and Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, was in Tirupati on Monday for a political awareness workshop organised for the gain of the party's rank and file from the Chandragiri constituency.

The climate of the thick ‘Talakona' forests where the leaders converged, provided the right ambience to the meet, as the temple city is currently passing through a rare hot and cold climate with deep variation in the day and the night temperatures.

Some of the senior YSR Congress Party leaders who participated in the meeting are: Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, Y.V. Subba Reddy, Konathala Ramakrishna, S. Ramakrishna Reddy, Shobha Nagi Reddy, Vasireddi Padma, and B. Karunakar Reddy besides Lakshmi Parvathi, who has of late thrown her lot behind the party.

The meet was convened by Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, former TUDA chairman and a close aide of both YSR and YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Though he got up the meet ostensibly for a political awareness programme, it was obviously for a show of strength and to firm up his claim for the party ticket to Chandragiri to take on his formidable rival, Mines and Geology Minister, Galla Arunakumari.

Some of the topics that were billed for discussion at the summit were YSR's golden era in contrast to Chandrababu Naidu and Rosaiah, and CM Kiran Kumar Reddy's anti-people rule, YSRCP's mission under YS Jaganmohan Reddy, local body elections and so on.

The leaders lashed out at the Central and the State governments for unleashing a vicious and malicious campaign against Mr. Reddy.