40% rail promises only on paper

                                                                   
The Railway Budget for the current year is due to be announced on Wednesday, even as barely 40 per cent of the promises made in last year’s budget remain unfulfilled. The much-hyped AC Duronto Express between Secunderabad and Vishakapatnam, which was to run thrice a week, has not materialised. The strengthening of the suburban railway system of Hyderabad-Secunderabad by implementing six projects under the MMTS Phase-II is yet to see the light of day.

The wagon workshop which was to come up in Kazipet remains only on paper only. “The project is stuck because land is not available. Also the proposed multi-functional complex at Secunderabad station is yet to come up,” said a senior railway official. Meanwhile, the Kerala Samiti has lobbied for a new train from Hyderabad to Kerala. “At present tickets have to be booked three months in advance. The biggest problem lakhs of Malayalees face today is transport. The Sabari Express that runs between Hyderabad and Trivandrum is the only train currently,” said Libby Benjamin, chairman of the Kerala Samiti.

Although new railway lines between Nadikudi-Srikalahasti, Gudur-Dugarajapatnam and Guntur-Tenali have been sanctioned, estimates are yet to be drawn up and therefore no work has begun on these as well. Turning Secunderabad and Tirupati into world class railway stations, proposed two budgets back, also remains in the realm of fantasy.

CBI to put 6 mantris, babus on witness list

                                                               
The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to file a counter in the disproportionate assets case of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the Supreme Court after it receives the notice. The Supreme Court had on Monday issued notices to six ministers and eight IAS officials in the YSR’s government who were responsible for issuing the controversial Govern-ment Orders (GOs).

Mr Venkataramana will be appearing before the CBI on March 15. Meanwhile on Tuesday, IAS official C. Partha-sarathy, who served as Commissioner of Information and Public Relations, appeared before the CBI.
He was questioned for around three hours in connection with advertisements given to Sakshi newspaper which belongs to Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CBI has so far arrested Jagan Mohan Reddy’s auditor V. Vijay Sai Reddy in the case. The YSR Congress chief has been named as Accused No. 1 in the case.


investigation procedure, the CBI will, meanwhile, question the ministers and IAS officials who had issued the GOs that had allegedly benefitted the investors of firms belonging to Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy. A senior police official said, “They have already called minister Mopidevi Venkataramana. The other ministers are also likely to be called for questioning. They have interrogated several IAS officials like Samuel and others in the case. It is, however, unlikely that the CBI will add these ministers and IAS officials as accused as of now. If they find any wrongdoing on part of the ministers and IAS officials they can be added as accused later. Most of them are likely to be made witnesses in the case.”

Upwardly mobile: More Indian homes have phones, laptops and other gadgets...BUT some of them don't even have a toilet

                                              

Though half of all Indians do not have a toilet at home, well over half own a telephone, new census data released on Tuesday show.

These and many other contrasting facts of life have come out in Census 2011. The data on housing, household amenities and assets cast new light on a country in the throes of a complex transition, where millions have access to state-of-the-art technologies and consumer goods — but a larger number lacks access to the most rudimentary facilities.

It shows Indian society is overwhelmingly made up of nuclear families. They have ever more access to electricity and gather their information from television, rather than radio. At the same time, women are forced to rely on traditional smoky fuels to cook, and less than a third of the population have access to treated drinking water.

The stark gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in India got an official confirmation on Tuesday when the Census 2011 data, released by the Union home secretary, revealed that a large number of Indian homes have a phone but not a toilet. But there's reason to cheer for Delhiites.
The national Capital, along with Chandigarh, ranks on top as far as access to facilities such as laptops, computers, mobile phones and cars is concerned.
Census 2011 was the first time that citizens were asked during the house-to-house surveys if they possessed a laptop, computer or a mobile phone.

But in Delhi, 29 per cent of the 33.4 lakh households have a laptop or computer while 17 per cent have an Internet connection. Chandigarh fared even better than the national Capital and was on the top in the entire country.
Every third family in the city, or 33.2 per cent households, has a computer and 18.8 per cent has an Internet connection. Surprisingly, IT hubs such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reported poor Internet distribution, with only 12.8 per cent and 8.4 per cent homes respectively having computer at home. Mere 2.6 per cent households in Andhra Pradesh reported to be having an Internet connection.
The new Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, better deliver on his poll promise to give free laptops. His state has only 8 per cent households with computers and a shockingly low 0.9% having Internet connection.
'We have to do a lot more for the penetration of computers and Internet,' Dr C. Chandramouli, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, said while releasing the figures. The Census data also shows that as many as 86 per cent of Indian households live in their own homes while the rest live in rented accommodations. In Delhi, however, nearly 28 per cent families live in rented houses while the percentage is even higher, 47, in Chandigarh. As many as 93.7 per cent households in Chandigarh and 75 per cent in Delhi drink treated water - which was also a new question posed during the Census exercise this time.
The data shows that nearly 32 per cent families in Delhi live in one-bedroom houses. In 70 per cent of households in the Capital, only one married couple lives, pointing to the increasing trend of nuclear families.

Mayawati among richest politicians

                                                                        
According to the details of her moveable assets submitted for the RS polls, the BSP president has Rs.10.20 lakh cash in hand. She has five savings bank accounts: in the Union Bank of India, Moti Bagh, New Delhi which has Rs.3.7 crore, Bank of India
Outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who filed her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, is worth Rs. 111.64 crore, making her one of the richest politicians in the country. This has been revealed in the details of moveable and immoveable assets given by Ms. Mayawati along with a sworn affidavit at the time of submitting her papers. Since the Bahujan Samaj Party president considered number 13 to be her lucky number, she submitted her papers on Tuesday (March 13).

Yuvraj reaches last leg of chemotherapy

                                                             

After he was diagnosed with the illness, Yuvraj has not taken part competitive cricket since November last, when he played two of the three home Tests against the West Indies.

He has scored 8,051 runs in 274 one-dayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since his international debut in 2000. He was named Player of the Tournament in the World Cup last year for scoring 362 runs and grabbing 15 wickets in nine matches.

 The flamboyant left-hander has said that only four days are left for his chemotherapy.

"My last stretch 4 more days to go... can't wait for it to end set me free dear lord," Yuvraj tweeted.

Yuvraj had last month stated that the tumour between his lungs is almost out of his system.

Yuvraj, who has been in Boston since last month, is expected to be back on the field in the first week of May, according to his doctor. 

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing chemotherapy in Boston for a rare germ-cell cancer, is in the last leg of his treatment and eagerly waiting for it to end in the next four days.

The left-hander has said that only four days are left for the chemotherapy session to end. “My last stretch 4 mor dys to go Can't wait fr it to end Set me free dear lord,” he tweeted.

Last month, he said the tumour between his lungs was almost out of his system.

Yuvraj, who has been in Boston since last month, is expected to be back on the field in the first week of May, according to his doctor.

The 30-year-old has gone bald during the treatment, which will go on till the last week of March, before rehabilitation begins in April.