Osama bin Laden's letter to wife: You are apple of my eye, remarry after my death
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WASHINGTON: If President Barack Obama or his predecessor thought fighting a war with coalition partners was hard, they might consider Osama bin Laden's frustrations.
Among documents gathered from his compound in Pakistan after US Navy SEALs stormed the building and shot him to death is a lengthy complaint by the al-Qaida leader about working with Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks, "Russians of all kinds," Germans and others in his global jihad.
"Unfortunately, there is so much chaos on the ground," he wrote. "In general we suffer from unjustified divisions and alliances, which I call the 'fake commandants."
Broadly, the dozens of documents released on Wednesday by the Obama administration portray bin Laden as a leader cut off from his underlings, disappointed by their failures, beset by their complaints and regretting years of separation from much of his family. He went into hiding after al-Qaida was chased out of Afghanistan by US forces after the 9/11 attacks.
Focus your fighting on America, not each other, the al-Qaida chief exhorts his followers. In a videotaped will, he urges one of his wives, should she remarry after his death, to still choose to live beside him in paradise.
Despite some surprising quirks in the collection, the overall message of the 103 letters, videos and reports made public Wednesday hews to the terror group's familiar mission: In the name of God, find a way to kill Americans. Kill Europeans. Kill Jews.
"Uproot the obnoxious tree by concentrating on its American trunk," bin Laden writes in a letter urging al-Qaida affiliates in North Africa to not be distracted by fighting local security forces and to avoid Muslim infighting.
The infighting, however, clearly annoyed bin Laden, as did the success of American drone strikes against many of his lieutenants.
"The problem of the spying war and spying aircrafts benefited the enemy greatly and led to the killing of many jihadi cadres, leaders, and others," bin Laden wrote in an undated letter. "This is something that is concerning us and exhausting us."
He also complained about freelancers and hotheads in al-Qaida.
"They just refuse to be ordered and refuse to listen, obey, or stay where they were placed and insist on being the head," he wrote. "There are many examples of this, and if you add to them our visible mistakes, shortcomings, and weakness, you get the ingredients for divisions."
The document collection is sprinkled with telling tidbits. One says that the homemade bombs that Americans call improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are "anti-crusader devices," or ACDs.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the documents, released as online images, were among a collection of books, US think tank reports and other materials recovered in the May 2011 raid that killed bin Laden at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The information was declassified and made public after a review by government agencies, as required by a 2014 law. Hundreds more documents found at the compound will be reviewed for possible declassification and release, the office said Wednesday, four years after bin Laden's death.
The documents, as translated by US intelligence officials, mix the mundane language of business — personnel training, budget matters, financing for "workshops and collaborating groups" — with fervent religious appeals and updates on terrorism plots.
Drone strikes against al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan, the near-suffocation of the group's affiliate in Iraq beginning in 2007, and other developments severely undercut bin Laden in the years before his death. The terrorist threat shifted to al-Qaida affiliates in other areas, including in Yemen and North Africa. US officials have said that at the time of bin Laden's death al-Qaida no longer exercised the same level of control he once had.
A May 2007 letter to bin Laden from "the Jihad and Reform Front" implores him to disavow "the ongoing catastrophes and disasters" committed by al-Qaida in Iraq, the forerunner of today's Islamic State group, which strayed from al-Qaida's orders with its brutal attacks on fellow Muslims.
"If you still can, then this is your last chance to remedy the Jihad breakdown that is about to take place in Iraq," the letter warns bin Laden.
Al-Qaida did reject the splinter group, but the Islamic State kept growing, and after bin Laden's death it went on to seize a swath of Syria and Iraq, killing Muslims and Christians, beheading Westerners and drawing warplanes from a US-led international coalition to the region.
At one point, an undated "Report on External Operations" presented bin Laden with a litany of excuses for failure to reach al-Qaida's violent goals for the year, including orders to kill Jews.
"First of them was bad luck and God wasn't on our side," it says, before running through complaints about a lack of well-trained personnel, poor communications, trouble with transportation, insufficient weapons and difficulty evading security forces.
Among the terrorists' goals was an operation targeting Americans in Denmark.
Three European men were sent to carry out the plan, they report, "but we have lost our communication with them," and they may have been captured.
Their plan to overcome these obstacles was to "use new methods like using house knives, gas or gasoline or diesel tanks, and other means, such as airplanes, trains, cars as killing tools."
In a video to one of his wives, also described as bin Laden's "last will," he tells her "you are the apple of my eye, and the most precious thing that I have in this world." Bin Laden says he has no objection to her remarrying after his death, "but I really want for you to be my wife in paradise" and reminds her that a wife who has married twice "is given a choice on Judgment Day."
Among documents gathered from his compound in Pakistan after US Navy SEALs stormed the building and shot him to death is a lengthy complaint by the al-Qaida leader about working with Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks, "Russians of all kinds," Germans and others in his global jihad. "Unfortunately, there is so much chaos on the ground," he wrote. "In general we suffer from unjustified divisions and alliances, which I call the 'fake commandants."
Broadly, the dozens of documents released on Wednesday by the Obama administration portray bin Laden as a leader cut off from his underlings, disappointed by their failures, beset by their complaints and regretting years of separation from much of his family. He went into hiding after al-Qaida was chased out of Afghanistan by US forces after the 9/11 attacks.
Focus your fighting on America, not each other, the al-Qaida chief exhorts his followers. In a videotaped will, he urges one of his wives, should she remarry after his death, to still choose to live beside him in paradise.
Despite some surprising quirks in the collection, the overall message of the 103 letters, videos and reports made public Wednesday hews to the terror group's familiar mission: In the name of God, find a way to kill Americans. Kill Europeans. Kill Jews.
"Uproot the obnoxious tree by concentrating on its American trunk," bin Laden writes in a letter urging al-Qaida affiliates in North Africa to not be distracted by fighting local security forces and to avoid Muslim infighting.
The infighting, however, clearly annoyed bin Laden, as did the success of American drone strikes against many of his lieutenants.
"The problem of the spying war and spying aircrafts benefited the enemy greatly and led to the killing of many jihadi cadres, leaders, and others," bin Laden wrote in an undated letter. "This is something that is concerning us and exhausting us."
He also complained about freelancers and hotheads in al-Qaida.
"They just refuse to be ordered and refuse to listen, obey, or stay where they were placed and insist on being the head," he wrote. "There are many examples of this, and if you add to them our visible mistakes, shortcomings, and weakness, you get the ingredients for divisions."
The document collection is sprinkled with telling tidbits. One says that the homemade bombs that Americans call improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are "anti-crusader devices," or ACDs.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the documents, released as online images, were among a collection of books, US think tank reports and other materials recovered in the May 2011 raid that killed bin Laden at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The information was declassified and made public after a review by government agencies, as required by a 2014 law. Hundreds more documents found at the compound will be reviewed for possible declassification and release, the office said Wednesday, four years after bin Laden's death.
The documents, as translated by US intelligence officials, mix the mundane language of business — personnel training, budget matters, financing for "workshops and collaborating groups" — with fervent religious appeals and updates on terrorism plots.
Drone strikes against al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan, the near-suffocation of the group's affiliate in Iraq beginning in 2007, and other developments severely undercut bin Laden in the years before his death. The terrorist threat shifted to al-Qaida affiliates in other areas, including in Yemen and North Africa. US officials have said that at the time of bin Laden's death al-Qaida no longer exercised the same level of control he once had.
A May 2007 letter to bin Laden from "the Jihad and Reform Front" implores him to disavow "the ongoing catastrophes and disasters" committed by al-Qaida in Iraq, the forerunner of today's Islamic State group, which strayed from al-Qaida's orders with its brutal attacks on fellow Muslims.
"If you still can, then this is your last chance to remedy the Jihad breakdown that is about to take place in Iraq," the letter warns bin Laden.
Al-Qaida did reject the splinter group, but the Islamic State kept growing, and after bin Laden's death it went on to seize a swath of Syria and Iraq, killing Muslims and Christians, beheading Westerners and drawing warplanes from a US-led international coalition to the region.
At one point, an undated "Report on External Operations" presented bin Laden with a litany of excuses for failure to reach al-Qaida's violent goals for the year, including orders to kill Jews.
"First of them was bad luck and God wasn't on our side," it says, before running through complaints about a lack of well-trained personnel, poor communications, trouble with transportation, insufficient weapons and difficulty evading security forces.
Among the terrorists' goals was an operation targeting Americans in Denmark.
Three European men were sent to carry out the plan, they report, "but we have lost our communication with them," and they may have been captured.
Their plan to overcome these obstacles was to "use new methods like using house knives, gas or gasoline or diesel tanks, and other means, such as airplanes, trains, cars as killing tools."
In a video to one of his wives, also described as bin Laden's "last will," he tells her "you are the apple of my eye, and the most precious thing that I have in this world." Bin Laden says he has no objection to her remarrying after his death, "but I really want for you to be my wife in paradise" and reminds her that a wife who has married twice "is given a choice on Judgment Day."
IAF jet lands successfully on Yamuna expressway
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NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force has carried out a successful trial of landing a combat jet on a road runway.
The IAF's Mirage 2000 successfully landed on Yamuna expressway near Mathura on Thursday.
It's a kind of first for military aviation in India.
The aircraft landed at about 6:40am, senior IAF officers said, adding that the force has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future.
The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
For Thursday's trial, all facilities like make shift air traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set in place by the IAF.
"The operation was conducted in coordination with district magistrates and superintendents of police of Agra and Mathura," an IAF statement said.
The aircraft first made a practice approach on the highway coming down to 100 metres before landing on the next approach.
IAF officials said such landings can be carried out in emergencies if an active airport is not available under certain circumstances.
The IAF's Mirage 2000 successfully landed on Yamuna expressway near Mathura on Thursday.It's a kind of first for military aviation in India.
The aircraft landed at about 6:40am, senior IAF officers said, adding that the force has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future.
The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
For Thursday's trial, all facilities like make shift air traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set in place by the IAF.
"The operation was conducted in coordination with district magistrates and superintendents of police of Agra and Mathura," an IAF statement said.
The aircraft first made a practice approach on the highway coming down to 100 metres before landing on the next approach.
IAF officials said such landings can be carried out in emergencies if an active airport is not available under certain circumstances.
AAP govt trying to stop 'transfer-posting' industry: Manish Sisodia
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NEW DELHI: Alleging that officers were running "transfer-posting industry" in Delhi, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said the AAP government was being opposed for trying to stop it, a day after bureaucrats expressed anguish over the treatment meted out to them.
In a sharp counter-attack, Sisodia alleged that bureaucrats who were running "transfer-posting industry" in the past governments are talking about "motivating" IAS officers after retirement and added that only officials who "misuse" their position are demoralised.
"It is very interesting. In Delhi, 'transfer-posting' is a big industry and we have stopped it in last three months.
"All the transfers we have done are on the basis of eligibility and have been carried out with full honesty. This is why people are opposing us. Crores (of rupees) were made through 'transfer-posting industry' in Delhi," Sisodia told reporters.
Sisodia's statement came a day after over 100 serving and retired IAS officials of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa- Mizoram-Union Territories) cadre expressed "anguish" over the way senior officials are being treated in the ongoing tussle between the AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over appointment of officials.
The deputy chief minister also took a dig at retired IAS officials on social media website.
"Officers who were running 'transfer-posting industry' in past governments are now talking about motivating IAS officers after retirement," he said on Twitter
In a series of tweets, he said, "Each government official is working with full energy along with Chief Minister and other ministers. Their morale is high but officers who misuse their post are demoralised."
On Wednesday, in a communication to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jung told him that all the appointments made by the AAP government without his approval in the last four days were not valid, insisting that he was the sole authority in matters of ordering transfer and posting of bureaucrats.
In a prompt reply to Jung's letter to him, Kejriwal asked the Lt Governor to elaborate the provisions in the Constitution, the government of NCT of Delhi Act and transaction of business rules that give him powers to issue such directions.
NEW DELHI: Alleging that officers were running "transfer-posting industry" in Delhi, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said the AAP government was being opposed for trying to stop it, a day after bureaucrats expressed anguish over the treatment meted out to them.In a sharp counter-attack, Sisodia alleged that bureaucrats who were running "transfer-posting industry" in the past governments are talking about "motivating" IAS officers after retirement and added that only officials who "misuse" their position are demoralised.
"It is very interesting. In Delhi, 'transfer-posting' is a big industry and we have stopped it in last three months.
"All the transfers we have done are on the basis of eligibility and have been carried out with full honesty. This is why people are opposing us. Crores (of rupees) were made through 'transfer-posting industry' in Delhi," Sisodia told reporters.
Sisodia's statement came a day after over 100 serving and retired IAS officials of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa- Mizoram-Union Territories) cadre expressed "anguish" over the way senior officials are being treated in the ongoing tussle between the AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over appointment of officials.
The deputy chief minister also took a dig at retired IAS officials on social media website.
"Officers who were running 'transfer-posting industry' in past governments are now talking about motivating IAS officers after retirement," he said on Twitter
In a series of tweets, he said, "Each government official is working with full energy along with Chief Minister and other ministers. Their morale is high but officers who misuse their post are demoralised."
On Wednesday, in a communication to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jung told him that all the appointments made by the AAP government without his approval in the last four days were not valid, insisting that he was the sole authority in matters of ordering transfer and posting of bureaucrats.
In a prompt reply to Jung's letter to him, Kejriwal asked the Lt Governor to elaborate the provisions in the Constitution, the government of NCT of Delhi Act and transaction of business rules that give him powers to issue such directions.
Modiversary: How some key ministers ensure job gets done
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NEW DELHI: A fierce storm ripped power lines across the north on May 30, 2014 leaving large parts, including Delhi, in the dark. The collapsed network symbolized the fault lines in India's infrastructure story.
Coming less than a week of the NDA government taking office, the storm was a test of whether the new administration could live up to Narendra Modi's reputation for creating reliable services like he built as Gujarat CM.
The answer came in the form of power and coal minister Piyush Goyal, a first timer in the ministry, pulling an all-nighter to supervise restoration.
Spares were flown in to repair a substation in UP. Central agencies worked on repairing transformers in Delhi. Central and state officials were asked to prepare a master plan with standby supply lines and future demand scenario in mind.
Suddenly, the Centre-state boundary had melted. Micro-management by ministers and taking states on board, irrespective of political colour, is now the norm rather than exception for infrastructure ministries.
Goyal sat through the night monitoring repairs. Months later Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan personally monitored ONGC's monthly production and rollout of PAHAL, the scheme to transfer cooking gas cash subsidy directly into consumers' bank accounts.
One year is a blip for infrastructure where projects take years before they get going. But steps taken in coal, power, rail and road over the last year indicate a holistic approach, pragmatism and smart thinking.
The first indication of this approach came when Modi broke the traditional mould putting the coal, power and renewable energy ministries under one minister ending bickering over projects. Things began moving.
The past month saw some game changers: Steps separating domestic and commercial feeders through the country, reviving gas-fired generation units through a subsidy mechanism, redrawing the coal supply map for power stations to improve supply, saving time and transportation costs, ramping up coal output through incremental production from existing mines and starting new mines to achieve a target of a billion tonne of coal in coming years.
But scratch the surface and there are challenges galore. Biggest is perhaps the poor finances of state utilities in the absence of political will to revise tariffs in tune with rising costs. Funds crunch and locked investments in stranded assets can trip the wires in future.
The auction of the first batch of coal blocks drew applause for its execution in the short time after the SC verdict. But the cancellation of winning bids for two blocks and the legal wrangle has hurt business sentiment. Questions are being raised on the efficacy of the auction method and viability of projects.
While power and coal has hogged the limelight, the Railways have been quietly changing tracks. The people carrier for the first time steered away from populism, not announcing new projects - a practice that'd to do with pandering to political constituency.
Under the watch of Suresh Prabhu, focus is on completing pending remunerative projects. These are expected to ramp up carrying capacity and bring in much-needed funds for modernization.
There's new thinking on funding. Within months of the government taking office, FDI norms for railway infrastructure were eased with an eye on the huge kitty of overseas insurance and pension funds.
SPVs with states and Coal India are being formed to lay new lines. Last-mile and port connectivity are carrying more currency, the private freight terminal policy is being liberalized.
Nowhere is the government's pragmatic approach more visible than the roads ministry underNitin Gadkari. Nearly in a moribund state for years, road-building is gathering pace.
About 40 projects have been cancelled. Money has been pumped into those staggering near the finish line. Hybrid and EPC contract models were put in for new projects. Bonds are being proposed to raise funds.
There are bumps ahead. Private sector remains wary of investing in roads. Banks and FIs fight shy of funding road builders. But in the political landscape, perhaps the biggest obstacle is going to be acquisition of land.
Coming less than a week of the NDA government taking office, the storm was a test of whether the new administration could live up to Narendra Modi's reputation for creating reliable services like he built as Gujarat CM. The answer came in the form of power and coal minister Piyush Goyal, a first timer in the ministry, pulling an all-nighter to supervise restoration.
Spares were flown in to repair a substation in UP. Central agencies worked on repairing transformers in Delhi. Central and state officials were asked to prepare a master plan with standby supply lines and future demand scenario in mind.
Suddenly, the Centre-state boundary had melted. Micro-management by ministers and taking states on board, irrespective of political colour, is now the norm rather than exception for infrastructure ministries.
Goyal sat through the night monitoring repairs. Months later Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan personally monitored ONGC's monthly production and rollout of PAHAL, the scheme to transfer cooking gas cash subsidy directly into consumers' bank accounts.
One year is a blip for infrastructure where projects take years before they get going. But steps taken in coal, power, rail and road over the last year indicate a holistic approach, pragmatism and smart thinking.
The first indication of this approach came when Modi broke the traditional mould putting the coal, power and renewable energy ministries under one minister ending bickering over projects. Things began moving.
The past month saw some game changers: Steps separating domestic and commercial feeders through the country, reviving gas-fired generation units through a subsidy mechanism, redrawing the coal supply map for power stations to improve supply, saving time and transportation costs, ramping up coal output through incremental production from existing mines and starting new mines to achieve a target of a billion tonne of coal in coming years.
But scratch the surface and there are challenges galore. Biggest is perhaps the poor finances of state utilities in the absence of political will to revise tariffs in tune with rising costs. Funds crunch and locked investments in stranded assets can trip the wires in future.
The auction of the first batch of coal blocks drew applause for its execution in the short time after the SC verdict. But the cancellation of winning bids for two blocks and the legal wrangle has hurt business sentiment. Questions are being raised on the efficacy of the auction method and viability of projects.
While power and coal has hogged the limelight, the Railways have been quietly changing tracks. The people carrier for the first time steered away from populism, not announcing new projects - a practice that'd to do with pandering to political constituency.
Under the watch of Suresh Prabhu, focus is on completing pending remunerative projects. These are expected to ramp up carrying capacity and bring in much-needed funds for modernization.
There's new thinking on funding. Within months of the government taking office, FDI norms for railway infrastructure were eased with an eye on the huge kitty of overseas insurance and pension funds.
SPVs with states and Coal India are being formed to lay new lines. Last-mile and port connectivity are carrying more currency, the private freight terminal policy is being liberalized.
Nowhere is the government's pragmatic approach more visible than the roads ministry underNitin Gadkari. Nearly in a moribund state for years, road-building is gathering pace.
About 40 projects have been cancelled. Money has been pumped into those staggering near the finish line. Hybrid and EPC contract models were put in for new projects. Bonds are being proposed to raise funds.
There are bumps ahead. Private sector remains wary of investing in roads. Banks and FIs fight shy of funding road builders. But in the political landscape, perhaps the biggest obstacle is going to be acquisition of land.
Collector starts acquiring land for metro rail
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Nagpur: The district administration has started acquiring land for metro rail project. So far 10 notices have been sent to the owners.
New district collector Sachin Kurve said that three notices were sent on Wednesday. "All of them are government agencies. Two have responded saying that they wanted alternate land. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) too wants another piece of land for its 9,400 square meter land in Sitabuldi," he added.
The alternate land for State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) firing range has been identified at Bid Borgaon (taluka Hingna). The proposal has already been sent to the government.
The land to be acquired lies in Dhantoli and Sitabuldi mouzas, except the one in Nildoh required for metro rail depot. The owners of the land include revenue department, MSEDCL, New English High School Association, Central Jail Press, Patwardhan High School, Police Department and Morris College.
Kurve also informed the media that he would start a system wherein the persons who have applied for a government certificate will get updates on their mobile phones through SMSes.
Nagpur: The district administration has started acquiring land for metro rail project. So far 10 notices have been sent to the owners.New district collector Sachin Kurve said that three notices were sent on Wednesday. "All of them are government agencies. Two have responded saying that they wanted alternate land. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) too wants another piece of land for its 9,400 square meter land in Sitabuldi," he added.
The alternate land for State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) firing range has been identified at Bid Borgaon (taluka Hingna). The proposal has already been sent to the government.
The land to be acquired lies in Dhantoli and Sitabuldi mouzas, except the one in Nildoh required for metro rail depot. The owners of the land include revenue department, MSEDCL, New English High School Association, Central Jail Press, Patwardhan High School, Police Department and Morris College.
Kurve also informed the media that he would start a system wherein the persons who have applied for a government certificate will get updates on their mobile phones through SMSes.
No decision on Geelani's passport yet: Rijiju
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NEW DELHI: Union home ministry on Thursday said that passport is the right of every Indian citizen and it will process the application of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on merit when the matter is referred to it.
Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju slammed Congress for playing politics over the issue.
"I have not stated anything, and if some decision is to be taken, it will be taken in nation's interest," Kiren Rijiju said, adding, "Congress is just unnecessarily playing politics, it's not good in national interest."
The minister said that no decision had been taken on the issue as yet.
"When there will be a decision, it will be known to country, it shouldn't be made matter of controversy," Rijiju said.
Meanwhile, J&K BJP has said that it had "no difference" with its ally PDP over issuance of passport to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The state BJP said a decision on the matter would be taken by the Centre keeping in view security aspects.
"The decision to issue passport to him (Geelani) will be taken (by the Centre)... keeping in view all security aspects of it," BJP state president and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma told reporters.
NEW DELHI: Union home ministry on Thursday said that passport is the right of every Indian citizen and it will process the application of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on merit when the matter is referred to it.Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju slammed Congress for playing politics over the issue.
"I have not stated anything, and if some decision is to be taken, it will be taken in nation's interest," Kiren Rijiju said, adding, "Congress is just unnecessarily playing politics, it's not good in national interest."
The minister said that no decision had been taken on the issue as yet.
"When there will be a decision, it will be known to country, it shouldn't be made matter of controversy," Rijiju said.
Meanwhile, J&K BJP has said that it had "no difference" with its ally PDP over issuance of passport to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The state BJP said a decision on the matter would be taken by the Centre keeping in view security aspects.
"The decision to issue passport to him (Geelani) will be taken (by the Centre)... keeping in view all security aspects of it," BJP state president and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma told reporters.
India to get own version of class action lawsuits
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NEW DELHI: India is set to have a stronger consumer protection law with its own version of class action suits. As the term is usually defined, a class action suit is one in which one or several persons sue on behalf of a larger group of persons, referred to as "the class". However, the Indian version will not allow individuals to sue on behalf of a larger group, but will empower an authority to make rulings applicable to larger groups.
The new rules will incorporate a product liability clause to recall items that are unsafe and hazardous.
An informal group of ministers has cleared a proposal to establish a consumer protection authority, which will have the power to order recall of such items or recommend action against the companies to existing sector-specific regulators, and incorporate fresh provisions to make the grievance redress mechanism more consumer-friendly.
As per the proposal, the companies/producers would also have to pay compensation for damage to the consumers. TOI in November had first reported the proposal to set up consumer protection authority with sweeping powers, including taking up cases suo motu besides those referred to the agency. Moreover, it can investigate the cases and order action.
Sources said finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is heading the inter-ministerial group, has suggested to the consumer affairs ministry that to avoid any overlap among independent regulators, the proposed consumer protection authority should refer investigation report to the sector-specific regulator like Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI), Competition Commission of India (CCI) for packaged food items and the proposed Vehicle Regulation and Road Safety Authority of India for issues relating to the automobile sector.
Consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said many new suggestions have been made to make the law more consumer-friendly. Jaitley has suggested that consumers should be allowed to argue their case at every level irrespective of the amount. "He (Jaitley) has suggested it should be on the lines of civil procedure code (CPC) where a complainant can argue his case even up to the Supreme Court. The proposal floated by the consumer affairs ministry was not to allow advocates in cases involving an amount less than Rs 20 lakh," said a source.
TOI has learnt that the FM has also asked the ministry to include a provision where affidavit by a witness should be treated as enough evidence to avoid harassment of consumers. A provision will now be added minimizing cross examination. Similarly, the number of appeals will also be restricted to two.
Paswan said the informal GoM will meet again next week to finalize the bill.
"The consumer protection authority will fill the gap, which is missing now to deal with unfair trade practices except those covered under the CCI Act. The authority can conduct search, seizure of documents, articles and records. It can also summon delinquent manufacturers and advertisers and order withdrawal of false or misleading advertisements. It can also impose administrative fine on those found violating the law," said a government official.
NEW DELHI: India is set to have a stronger consumer protection law with its own version of class action suits. As the term is usually defined, a class action suit is one in which one or several persons sue on behalf of a larger group of persons, referred to as "the class". However, the Indian version will not allow individuals to sue on behalf of a larger group, but will empower an authority to make rulings applicable to larger groups.The new rules will incorporate a product liability clause to recall items that are unsafe and hazardous.
An informal group of ministers has cleared a proposal to establish a consumer protection authority, which will have the power to order recall of such items or recommend action against the companies to existing sector-specific regulators, and incorporate fresh provisions to make the grievance redress mechanism more consumer-friendly.
As per the proposal, the companies/producers would also have to pay compensation for damage to the consumers. TOI in November had first reported the proposal to set up consumer protection authority with sweeping powers, including taking up cases suo motu besides those referred to the agency. Moreover, it can investigate the cases and order action.
Sources said finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is heading the inter-ministerial group, has suggested to the consumer affairs ministry that to avoid any overlap among independent regulators, the proposed consumer protection authority should refer investigation report to the sector-specific regulator like Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI), Competition Commission of India (CCI) for packaged food items and the proposed Vehicle Regulation and Road Safety Authority of India for issues relating to the automobile sector.
Consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said many new suggestions have been made to make the law more consumer-friendly. Jaitley has suggested that consumers should be allowed to argue their case at every level irrespective of the amount. "He (Jaitley) has suggested it should be on the lines of civil procedure code (CPC) where a complainant can argue his case even up to the Supreme Court. The proposal floated by the consumer affairs ministry was not to allow advocates in cases involving an amount less than Rs 20 lakh," said a source.
TOI has learnt that the FM has also asked the ministry to include a provision where affidavit by a witness should be treated as enough evidence to avoid harassment of consumers. A provision will now be added minimizing cross examination. Similarly, the number of appeals will also be restricted to two.
Paswan said the informal GoM will meet again next week to finalize the bill.
"The consumer protection authority will fill the gap, which is missing now to deal with unfair trade practices except those covered under the CCI Act. The authority can conduct search, seizure of documents, articles and records. It can also summon delinquent manufacturers and advertisers and order withdrawal of false or misleading advertisements. It can also impose administrative fine on those found violating the law," said a government official.
2014 JEE topper wants to quit IIT for physics
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MUMBAI: Chitraang Murdia, last year's All-India JEE (Advanced) topper, is planning to quit his B.Tech course to pursue physics abroad. The Udaipur boy chose computer science at IIT-Bombay last year.
"Computer science is interesting, but my passion lies in physics. I want to do research, probably in quantum theory," said Murdia, who has got admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with scholarship, and two other top institutes.
"At a time students good in physics and maths are following the herd to seek admission to courses such as computer science and electrical engineering, Murdia is a rare example of a student pursuing his interest in pure science," said Vijay Singh, ex-professor, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR. Singh trained Murdia for International Physics Olympiad when he was in Class XII (he won the gold medal).
Currently, Murdia is doing a physics project in electron-electron interaction with Singh under the National Initiative on Undergraduate Science (NIUS). "If students interested in pure science are challenged with problems instead of just rote learning promoted by coaching institutes, then many more will be inspired to pursue science," said Singh. Programmes like NIUS are helping more students to pick up projects at the undergraduate level.
Raghu Mahajan, the 2006 IIT-JEE topper, too had quit computer science and engineering from IIT-Delhi after two years to pursue physics, said Singh, and is pursuing a PhD at Stanford. Mahajan too won a gold medal at the Olympiad and did a project under NIUS.
This year, the JEE (Main) topper from Maharashtra, Sankalp Gaur, who secured 345 marks in the exam, is keen on pursuing physics. Though he is preparing for JEE (Advanced), his father, Mukul, said his interests lie in nuclear physics and astrophysics. "He wants to join the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He might do his undergraduate programme from IIT in engineering physics."
IIT-Bombay director Devang Khakhar said many students switch subjects after the first year. Former IISc director P Balaram said it cannot be called a trend as very few good, focussed and motivated students manage to make the switch. "An average good student takes much longer to decide... Students who are exposed to competitions like the Olympiad know of the options. JEE is not a test of what students want to do. The first rank is not something a student would have planned for." He said that in India there are very few good institutes to pursue pure science and so getting in is very difficult, unlike abroad.
Subrata Ray, a retired professor with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, said job options for physics students are limited. "A candidate manages to get a secured job only when he turns 30, whereas in engineering he gets it as soon as he graduates."
Also, he said, "The government has not managed to generate interest among students equivalent to the amount of money set aside for the development of science."
MUMBAI: Chitraang Murdia, last year's All-India JEE (Advanced) topper, is planning to quit his B.Tech course to pursue physics abroad. The Udaipur boy chose computer science at IIT-Bombay last year. "Computer science is interesting, but my passion lies in physics. I want to do research, probably in quantum theory," said Murdia, who has got admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with scholarship, and two other top institutes.
"At a time students good in physics and maths are following the herd to seek admission to courses such as computer science and electrical engineering, Murdia is a rare example of a student pursuing his interest in pure science," said Vijay Singh, ex-professor, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR. Singh trained Murdia for International Physics Olympiad when he was in Class XII (he won the gold medal).
Currently, Murdia is doing a physics project in electron-electron interaction with Singh under the National Initiative on Undergraduate Science (NIUS). "If students interested in pure science are challenged with problems instead of just rote learning promoted by coaching institutes, then many more will be inspired to pursue science," said Singh. Programmes like NIUS are helping more students to pick up projects at the undergraduate level.
Raghu Mahajan, the 2006 IIT-JEE topper, too had quit computer science and engineering from IIT-Delhi after two years to pursue physics, said Singh, and is pursuing a PhD at Stanford. Mahajan too won a gold medal at the Olympiad and did a project under NIUS.
This year, the JEE (Main) topper from Maharashtra, Sankalp Gaur, who secured 345 marks in the exam, is keen on pursuing physics. Though he is preparing for JEE (Advanced), his father, Mukul, said his interests lie in nuclear physics and astrophysics. "He wants to join the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He might do his undergraduate programme from IIT in engineering physics."
IIT-Bombay director Devang Khakhar said many students switch subjects after the first year. Former IISc director P Balaram said it cannot be called a trend as very few good, focussed and motivated students manage to make the switch. "An average good student takes much longer to decide... Students who are exposed to competitions like the Olympiad know of the options. JEE is not a test of what students want to do. The first rank is not something a student would have planned for." He said that in India there are very few good institutes to pursue pure science and so getting in is very difficult, unlike abroad.
Subrata Ray, a retired professor with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, said job options for physics students are limited. "A candidate manages to get a secured job only when he turns 30, whereas in engineering he gets it as soon as he graduates."
Also, he said, "The government has not managed to generate interest among students equivalent to the amount of money set aside for the development of science."
Asia Continent Countries & Capitals, Currency with Code
Country Capital Currency Language Abkhazia Sukhumi Russian ruble(RUB) Georgian
Abkhaz
Russian Afghanistan Kabul Afghani(AFN) Pashto
Dari (Persian) Akrotiri and Dhekelia Episkopi Cantonment Euro (EUR) English
Greek Armenia Yerevan Dram (AMD) Armenian Azerbaijan Baku Manat (AZN) Azerbaijani Bahrain Manama Bahraini dinar (BHD) Arabic Bangladesh Dhaka Taka(BDT) Bengali Bhutan Thimphu Bhutanese ngultrumb(BTN) Dzongkha British Indian Ocean Territory Diego Garcia UK pound English Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei dollar (BND) Bahasa Melayu Cambodia Phnom Penh Riela (KHR) Khmer China Beijing Renminbi (yuan)(CNY) Standard Chinese Christmas Island Flying Fish Cove Australian dollar (AUD) English Cocos (Keeling) Islands West Island Australian dollar (AUD) English Cyprus Nicosia Euro (EUR) Greek
Turkish East Timor Dili United States dollarc(USD) Portuguese
Tetum Georgia Tbilisi Lari (GEL) Georgian Hong Kong Special administrative region of China Hong Kong dollar(HKD) English
Cantonese India New Delhi Indian rupee (INR) Hindi
English Indonesia Jakarta Indonesian rupiah (IDR) Indonesian Iran Tehran Rial (IRR) Persian Iraq Baghdad Iraqi dinar (IQD) Kurdish
Arabic Israel Jerusalem Israeli new shekel (ILS) Hebrew
English
Arabic Japan Tokyo Yen (JPY) Japanese Jordan Amman Jordanian dinar (JOD) Arabic Kazakhstan Astana Tenge (KZT) Kazakh
Russian Kurdistan Erbil Dinar Kurdish Kuwait Kuwait City Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) Arabic Kyrgyzstan Bishkek Som (KGS) Kyrgyz
Russian Laos Vientiane Kip (LAK) Lao Lebanon Beirut Lebanese pound (LBP) Arabic Macau Special administrative region of China Macanese pataca(MOP) Portuguese
Cantonese Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Ringgit (MYR) Malaysian Maldives Malé Maldivian rufiyaa(MVR) Maldivian Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Tögrög (MNT) Mongolian Myanmar (Burma) Naypyidaw Kyat (MMK) Burmese Nagorno-Karabakh Stepanakert Armenian dram (AMD) Armenian Nepal Kathmandu Nepalese rupee (NPR) Nepali Northern Cyprus Nicosia Turkish lira (TRY) Turkish North Korea Pyongyang North Korean won (KPW) Korean Oman Muscat Rial (OMR) Arabic Pakistan Islamabad Pakistani rupee (PKR) English
Urdu Palestine East Jerusalem Egyptian pound (EGP)
Israeli new sheqel (ILS)
Jordanian dinar(JOD) Arabic Philippines Manila Philippine Peso (PHP) Filipino
English Qatar Doha Riyal (QAR) Arabic Saudi Arabia Riyadh Saudi riyal (SAR) Arabic Singapore Singapore Singapore dollar (SGD) English
Chinese
Malay
Tamil South Korea Seoul South Korean won
(KRW) Korean South Ossetia Tskhinvali Russian ruble (RUB) Ossetic
Georgian
Russian Sri Lanka Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) Sinhala
Tamil Syria Damascus Syrian pound (SYP) Arabic Taiwan Taipei New Taiwan dollar(TWD) Standard Chinese Tajikistan Dushanbe Somoni (TJS) Tajik Thailand Bangkok Baht (THB) Thai Turkey Ankara Turkish lira(TRY) Turkish Turkmenistan Ashgabat Turkmen new manat(TMT) Turkmen United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi UAE dirham (AED) Arabic Uzbekistan Tashkent Uzbekistan som(UZS) Uzbek Vietnam Hanoi đồng (VND) Vietnamese Yemen Sana’a Yemeni rial (YER) Arabic
| Country | Capital | Currency | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia | Sukhumi | Russian ruble(RUB) | Georgian Abkhaz Russian |
| Afghanistan | Kabul | Afghani(AFN) | Pashto Dari (Persian) |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Episkopi Cantonment | Euro (EUR) | English Greek |
| Armenia | Yerevan | Dram (AMD) | Armenian |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | Manat (AZN) | Azerbaijani |
| Bahrain | Manama | Bahraini dinar (BHD) | Arabic |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka | Taka(BDT) | Bengali |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | Bhutanese ngultrumb(BTN) | Dzongkha |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Diego Garcia | UK pound | English |
| Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | Brunei dollar (BND) | Bahasa Melayu |
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh | Riela (KHR) | Khmer |
| China | Beijing | Renminbi (yuan)(CNY) | Standard Chinese |
| Christmas Island | Flying Fish Cove | Australian dollar (AUD) | English |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | West Island | Australian dollar (AUD) | English |
| Cyprus | Nicosia | Euro (EUR) | Greek Turkish |
| East Timor | Dili | United States dollarc(USD) | Portuguese Tetum |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Lari (GEL) | Georgian |
| Hong Kong | Special administrative region of China | Hong Kong dollar(HKD) | English Cantonese |
| India | New Delhi | Indian rupee (INR) | Hindi English |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | Indonesian rupiah (IDR) | Indonesian |
| Iran | Tehran | Rial (IRR) | Persian |
| Iraq | Baghdad | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Kurdish Arabic |
| Israel | Jerusalem | Israeli new shekel (ILS) | Hebrew English Arabic |
| Japan | Tokyo | Yen (JPY) | Japanese |
| Jordan | Amman | Jordanian dinar (JOD) | Arabic |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | Tenge (KZT) | Kazakh Russian |
| Kurdistan | Erbil | Dinar | Kurdish |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) | Arabic |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | Som (KGS) | Kyrgyz Russian |
| Laos | Vientiane | Kip (LAK) | Lao |
| Lebanon | Beirut | Lebanese pound (LBP) | Arabic |
| Macau | Special administrative region of China | Macanese pataca(MOP) | Portuguese Cantonese |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Ringgit (MYR) | Malaysian |
| Maldives | Malé | Maldivian rufiyaa(MVR) | Maldivian |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | Tögrög (MNT) | Mongolian |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Naypyidaw | Kyat (MMK) | Burmese |
| Nagorno-Karabakh | Stepanakert | Armenian dram (AMD) | Armenian |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Nepalese rupee (NPR) | Nepali |
| Northern Cyprus | Nicosia | Turkish lira (TRY) | Turkish |
| North Korea | Pyongyang | North Korean won (KPW) | Korean |
| Oman | Muscat | Rial (OMR) | Arabic |
| Pakistan | Islamabad | Pakistani rupee (PKR) | English Urdu |
| Palestine | East Jerusalem | Egyptian pound (EGP) Israeli new sheqel (ILS) Jordanian dinar(JOD) | Arabic |
| Philippines | Manila | Philippine Peso (PHP) | Filipino English |
| Qatar | Doha | Riyal (QAR) | Arabic |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Saudi riyal (SAR) | Arabic |
| Singapore | Singapore | Singapore dollar (SGD) | English Chinese Malay Tamil |
| South Korea | Seoul | South Korean won (KRW) | Korean |
| South Ossetia | Tskhinvali | Russian ruble (RUB) | Ossetic Georgian Russian |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) | Sinhala Tamil | |
| Syria | Damascus | Syrian pound (SYP) | Arabic |
| Taiwan | Taipei | New Taiwan dollar(TWD) | Standard Chinese |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | Somoni (TJS) | Tajik |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Baht (THB) | Thai |
| Turkey | Ankara | Turkish lira(TRY) | Turkish |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | Turkmen new manat(TMT) | Turkmen |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | UAE dirham (AED) | Arabic |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | Uzbekistan som(UZS) | Uzbek |
| Vietnam | Hanoi | đồng (VND) | Vietnamese |
| Yemen | Sana’a | Yemeni rial (YER) | Arabic |
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