The Lord Defeats Evil Forces in His Temple

Krishna Guruvayoorappa!


What is revealed in the ongoing ‘Devaprasnam’ in Guruvayoor , is the direct views of Guruvayoorappan . In fact , the `Prasnam' started after duly invoking Bhagavan .

Guruvayoorappan is Maha-Vishnu's Deity Incarnation

Just before Bhagavan Krishna's return to Vaikuntam, He had incarnated as the Deity of Guruvayoorappan, to save His Bhaktas in the tough Kali-Yuga . Guruvayoorappan is a highly interactive Deity ; and is communicating through chosen mediums . We can't find this live phenomenon in any other temple. As instructed by Bhagavan, Adi Shankaracharya had put in place, specific Vedic rituals and regulatory principles for the Temple. Vedic rituals are performed in the purest form here.

Evil Designs to Desecrate the Temple

Unfortunately, in recent times , atheistic Politicians have seized control of the Temple administration and installed their evil comrades in key posts . They decided to change the strict `Kshethra- Aachaaras ` ( sacred Rituals & Practices of the Temple) to loot it's wealth ( second richest in India) . A Temple-Thief desecrates the Deity , before stealing it . However, the renowned Guruvayoor Thanthri ( Temple- Acharya) Raman Namboothirippadu refused to change the ``Kshethra- Aachaaras ` and this infuriated the God-haters . They isolated the revered Thanthri and created several controversies to dethrone him.

Propaganda War against Thanthri

1.Udayasthamana Puja' Changes

Last year, the Devaswom Board decided to change the format of the Main offering "Udayasthamana-Puja " in to a token Pooja ( Collecting money from 10 devotees for a single Item) . Thanthri opposed this evil move but the Board remained adamant . The traditional Temple-staff supported the Thantri and the issue became serious . At last , fearing a rejection by the court , the Board withdrew from the move .

2.Demand for the Entry of Yesudas

K.J. Yesudas , the popular play back singer is a Christian . The question of his temple- entry , had come up in the past too , but then Yesudas refused to give in writing, he has faith in ` Deity worship' and `Kshetra-Aachaaras'. ( Since an undertaking would ex-communicate him from own Christian religion. )

Ignoring the above facts, the fiery Communist Devaswom Minister wrote a public letter to Devaswom President , asking to respectfully invite Yesudas for having darshan inside Guruvaoor Temple . The President , a loyal Communist personally obediently agreed with the Minister and presented the issue in Devaswom director board . But, the Thanthri opposed this anti-Vedic move. And the Devaswom Minister reluctantly withdrew his letter to save face . But he made venomous statements against the Temple's so called "Feudalistic Traditions”, which became the talk of the town.

3. `Punyaham' (Purification ritual) Controversy

Vayalar Ravi , the Central Minister is a Hindu , but his wife is a Christian . A few months back, his son entered Guruvayoor temple to perform, "Choroonu" (First Feeding) ceremony of his child. After this ceremony, a ` Punyaham' was conducted, as recommended by the Thanthri . This was in accordance with the Termple-rules in place (established by Adi Shankaracharya ) .

The revengeful Temple-Reformers, took this opportunity to attack the Thantri and the `Kshetra – Aachaaras' . They unleashed a series of massive agitations ( Guruvayoor Satyagraha – 2 , etc) . Critics led by the abusive Devaswom Minister, self styled "Literary- Legend " Sukumar Azhikkode , and chosen Hindu-Traitors made vulgar speeches against the Thanthri . They claimed that given an opportunity, Guruvayoorappan will kick out the "despot Thanthri " . (Though they claimed to have never worshipped in any temple) .

In order to keep-up the "Secular image" (at the cost of Hinduism as usual) , various Political parties and Social organizations , demanded to amend "Kshetra-Aachaaraas" to permit , entry of Non-Hindus inside Guruvayoor Temple . It was agreed by all these "Secularists” to convene an "Acharya Sabha" (Assembly of Vedic Gurus and Experts) to amend the Guruvayoor `Kshetra-Acharas' , for facilitating entry of Non-Hindus .

Although, the pure Bhakthas loyal to Guruvayoorappan were opposed to such changes, all they could do was to pray for Bhagavan's intervention.

4 . Total Isolation of Gurvayoor Thanthri

Buoyed by the success of their atheistic campaign , the Reformist Devaswom Board Administrators , practically sidelined the Thanthri and started taking decisions at their will.

• The Board President issued a public apology condemning the Thantri's decision to perform "Punyaham " after the temple- entry of Minister's son .

• The Board announced the decision to amend the existing dress codes . Women will be allowed to enter the temple wearing Churidar . ( They forcefully grabbed it's consent from the Thanthri ) .

• The Board announced that , they are in agreement to permit the entry of Non-Hindus in the temple . Also , as part of their policy " Manava Seva is Madhava Seva " , they intend to spend Devaswam Funds to develop "Facilities" outside the Temple . And, they will arrange a "Devaprasnam " to obtain Deity's permission for the proposed Amendments and New Schemes . (A clever move to overrule the Thanthri so as to go ahead with their Evil plans ) .

Guruvayoorappan's Divine INSTRUCTIONS ( Revealed in Devaprasnam )

1. No change to the `Kshetra-Aachaaraas' . No entry to Non-Hindus . No Change to the Dress Codes . No Authority will Change the Aachaaraas.
2. Thanthri must be allowed to perform His duties freely . His recommendations must be implemented promptly .
3. Devawom Board’s Top men including Directors, Officials and Staff are Corrupt and Sinners. Bhagavan will crush the Culprits.
4. Bhagavan doesn't want any inconvenience to His Bhaktas . Cost of Offerings must be reduced to Help His Bhaktas . Devaswom Shelters must be constructed to accommodate Old and Orphan Bhakthas .
5. Daily Income & Expense of the Temple must be read out to Bhagavan , prior to closure of Temple . Bhagavan is furious at the efforts to cheat Him .

Om Namo Narayanaya

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Indian Marxists and their evil designs

By Col (retd) Anil Athale

Karl Marx took a dim view of India and its heritage.

Writing in the New York Tribune dated June 25, 1853 (quoted in Lewis S Feuer edited Marx and Engels Basic Writings, Anchor Books, NY 1959, pp. 474-481) he claimed that the ‘Golden Age’ of India was all myth and India was always a poor starving country. He further went on to admire and appreciate the British for destroying the Indian village industry and economy so that India could ‘modernise’.

But to the Indian communists, the words of Marx are like commandments from God. Their devotion to the dead communism can be seen on the walls of Calcutta, possibly the only city in the world where you can find pictures of Marx, Lenin and Stalin displayed with pride.
Following the footsteps of Marx, the Indian communists have deep hatred of anything Indian and are opponents of any kind of pride in Indian heritage. The communists also hold that India is not one nation but a ‘collection of nationalities’.

Another major tenet of Indian Marxist’s orthodoxy is that for national reconstruction you have to first destroy the existing nation.

The communists have had many ideological splits. Communists in India are splintered into several groupings like the CPI, CPM, CPI (M-L), Maoists and the People’s War Group. But despite several ‘historical blunders’ that they keep committing with regularity, they have all remained steadfast to the twin agenda of weakening and destroying the existing Indian nation and obliterate the ‘bourgeois’ notion of pride in India’s past.

Thus in 1942 the communists not just supported the British but also acted as their stool pigeons. Many underground revolutionaries were betrayed to the British secret police, who went on to hang them. George Orwell has written extensively on this subject and evidence of this is littered in declassified files of British India, now available at India Office Library and Records in London.
Subhas Chandra Bose, who fought for Indian freedom and was no Japanese stooge, was denounced as fascist and vilified by the Marxists. In today’s communist-ruled Bengal, the towering contributions of Swami Vivekananda are a distant memory and sought to be pushed out of public memory. Neither is Aurobindo Ghosh remembered. All the three are inconvenient to Marxist ideology.

The communists began their offensive against India right from the time of Independence. The Telangana armed uprising was a direct challenge to the newly independent nation. Unfortunately for the Marxists, under the efficient and ruthless Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian police and armed forces crushed the rebellion with ease. The Naxalite uprising in 1970 met a similar fate.

Most of the time, the communists mask their real agenda under a constant propaganda about their concern for poor. It is another matter that in their disclosure to the election commission most ‘champions of poor’ Communists happen to be millionaires several times over. (The Statesman, April 22, 2004. Somnath Chatterji’s declared assets exceed Rs 5 crore).
The Marxists participate in and use the democratic process but constantly deride Indian democracy vis a vis Chinese one party rule. Marxists wear a mask of nationalism but the mask sometimes slips, as in 1962 during the Chinese attack on India when the Marxists came out openly on the side of the Chinese.

On November 13, 1962 while replying to the discussions in the Rajya Sabha, Lal Bahadur Shastri pointed out that Jyoti Basu equated India with China during the war and called the Chinese aggression as provoked by Indian statements and “across an imaginary line called MacMohan line”. But the Marxists were not merely satisfied with words. Kalimpong town had become a den of Chinese spies. Every move of the Indian army was monitored and reported to the enemy. Like in 1942, the communists played a major role in helping the Chinese.
The long-time ideological opponents of Indian nationalism painted a frightening scenario when India tested nuclear weapons in 1998. They had greeted with a deafening silence each of the 45 declared nuclear tests carried out by China since 1964. How come that throughout this feverish pursuit by China of the means of nuclear deterrence, the Indian communists never showed the slightest anxiety about a possible outbreak of a nuclear war in Asia? The answer lies in their conviction that China's policy stemmed from genuine nationalism as distinguished from India's alleged pseudo-nationalism.

The Chinese ideologues, until now, did not manipulate their admirers in India. This was dictated by Chinese pessimism about the future of the communist movement in India. More relevantly, the Chinese communists did not fail to notice that the CPM and the CPI did not have 10 per cent of the seats in the Parliament in the 13 General Elections held so far. But after the last elections which left a trifurcated verdict, the Marxists have gained a whip hand at the centre.
While it is difficult to reverse the nuclearisation that has taken place in India, the Marxists have found a way out.

The Common Minimum Programme talks about changing the Indo-Israel relations. The allusion is directly to the defence relationship. It is through this that India had been promised the Falcon airborne system that would give India a decided advantage over China and Pakistan in air battles. China too wanted this system but the contract was cancelled under American pressure. Now by downgrading relations with US, the Marxists wish to cripple Indian defence and help China.

In all their plans of spreading communism in India, the Marxists believe that the strong Indian armed forces are the biggest obstacle. Their hatred of the armed forces is seen through many petty acts that the West Bengal government regularly inflicts on the armed forces personnel. Presently the Indian army seems to be getting an upper hand over the Pakistani sponsored terrorists thanks to the infantry equipment and training co-ordination with Israelis. The Marxists hope that severing this link will automatically weaken the armed forces, their biggest adversary.

The Cold War has been over for over a decade now. During that period, Indian and Soviet interests coincided and the two had a quasi-alliance for over 25 years. The Indo-Soviet Friendship treaty of 1971 stood the test of time.

In the new millennium India faces an unstable Pakistan to the west and a rising China that lays claims to the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh to the north and east. And while Chinese naval expansion proceeds at a hectic pace, Beijing does not miss any opportunity to check/thwart India at all international forums.

The US is concerned over the rise of China and its internal stability. It is interested in ensuring the rise of India to balance China in Asia. The US is also affected by Islamist terrorism and is fearful of Talibanisation of Pakistan.

These basic and fundamental national interests of US and India converge and are likely to remain for most of 21st century. The US-India strategic partnership was hamstrung by the domestic American legislation that denied technology to India due to her non-adherence to NPT. The present nuclear deal (Full Coverage) is an effort to overcome that hurdle and forge a strategic partnership between the two. Technical experts, scientists and bureaucrats have worked for over two years to hammer out a successful treaty.

The Indo-US nuclear deal (Full Coverage) is opposed by Pakistan, China and al Qaeda. It is indeed surprising that some Indian political parties with frozen mindsets, opportunism or ideological anti-national orientation are also opposing this deal. A canard is being spread that an economically powerful and nuclear weapons armed India is thus likely to be subservient to the US. India has withstood its ground in worse times. It appears that these political forces are more concerned about the interest of China rather than their own country.

It is time the Indian citizens raised their voice and nullified the evil designs of parties who had sided with the enemy when our jawans were dying on the Himalayan border in 1962.

About the Author :
Col. (retd) Anil A Athale is a Fellow at the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research. A former Joint Director (History Division) and infantryman, he has been running an NGO, Peace and Disarmament, based in Pune for the past 10 years. As a military historian he specialises in insurgency and peace process.

Black Tea and Vada

The neo-liberalists in the CPI(M), led by State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, might have bid good bye to the era of privatisation, when communists, dreaming of nothing but a classless society and the total power of the proletariat, used to live on black tea, dal vada and beedis. But the faction of hardliners in the party headed by Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan still think that these symbols of frugality are icons to be tattooed on the chests of communists. At least, this is the message the hardliners are trying to convey to the neo-liberalist camp when they serve black tea and vada at party programmes.

CPI(M) central committee member and a trusted lieutenant of Pinarayi Vijayan in the group war EP Jayarajan had some time back commented at a party function that the efforts to build up the party with black coffee, dal vadas and beedis were senseless acts. "There are some people who think that the party could be developed that way. If the party is built up that way, the communist party will not get people to join it," he said.

As this statement gained popularity among the media, Jayarajan naturally began to receive criticisms to the effect that a leader of a proletarian party was speaking like a bourgeois. But he commented that the media was bent on destroying him and his leader Pinarayi and that was why they were reporting his speeches in distorted manner.

As it often happens with him, Jayarajan did not leave the matter there, but took it to the streets once again. On August 15, while inaugurating an Independence Day programme organised by the party's youth wing DYFI in Thrissur, he attacked the media for distorting his comment on black tea and vada. He tried to be a little bit humourous, saying that since his comment, vada's market had gone up. Indeed, certain Comrades on the very same moment were savouring scalding hot black tea and eating chilly-mixed dal vada at the same programme. More than hundred participants had got the treat given by, undoubtedly, those comrades who did not like Jayarajan and his anti-black tea theory.

The black-tea,vada programme has since then spread into other parts of the State with several instances of such treats at party programmes being reported from Palakkad districts in the last one week. Reports also suggest that vada and black tea are hot favourites at party functions in other parts of the State also.

At the same time, VS-loyalists in the party are seeing the comment made by Jayarajan, removed as general manager of party organ Desabhimani for receiving Rs 2 crore slush funds as deposit from lottery king Santiago Martin, as a clear sign of how the neo-liberalists led by Pinarayi Vijayan had adopted a neo-rich culture. "It is true that they-the likes of Jayarajan-don't want to have any part in a movement that is composed of people who smell of sweat.
The economy might have undergone several changes, but the communist party is basically the party of the working masses. Jayarajans will never understand this," fumed a VS-loyalist.

More Heat for Indian Outsourcers

Senators Grassley and Durbin release more data showing that Tata, Infosys, and others are using U.S. work visas to their advantage

As a revamped immigration reform bill heads to the Senate floor this week, opponents of outsourcing are again turning up the heat on companies they say are exploiting U.S. visa programs to send jobs abroad and to hire cheaper, non-American tech workers. On June 26, Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released information revealing that foreign outsourcing firms that use the high-skilled H1-B visa program extensively are also among the heaviest users of another category, known as L visas.

Durbin and Grassley say these companies are abusing the L visa program, which is intended to allow multinationals to transfer foreign managers and specialists within a company to U.S. offices. The Senators allege that outsourcing firms are not engaging in transferring at all, but instead are hiring foreign workers expressly to bring them to the U.S.—and to take the place of American workers. The newly released data show that of the top 20 L visa users in fiscal year 2006, 14 are offshore outsourcing firms, including Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computer Services (SAY), Wipro (WIT), Infosys Technologies (INFY), Patni Computer Systems (PTI), and Accenture (ACN).

"Clear" Evidence

"It's clear that foreign outsourcing firms are abusing the system and we can't let that continue," said Senator Durbin in a statement. Representatives of Tata, Wipro, Infosys, and other top outsourcing firms could not be reached immediately for comment.

Durbin and Grassley obtained the information on L visa users from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services after requesting it in a June 13 letter. The data show, for example, that Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy obtained 4,887 L visas in fiscal year 2006, the most of any firm, American or Indian. "I find it hard to believe that any one company has that many individuals…legitimately being transferred within a single year," said Durbin.
A spokesman for Tata denies any wrongdoing and says that the company is willing to cooperate with Durbin to clear up any misunderstanding. "We're complying with the law and with the regulations," says the spokesman. "We want to work with Congress to address any issues they may have."

The Senators' latest missive comes just over a month after they launched their own investigation into the Indian outsourcers' activities in the U.S. On May 14, Durbin and Grassley sent letters to nine of the outsourcing firms, requesting information about how they use H-1B visas . That program was originally set up so U.S. companies could hire foreign workers with rare skills, but in recent years the most active users of the program have become outsourcing firms, led by Infosys and Wipro. Durbin and Grassley have said that this is evidence the program is being used to outsource American jobs to India.

Furious Reaction

Critics say the L visa program could allow for even more abuse than the H1-B program, which allows high-skilled workers to come to the U.S. for up to six years. While H1-B visas are capped at 65,000 per year, there is no annual limit to the number of L visas, and while H1-B visa workers must receive the prevailing wage, there is no such requirement for L visas. The number of such visas issued has increased from 39,886 in 2001 to 53,144 in 2006.
To address the problem, Durbin and Grassley are proposing an amendment to the revised comprehensive immigration reform bill, expected to reach the Senate floor for debate next week. The amendment calls for a prohibition on using the H1-B and L visas while outsourcing jobs abroad, and it limits a company's total H1-B and L visa use to no more than 50% of its workforce. The amendment also calls for the Labor Dept. to set the prevailing wage for visa workers, instead of employers, requiring employers to demonstrate a failure to hire Americans before being awarded visas. Durbin and Grassley originally tried to include these provisions in another amendment proposed by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). But ultimately they decided on a separate proposal with what they consider to be more stringent protections for U.S. workers.

The reaction from India has been furious. The Indian outsourcing firms feel they are the victims of political scapegoating and say that what they are doing is helping their American clients to become more competitive. Kamal Nath, India's commerce and industry minister, has said that the two senators are interfering with free trade, since one of India's most important exports is the services of its tech companies

Debate Continues

The Indian firms have also raised questions about whether Durbin and Grassley have any place in the current discussion. They say that the flow of Indian workers into the U.S. is essentially a trade issue and therefore should be negotiated by the Bush Administration under the rubric of the World Trade Organization. In a letter to Durbin and Grassley on May 30, Nasscom, the organization that represents India's software and services companies, pointedly noted that trade between the two countries flows both ways and that India's tech industry buys products from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), and Dell (DELL)
American tech companies have largely supported the idea of more visas for temporary workers, for themselves and for Indian tech companies. But that may be changing. Microsoft and Oracle have begun to voice support for the effort to reform of the visa system to prevent abuse . Still, Compete America, a coalition of tech companies that includes Microsoft and Oracle, issued a statement June 20 in support of the Cantwell-Kyl bill.

The debate is sure to intensify in the days ahead. On June 26, the Senate took the first step toward reconsideration of the comprehensive immigration bill—taken off the floor for retooling June 7. The senators voted to move forward on bringing the legislation to the Senate floor. There, in the coming days, the battle over the fate of immigrants, high-skilled and not, will be decided.

Crackdown on Indian Outsourcing Firms

Two senators are probing how Indian outsourcing firms use U.S. work visas, with an eye on new restrictions.Concerns about foreign companies that benefit from a visa program designed to make the U.S. more competitive are taking center stage in Washington, with two senators demanding explanations from overseas users of the system. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) on May 14 sent letters to nine foreign outsourcing companies requesting detailed information on how they use temporary work visas, known as H-1Bs, to bring foreign workers into the U.S.

Critics say outsourcing firms, including Infosys Technologies (INFY) and Wipro (WIT), are using the visas to replace U.S. employees with foreign workers, often cycling overseas staff through U.S. training programs before sending them back into jobs at home. The lawmakers are intent on probing whether those allegations are accurate. "Supporters claim the goal of the H-1B program is to help the American economy by allowing U.S. companies to hire needed foreign workers," Durbin said in a statement. "The reality is that too many H-1B visas are being used to facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries."

In outlining the investigation, Durbin and Grassley are making details of the visa program public for the first time, including the number of visas awarded to non-U.S. companies. The nine firms, led by Infosys and Wipro, use 19,512 of the H-1B visas, or 30% of the 65,000 visas allowed each year. This indicates that Indian outsourcing companies participate more actively than previously thought, garnering for themselves visas that could otherwise go to U.S. firms. "This is information that we never had before," says Ron Hira, a public policy professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied the issue closely.A Polarizing Issue
The revelations could play into the hands of opponents of the H-1B program as the political battle over immigration heats up. President George W. Bush and many other lawmakers want comprehensive immigration reform this year, reform that would address both low-skill workers, largely from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and high-skill workers, many from India and China. Chances of a compromise over the highly contentious matter of low-skilled workers already look slim. The move by Durbin and Grassley may make resolution of issues on the high-skill front equally unlikely.

Until recently, the discussion over high-skill immigration has centered largely on how to bring in more foreign workers adept at such jobs as software development. Technology companies, from Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC) to Motorola (MOT) and Qualcomm (QCOM), have argued that the U.S. should offer more work visas for noncitizens to improve its competitiveness.
In March, Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates went to Washington to make the case to Congress. "Simply put: It makes no sense to tell well-trained, highly skilled individuals—many of whom are educated at our top colleges and universities—that the United States does not welcome or value them," he said. "For too many foreign students and professionals, however, our immigration policies send precisely this message."

Many Indian Applicants

Yet evidence on the H-1B visa program paints a contrasting picture. As BusinessWeek first reported in February, Indian outsourcing companies have become by far the most active applicants for H-1B visas. The data, just then released, showed that seven of the top 10 applicants for H-1Bs in fiscal 2006 were Indian outsourcers, led by Infosys and Wipro.
Officials at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services would not disclose which firms actually received the visas, but they said there was no reason to believe that the number awarded differed greatly from the number applied for. They said the visas are awarded on a "first-come, first-served" basis and no preference was given to U.S. companies.

At the time, Wipro officials said they used the visas to enhance the competitiveness of clients, many of whom work in the U.S. Laxman Badiga, the company's chief information officer, said that of its 4,000 employees in the U.S., roughly 2,500 were on H-1B visas. Each year, 1,000 new temporary workers come to the U.S. to develop their skills in serving U.S. clients, while 1,000 rotate home. Wipro says the training allows the firm to more effectively help its clients. "Our goal is to make our customers more competitive," said Badiga in February. A Wipro spokesman did not provide an official to comment for this story.Taking a "Hard Look"
Just how much the program advances U.S. competitiveness will come under closer scrutiny now. Durbin and Grassley have taken a much harder-edged approach to high-skill immigration than their parties have in the past. The senators say they want to ensure temporary worker programs can't be used to take advantage of American workers. "Considering the high amount of fraud and abuse in the visa program, we need to take a good, hard look at the employers who are using H-1B visas and how they are using them," says Grassley.

The letters probe a number of areas, including whether workers brought into the U.S. on H-1B visas are paid less that comparable American workers, a disparity that could drive down overall wages. The senators ask whether the visas are being used to train people in jobs that will later be moved back to India or other countries. And they request data on American workers who may have been laid off as H-1B workers have been hired.

"We are concerned that the program is not being used as Congress intended," wrote Durbin and Grassley in a letter to Nandan Nilekani, the chief executive of Infosys. Infosys did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Law Limitations

Durbin and Grassley have introduced legislation that make a number of changes in the temporary worker programs. The most radical change would be a requirment that companies applying for the visas attempt to hire U.S. workers first. Currently, applicants need to pledge to pay the prevailing wage, but they don't need to make any effort to hire Americans. The legislation would also require companies to pay higher wages to temporary workers and tighten oversight of the visa programs.

But resolving differences over the program won't be easy. It's not as simple as making the H-1B program more restrictive. U.S. tech companies have struggled to bring in enough workers to fill jobs in specialized fields. Even if foreign outsourcers are stopped from using the visas, there will continue to be shortages. This year, the 65,000 annual cap for H-1Bs was filled in less than two days.

Nor is there an easy distinction between U.S. and non-U.S. firms. While Durbin and Grassley's investigation is focused on Indian outsourcing firms, U.S. companies may very well be using the visas for much the same thing. Among the most active applicants for H-1B visas are Accenture (ACN) and Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH). Both are officially headquartered in the U.S., but they have extensive outsourcing operations in India.

Top 20 Users of L Visas in US

L visas allow employees to enter the United States temporarily for work. Here is a look at the top 20 companies that used these visas in the federal government's fiscal year 2006.Company name links to more info Visas granted

1 TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED 4887
2 COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS 3520
3 IBM CORP. 1237
4 SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES 950
5 WIPRO LTD 839
6 HCL AMERICA INC 511
7 DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP/ DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP 512
8 PATNI COMPUTER SYSTEMS INC 440
9 INTEL CORP. 394
10 KANBAY INC. 329
11 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL 320
12 HEWLETT-PACKARD 316
13 INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES 294
14 ACCENTURE LLP 291
15 CARITOR INC 231
16 SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORP 214
17 ORACLE 176
18 SYNTEL LTD 171
19 PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS 168
20 MICROSOFT CORP. 168

Swell waves attack again

Swell waves created panic in several parts of Alappuzha and Kollam districts on Monday as strong waves caused widespread damage to houses along the coastal area. The Arattupuzha-Valiyazheekkal Beach Road was damaged due to the attack by strong waves, and traffic had to be stopped on this route.

The swell wave attack was intense also in areas like Thanni, Eravipuram and Azheekkal. In Ervaipuram, six houses were destroyed totally and more than 20 houses suffered partial damages. Sea erosion was intense also in Paravur and Kakkathoppe and Kaleekkal near Chavara.

Tharayikkadavu in Arattupuzha, Amaballpuzha and Punnapra also suffered sea erosion. In these areas, scores of coconut trees on the beach were uprooted due to strong waves.

Global terror groups off Kerala coastline

Central intelligence agencies have warned the Kerala Government and the State intelligence unit about the reported smuggling of narcotic substances like hashish and ganja through the State with the help of Maoists in Andhra Pradesh and the LTTE.

Recently, an abandoned sack was found in a railway station in Alappuzha district that had led to a police investigation, and according to sources, the police were not able to crack the case. After newspaper reports and inputs from the State intelligence, the Central intelligence agencies had conducted a detailed inquiry into the same and had come to some startling conclusions.

According to the warning from Central intelligence agencies, banned drugs are being cultivated in the forests of Andhra Pradesh with the support of Maoists operating actively there. Once the plants are ripe the drugs are extracted and are transported to Kerala, which presently serves as the hub for the transfer of these drugs to international destinations. The help of the LTTE, which has a sizeable wing operating in the seas, is sought for the international transfer of these drugs.

As per Top intelligence sources , "The cadre of LTTE, which has specific interests along the Kerala coast line, are the major transporters and conduit in the transfer of these drugs. This is seen as a source purely for the sake of generating funds."

Sources also said that once these contraband drugs reached foreign shores their value would multiply and sometimes these fetched a hundred-fold more than what it fetched within India .
The Central intelligence agencies have already informed the State intelligence machinery about the need to act fast and efficiently to counter this threat from an international organisation ganging up with other groups with terror leanings within the country.

Intelligence personnel are also worried about the presence of LTTE on the shores of Kerala. The recent capturing of some Tamil Nadu-based fishermen and a Kerala boat driver by the LTTE has already become a cause for worry for the intelligence agencies.

The agencies are of the opinion that organisations like the LTTE, when they get a foothold, will try to convert that route for conducting further operations within the country.

Kerala with its booming economy and the presence of several players in the emerging market is turning into a destination for the terror groups which could harm the socio-political scenario of the State, sources worry.

A senior police officer, however, said, "There is not much to worry about this disclosure from intelligence agencies. It is their duty to report but the State police has already taken some important measures regarding the same, the contents of which cannot be disclosed to the media."

There were also unconfirmed reports that LTTE activities are going on in certain camps run by the migrant labours from Tamil Nadu. Intelligence sources revealed that most of the antecedents of those staying in such camps had not been properly ascertained.

Guruvayoor Temple Tantri speaks out

There is no negation of the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936 in the performance of the Punyaham ritual after the entry of Ravi Krishna, son of Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, temple Thantri Chennas Raman Namboothiripad told this website's newspaper.

“As the Thantri of the temple, I am only bound to act upon the existing laws and I am performing the rituals as per the tradition and custom at the temple and I am ready to face prosecution for performing a ritual as per the existing tradition and custom of the temple. It is not the Thantri who escorted Ravi Krishna to the temple.

The Devaswom officals who received Ravi Krishna should have sought the clarification as a Punyaham had been performed earlier after his entry to the temple in 2000.”, the Thantri said.The Punyaham was performed not for the Choroonu ritual or the entry of Vayalar Ravi’s grandchild who is a Hindu maternally, the Thantri clarified.

The Punyaham was performed because of entry of Ravi Krishna, who is a Christian maternally.Ravi Krishna should have produced some relevant documents to prove that he is a Hindu prior to the entry in to the temple since he faced the purification ritual 7 years ago, Thantri said.“When Ravi Krishna’s entry was brought to my notice I can only direct for a purification ritual and nothing else”, Thantri said.

The Devaswom Minister who showers abusing words on everyone, should spare me.The words used by the Devaswom Minister to abuse me are painful and as the Thantri of Sree Guruvayurappan, I cannot give a reply to the minister in same language, Chennas Raman Namboothiripad said.“Thantri cannot legislate new laws for the temple and if Sudhkaran has the guts to initiate the law enabling all the non-Hindus to enter the temples in the state, let him do it.

If a law is legislated, then like every citizen, the Thantri too is bound to obey the law and it can be followed at the temple. Till then spare the Thantri of Guruvayur temple”, Chennas Raman Namboothiripad said.

Church leaders begin to feel eviction heat

With the Special Task Force, which was constituted by Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan for retrieving Government lands grabbed by encroachers, not sparing even the ruling front coalition partners, a section of the Christian church is feeling the heat.

Special Task Force chief K Suresh Kumar met the Chief Minister to have some final discussions on the methods to be adopted to raze down the Church buildings constructed in grabbed Government land, sources said.

According to sources, the action against the church has something to do with the issue of the self-financing professional colleges.

Highly placed sources in the Government told The Pioneer that a powerful bishop based in Idukki district has been camping at Thiruvananthapuram for the past couple of days to prevent Government action. It is learnt that this priest had told the officers and some senior LDF leaders that there were schools constructed in the Revenue land and as schools were reopening on Monday it would create problems for the children.

Sources in the Government told The Pioneer that neither the Chief Minister nor the senior officers attached with the Special Task Force had given an audience to the bishop. A section of the CPI (M) leadership is, however, batting for the bishop.

A senior official with the State Government while speaking to The Pioneer said, "The bishop and his entourage are using all their means for an audience with the Chief Minister, but he has in clear terms informed the church leaders that he will not be available for any meeting on this issue."

The section of the Kerala Congress, which is part of the LDF, is also trying to put in some pressure on Achuthanandan for a meeting with the bishop but, according to information available, this has not yielded any result.

The Christian congregation, which has several educational institutions and hospitals, has constructed 57 churches in Government land and there are either educational institutions or hospitals attached with these churches to give them a colour of social service. The special task force and its team of officers are in the final stages of calculating the exact area of the Revenue land grabbed by this congregation.

The special task force has also given signals to the Chief Minister on the legality of the land of an engineering college in central Travancore managed and run by a church. A senior police officer, who has worked in central Travancore area, told The Pioneer, "The land-grab by this congregation is not a new phenomenon. We have given clear reports to the Government on the same but there has been no action. This Chief Minister is serious on his promises."

It is also learnt that in the ongoing discussions between the Government and the self-financing managements regarding admission in professional courses, the land-grabbing issue has come to the fore. There are indications that certain church groups had even considered the proposal from the Government side in engineering and medical admissions provided there are no further action into land-grabbing.

This is a clear pointer that there is something to hide on the part of these land-grabbers and whether the Government will bite the bait or go ahead with the demolition drive is to be seen in the days to come.

Court Oks grounding of overweight airhostesses

The Delhi High Court on Thursday upheld State-run carrier Indian's decision to ground airhostesses for being overweight, saying the airline had the right to take such steps to remain competitive. "Keeping in view this kind of job performance, air hostesses are asked to battle their bulge, control their girth and keep at desired level the affluence of their body weight as per the norms," Justice Rekha Sharma said, while dismissing an appeal against the airlines' decision.

The court also held that physical fitness was an integral part for the cabin crew. "In this era of cut-throat competition, no airlines can afford to remain lax in any department whatsoever, be it the personality of its crew members, their physical fitness in all respects or the air worthiness of the aircraft or in relation to other facilities such as catering," the court said. The court passed the order on a petition filed by some airhostesses who were grounded for being overweight.

The plea challenged Indian Airlines' circular of May 4, 2006 withdrawing permissible overweight limit of 3 kg over and above the upper limit as laid down for cabin crew. The airlines had in June 1996 decided to ground its cabin crew for being overweight by more than 10 kgs.

This was later brought down to 7 kgs in 1998 and to 3 kgs in October 2000. The court also rejected the airhostesses' plea they cannot be grounded once they have obtained medical certificate declaring them fit to fly.

Attrition rate low in State's IT industry

The low attrition rate in the State's information-technology (IT) industry is a key attraction for companies.

Dinesh P. Thampi, delivery-centre head of Tata Consultancy Services, Kochi, says this advantage can help Kerala position itself as an IT destination. At less than 5 per cent, the attrition rate is much lower than the national average.

(Industry captains single out attrition as a major bane of IT and related industries in the country. Youths, who make up a good share of the workforce, tend to change jobs and companies often.)

Mr. Thampi was presenting a paper on global IT trends at a talk convened here on Tuesday by the Kochi chapters of the Computer Society of India and the Indian Society for Training and Development.

Enlisting the advantages of Kerala in IT, he said the State was the first to set up an IT park, Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, and implement a regulatory framework for the IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) industry. Airports, roads and railways provide good accessibility, an important factor for IT promotion.

He said Kochi was strategically located, as it hosted Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.'s primary international gateway in India and, therefore, accounted for 75 per cent of the country's traffic. The city was one of the top two preferred ITES destinations in the country.

The operational cost in Kerala was much lower than that in other Indian cities, with rentals and power and water tariffs among the lowest, he said.

Kerala enjoyed an edge in data communication and telecommunication infrastructure, with 100 per cent digital telephone exchanges, increased optical fibre cable connectivity, high telephone density of 10.58 per 100, double the national average, and twin submarine cable landings: South-East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3 (SEA ME WE-3) and South Africa-Far East (SAFE).

Kerala had the added advantage of being the most literate State, offering an abundant talent pool with the right skill sets that was easier to train.

A conducive business environment was created through initiatives such as IT Mission and special economic zones, adoption of special purpose vehicle models and so on. Domestic IT and business-process outsourcing market in the State was in the upswing, with the introduction of dynamic e-governance programmes such as Kudumbasree, Akshaya and FRIENDS.

Airbus Gets a Boost from India

Indian airlines expect to fly 200 million passengers a year by 2020. The need for jets has spurred sales for the underdog planemaker

In the sales war between Airbus and Boeing, no battleground has been more fiercely contested than India. Rapidly expanding Indian carriers, including a crop of new discount airlines, have ordered close to $40 billion worth of big jets over the past two years.

Who's ahead? So far, it's Airbus, which has bagged 295 orders from Indian customers since January, 2005, vs. 138 for Boeing (BA). The value of Boeing's order book, close to $20 billion at list prices, is nearer to Airbus' roughly $22 billion in Indian orders because the U.S. planemaker has sold proportionately more widebody jets, which carry a higher price tag.

Still, Airbus is clearly gaining traction in one of the world's fastest-growing and most competitive aircraft markets (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/2/05, "Dogfight Over India"). Just last week, Hyderabad startup cargo carrier Flyington Freighters announced it was scrapping a plan announced last year to buy $1 billion worth of Boeing 777s, and instead would buy A330 freighters from Airbus.

Right Time, Right Product

That kind of news is especially welcome at Toulouse (France)-based Airbus, which has badly lagged Boeing on orders worldwide in the last year (see BusinessWeek.com, 1/5/07, "Boeing Takes Back the Skies"). The victory is especially sweet for Airbus, says Kapil Kaul, a Delhi consultant with the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, because "India has traditionally been a Boeing market."

No more. Airbus has rung up big sales to Indian startup carriers such as Air Deccan and IndiGo, which are buying dozens of narrow-body A320s, and Kingfisher, which has ordered five double-decker A380 superjumbos, 15 widebodies including the new A350, plus 43 A320s. "We had the right products, and the market turned at the right time for us," says Airbus Executive Vice-President Kiran Rao, who oversees sales in India.

To lure customers, Airbus has offered substantial discounts and special deals on spare parts and services, says Izbal Munshi, a Mumbai aviation consultant who has worked with several Indian startup carriers. "When the orders are substantial, they come with a lot of freebies like free pilot training, engineering training, maintenance, and repair," Munshi says.
Partners and Outsourcers

Indeed, Airbus and its parent, European Aeronautic Defence & Space are planning to spend more than $2 billion in India over the next two years on projects such as an aircraft design center and crew-training facility in Bangalore that are expected to employ more than 2,000 people.

The European planemaker also is joining with Indian manufacturers such as Hindustan Aeronautics, which builds passenger doors for Airbus' narrow-body A320 plane. Indian outsourcing companies, in turn, are looking to grab more aerospace engineering and design work (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/15/07, "Indian Outsourcers' Sky-High Ambitions").

Can Indian carriers really afford all this new equipment? Rao says that all of Airbus' Indian customers have ample financial backing. But some industry watchers are concerned. "Banks are financing the private airlines, but many are not doing well," Munshi says. The Indian government says domestic carriers as a group are losing $400 million a year. Air Deccan, for example, posted a $50 million loss during the first three months of this year. Munshi predicts that some struggling carriers will have to defer delivery of planes they've ordered.

The Widebody Margin

Boeing may be better cushioned than Airbus if that happens. Although it has booked orders from some Indian startups, Boeing's major Indian customers—flag carrier Air India and Jet Airways, the country's longest established privately owned airline—are in better financial shape.
Air India is buying 27 of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliners, plus 23 widebody Boeing 777s. Jet Airways has ordered 10 Dreamliners and 10 777s. "Our market share is in widebody airplanes, which are more lucrative, and we are dealing with airlines that have been in business for a long time," says Dinesh Keskar, a Boeing senior vice-president of sales who is a veteran India hand.
Even if there's a shakeout ahead, Airbus and Boeing are sure to keep battling over sales to India. Both planemakers expect Indian carriers to place orders for tens of billions of dollars worth of airplanes over the next decade as domestic passenger numbers are expected to grow from 30 million today to 60 million by 2010 and 200 million by 2020. No wonder a head start in India matters so much to Airbus.

Sleepless Nights for Religious Heads

KALPETTA: The decision of the State Government to extend the Munnarmodel eviction in other districts is giving sleepless nights not only to the business tycoons but also to the heads of many religious groups in the district.

The task force on Wednesday issued eviction notices to two churches, St Mary’s Orthodox Church and St Mary’s Jacobite Church, both at Kuppadi village limits. In another case, the Sulthan Bathery taluk officials issued eviction notice to the 10 hectares of land of St Mary’s College, run by the Orthodox Church.

At Sulthan Bathery, a shopping complex constructed in the revenue land by using fake records is under the consideration of the task force but notice is yet to be issued.Though the church group produced documents for the land in question, on close verification it was found to be fake.

At Mananthavadi taluk, the task force surveyed the land of another church and marked about 13 acres of land as encroached land.

Notices were issued to a mosque at Kuzhinilam.The leaders of both the UDF and the LDF are running from pillar to post to save their vote bank intact.

Eviction notices were issued to the Stream Valley Resorts, Jungle Park Resorts, Greeshmam Resorts (all in Vythiri taluk) and Sahyadri Resort (Mananthavadi taluk).Notices were also issued to the Kuppamudi estate.

Meanwhile, Congress leader M Kamalam denied the allegation that the trust headed by her had encroached revenue land and the land of KSRTC at Kalpetta.Addressing a press conference here she said that the 50 cents land on which the building was constructed was given to her by the government.The task force on Wednesday issued eviction notices to two churches.

NRI deposits grow to Rs.85 bn in Kerala bank

NRI deposits in Kerala's State Bank of Travancore (SBT) have grown by 9.14 per cent to touch Rs.85.95 billion ($2 billion) in the last fiscal.

Total deposits have also grown from Rs.259.97 billion in 2005-06 to Rs.309.84 billion in 2006-07 and total business currently stood at Rs.560 billion, Chairman and Managing Director K Sitaraman told reporters on Thursday.

Net profit of the bank has grown from Rs.2.5 billion to Rs.3.2 billion, he said.

SBT, which has 704 branches including 572 in Kerala, is a major player in the NRI market and has rupee drawing arrangements with 20 exchange houses in the Middle East.

Eviction process continues in Kollam, Alappuzha

Adjacent southern districts of Kollam and Alappuzha witnessed official efforts to evict encroachers from public land and for serving notices to encroachers asking them to vacate on their own on Thursday. Such activities were seen in almost all parts of Kollam district. In Alappuzha this was mostly concentrated on the banks of Vembanad backwaters where encroachments had taken place in the name of tourism.

After complaints from environmental activists about encroachments, Revenue Divisional Officer PK Gopalan visited the Muttara Maruthimala near Oyoor in Kollam district. Maruthimala Haritha Samithi, a group of environmental activists, who had been waging a war against illegal quarrying and encroachments, had lodged a complaint with the authorities seeking immediate action against encroachers.

The RDO said prima facie evidence led to the conclusion that about seven acres of land had been encroached. He said the extent of encroachment could be assessed only after further examinations. This is one of the largest encroachments in the district after the ones on Ashtamudi Lake.

As per a 1978 survey by the Revenue Department, Maruthimala had extended to an area of 400 acres. A 2001 survey found that this had been reduced to 78 acres. The hillock had further shrunk to a mere 25 acres.

The Forests Department has asked Revenue officials for the details regarding Maruthimala. Maruthimala was chosen for developing into an important eco-tourism spot in Kollam after Thenmala. Considering this, the Forests Department had allotted Rs 40,000 to plant 1,200 trees in the area. But the project has not been implemented so far. In Punalur Municipal limits, a 48-hour notice was served for vacating about 5.40 acres of rubber.

Though the Vattakkayal Lake and surrounding areas had been evacuated by the Revenue Department, the biggest encroachment in the district, on the Ashtamudi Lake, are waiting for the decisive action from the district authority.

In Alappuzha, Revenue officials concentrated on the areas surrounding the Vembnad Lake, from where complaints of large-scale encroachments, including reclamation of the water body, had come up. Officials had already given notice to the famous Punnamada Resorts for razing the illegal constructions, and on Thursday, the resort owners themselves were seen removing the structures.

When the officials reached the spot, the resort management was on its own razing two resorts, which included swimming pools constructed on encroached lake-land. There were allegations that Thomas Chandy MLA from Kuttanand had encroached the water body adjacent to his Lake palace resort in the area.

Maharaja to stay as Air India mascot

The quintessential turbaned Maharaja will be the mascot of the merged entity of Air India and Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) and the new entity will be called ‘Air India’.

"As ‘Air India’ is a globally and nationally recognised brand name, as well as the designated airline in international bilaterals — the ‘AI’ code being available only to the existing name, it has been decided that the merged entity would continue with the same name," Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The merged entity will thus have single code AI and famous IC code for Indian will cease to exist.

The design components of the new logo and livery have been drawn after merging some of the current features of both Air India and Indian Airlines. The logo of the new airline is a Flying Swan with the Konark Chakra placed inside it.

The Flying Swan has been morphed from Air India’s characteristic logo, ‘The Centaur’, whereas the ‘Konark Chakra’ is reminiscent of Indian’s logo. The new logo will feature prominently on the tail of the aircrafts. Individually the Konark Chakra will also feature on all the engines of the aircrafts.

"The choice of colours namely red for "Flying Swan" and orange for "Konark Chakra" are meant to signify vigour and advancement. Further the colours also have a strong association with two carriers thereby retaining the earlier imagery of traditional hospitality and service”, said Patel.

The merged entity will have 111 new aircraft (68 Boeing and 43 Airbus) over the next three years, 25 of which would be arriving within 2007 itself.

Lord Guruvayurappan and the Controversy

The controversy sparked off by the performance of punyaham (purification rites) on the orders of the temple Tanthri at the Sree Krishna Temple in Guruvayur after the visit by Ravikrishna, son of Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, intensified on Monday with more leaders coming out against the act.

A punyaham was performed in the temple last Friday on Tanthri Chennas Namboothiri's orders on the ground that the visit by Ravikrishna was against temple rules as he was a not a Hindu.
The Minister had visited the temple with his son Ravikrishna for his grandson's choroonu (first meal) ceremony. Ravikrishna was held to be a non-Hindu because his mother Mercy Ravi was a Christian.

Writer-critic Sukumar Azheecode had reacted to the development saying that punyaham had to be performed not in the temple but in the souls of those who performed it.

On Monday, Cooperation and Devaswom Minister, G Sudhakaran, who is in charge of the department that oversees matters related to temples, said that punyaham should be performed not in the temple but in the minds of Tanthris and in the hearts of Brahmins.

The Minister had last month written to the Guruvayur Devaswom committee requesting to find a way to let Christian playback singer KJ Yesudas worship in the temple where only Hindus were allowed.

"Where was Vayalar Ravi when I demanded entry for Yesudas in Guruvayur temple?," Sudhakaran asked. He said Ravi and his family could have avoided going to the temple as an incident of punyaham performance had taken place earlier in connection with his son's visit, he said.

Punyaham had been performed in September 2000 in the temple after Ravi's son worshipped there after his marriage in Guruvayur. The same reason was cited by the temple authorities then also.

State Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said in Thiruvananthapuram that the punyaham performance at the Guruvayur temple in the name of the visit by Vayalar Ravi's son was extremely unfortunate.

He said several devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa would have been pained in the context of the punyaham even after Ravi and his family had repeatedly assured that they were devotees of the deity, he said.

Chennithala called for efforts to modify temple rites and rituals as per the changing times in discussion with all concerned.

Nationalist Congress Party leader and an ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayurappa, K Karunakaran said in New Delhi that punyaham was performed in accordance with the rules of the temple. Each temple in Kerala had its own specific set of norms for entry and worship and the rules in Guruvayur temple did not allow the entry of non-Hindus like Christians and Muslims etc, he pointed out. The ultimate power to decide in such matters rests with the Tanthri, he pointed out.

Mohanlal celebrates birthday with new film, fans in home town

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal on Monday celebrated his 47th birthday in style with the launch of his new film Alibhai apart from cutting a cake with his family and thousands of fans.

Over 2,000 of the actor's fans had turned up at the Kinfra Film and Video Park campus, on the outskirts of the State capital, where he owns a studio. Mohanlal's mother and wife were also present on the occasion.

"This is the first time that I am celebrating my birthday and the launch of a film in my hometown. It was indeed a totally different experience and I am delighted to be with my fans," Mohanlal told reporters at the venue.

The veteran actor has worked in more than 300 films in his career spanning over 27 years.
His new film Alibhai will be shot mainly in a picturesque Tamil Nadu village in Pollachi from Wednesday onwards. It has proved to be a lucky location for Mohanlal with blockbusters like Thenmavinu Kombathu being shot there.

Shaji Kailas, director of Alibhai, said a record 140 artistes would act in the new venture.
"This film would be an Onam (Kerala festival) gift by Mohanlal to his fans. It is produced by the actor's company and will be released by Aug 15," Kailas said.

"It is about Mohanlal's character being jailed for a crime that was really not his fault. After his release, he fights a mafia. It has all the ingredients of being ranked as the biggest film made in Malayalam," Kailas added.

Record 82.29 % pass SSLC examinations

Setting an all-time record, 82.29 per cent of the total 4,58,763 candidates who appeared for the SSLC examinations held last March qualified made the grade.

Announcing the results, Education Minister MA Baby told newsmen that this year's qualifying level surpassed the previous best pass percentage of 70.06 in 2004.In the new private scheme, 52.43 per cent candidates qualified and in the old scheme the percentage of qualifying candidates was 35.83.

Unlike the previous years, only grades will be recorded in the SSLC certificate this time.
In the regular scheme, 4,269 candidates scored A-plus grade, 20,208 A, 50,441 B-plus, 95,979 B, 1,62,167 C-plus, 2,54,650 C, 3,76,386 D-plus, 71,924 D and 6,076 E.

The performance of 104 schools, identified for special attention in view of their poor showing last year, had scored impressive results this year.Five of them produced cent per cent results at the qualifying level, 13 schools 90 per cent and 47 schools 70. They included seven schools from Lakshadweep . There are no schools where the percentage of qualifying students is below ten.
For these schools, the Government had made a special budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore. The role of teachers, local bodies and parents were also significant in lifting these schools.
The Education Minister said the schools in the State were able to set an all-time record as the 104 schools, which were backward in education, were brought under a special scheme by the Government. Introduction of this scheme in other schools was under consideration too, said the Minister.

Baby said that the SAY (save a year) examinations would be held in June and the students of the old scheme, who had failed to achieve qualifying grades, would get a last chance to write the examinations nest September .

Kannur district registered the best performance in the State with 90.75 percent of all the students who appeared for examination attaining the qualifying grades. Kottayam district stood second in the list with 88.26 percent with Thrissur coming third with 87.83 percent. Kozhikode district, where 86.30 percent of the students qualifying for higher studies and Ernakulam came in the fifth position with 86.05 percent pass. Palakkad district stood at the bottom of the list in performance with 72.36 percent of the students qualifying for higher studies.

The percentage of students who qualified for higher studies from Waynad district was 75.50, 76.62 for Malapppuram, 77.36 for Kollam and 78.25 percent of the students qualified for higher studies in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Only five schools have registered less than 33 percent qualifying level, and of these three are in Lakshadweep and two in Kerala. The two schools in the State where less than 33 percent students qualified for higher studies are Government PTM High Scholl in Velloor, Kottayam and Government Higher Secondary School , Vellamanal in Kollam.

Girls proved their supremacy over boys in the SSLC examinations. They outscored the boys in the percentage of students qualifying for higher studies in the State and district levels as well as in attaining the top score, A-plus. The number of girls who scored A-plus was almost double the number of boys. In Thrissur district, out of the total 538 students, who scored A-plus, only 138 boys made it to the category.

Kollam lakes face rampant encroachment

If encroachments in the mist clad hills of Munnar were used to build tourist resorts, encroachments along Kollam lakes are being used for a very different purpose. Important lakes in the district still remain scenes of rampant encroachment despite numerous complaints to the authorities by environmental activists and local residents. Most surveys and actions initiated by the authorities have ended midway or have proved ineffective so far.

Even a strict order by none other than the Principal Revenue Secretary could not save the Vattakkayal lake at Saktikulangara here. The order banning encroachments and construction was issued on April 19, but this has not deterred those who are reclaiming the lake for their personal use.

The encroachments began after the Government passed an order leasing twelve acres of land for paddy cultivation to three persons. The lease stipulated that the Government could take back the land if the recipients failed to cultivate paddy for twelve consecutive years.However, paddy was never cultivated on the land, according to local residents. After several years, illegal occupants obtained title deeds for the land.

After several complaints from the Vattakkayal Lake Protection Council, a survey was conducted by former Revenue Commissioner Alphonse Kannanthanam. He recommended immediate cancellation of the title deeds. But the occupants approached the Kerala High Court and got a stay on the order. According to a study conducted by the Lake Protection Council, 39.40 acres of land had been illegally occupied by 39 people .On September 23, 2006 the Vatttkkayal Lake Protection Council lodged a complaint with the Revenue Department citing the developments.
On this complaint, the Land Revenue Commissioner conducted an enquiry. After assessing the gravity of the problem, he conduced a public hearing at the District Collectorate. An order was passed entrusting the District Collector with the task of ensuring that no fresh encroachments or illegal constructions took place in the area.

But even after the ban had come into existence, people continued to hand over the land to others and construction of concrete walls and other works continued unimpeded.
The Vattakkkayal Lake Protection Council complains that the authority is also equally responsible for the whole problem. Despite the ban on construction, the Kollam Corporation authorised the building of a wall in the area, they claim.

If Vattakkayal Lake is an example of the utter disregard for Government directives, the case of Ashtamudi is far more complicated. Large-scale encroachments by tourist resort mafia and other influential persons had already pushed the internationally-protected lake to a near extinction. The Government, which was responsible for protecting the water body, had neglected it for so long. The result is that the 54-acre lake has been reduced to a mere 36 acres.
Pollution and illegal fishing are also causing problems to the lake . After repeated media reports, a survey was conducted at the directive of then District Collector B Srinivas. As many as 2,000 cases were registered in its wake.

But even after a year, the re-survey is yet to be completed. The tehsildar for the concerned taluk said that action on the 2,000 registered cases would start immediately.

The district fisheries authority has removed the branches and leaves deposited by traditional and local fishermen to help reproduction of fish in the lake, but no concrete action against the Chinese nets had so far been taken.

Smart City: LDF govt gave concession of over Rs 1000 Crore

The LDF government that boasts of having inked a ‘mutually beneficial agreement’ on the Smart City project in Kochi has granted concession worth more than Rs 1000 crore in terms of price of land.

The LDF government, when it reinitiated the talks with TECOM over the Smart City project, was repeatedly saying that the proposed land would be leased on par with the market value of the land. TECOM need not expect any concession, it said. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan still sticks to his earlier allegation that TECOM is a real estate agency.

Despite the repeated querries by Opposition leader Oommen Chandy, who still stakes claim over the Smart City project, the Chief Minister finds nothing serious in the questions raised by the Opposition leader. Chandy’s efforts to expose the pitfalls in the deals fell flat as the Chief Minister refuses to take the bait.

Chandy need not to wait for a reply from the Chief Minister, if he really wants to know how much concession the LDF government has given to the “real estate agency”. The price of the 246 acres of land, as assessed by the Achuthanandan government, can be traced in the final agreement inked on Sunday.

It is clearly stated that the advance lease premium paid by TECOM for 88 percent of the total 246 acres of land was Rs 91.52 crore. As per the agreement, “To terminate the lease and buy out the entire shareholding of the TECOM at a price to be determined by an independent valuer taking the value of the land as Rs 91.52 crore, which is the advance lease premium paid by the SPV to the GoK for 88 percent of the land”.

If the words of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan is to be believed, he handed over the land after claiming its market price from TECOM. While analysing the market value, the value of the land in Kakkanad area in Kochi is not less than Rs 5 crore per acre.In that case, the value of 246 acres of land will be Rs 1126 crore. Even if the claims of Achuthanandan, when he was the Opposition leader, alone to be considered, the price of the land should have been at least Rs 861 crore. It may be remembered that he had claimed that the value of land in Kakkanad was Rs 3.5 crore per acre.

Contrary to the LDF demand just a year ago, the new agreement on Smart City also promised all kinds of incentives to the Smart City and companies working in it as per the IT Policy.It would be even subject to the approval of Smart City. According to the agreement, “GoK shall issue all notifications and pass such orders or make such rules or regulations as may be necessary to ensure that Smart City shall be the recommending agency for release of all subsidies, and, or incentives to which the Units established by the entrepreneurs within Smart City are otherwise eligible or may be eligible from time to time”.

The smart enough IT department has deliberately delayed the announcement of IT Policy, so that the allegations over the incentives to be given to Smart City as per the policy would not come up.

The list of contradictions and the loss of the state does not end here, even as the CPM and its allies try to spread a feel that the agreement was the best one that safeguarded the interest of the state.

Of course, unlike many other such contracts in the past, the party and the Chief Minister are in a safer position.None who is alive now will be living to tell the tale after 99 long years.

VS calls in IT majors to State

Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said on Saturday that the LDF Government would extend all support to major IT companies setting up facilities in any part of the State.

Speaking at a function after laying down the foundation stone of the first own campus of Infosys at Kazhakkoottam, he said that not just the State capital but any other place in Kerala was suitable for starting IT and ITES ventures.

He said the Government expected the companies to develop facilities at sites acquired for the purpose without delay, to prevent the State from taking back the land un-utilised for long.
Infosys co-founder and board member K Dinesh said the company had plans to invest Rs 3.06 billion in developing the centre, creating a seating capacity of 8,000.

The first unit of the new campus would have a capacity to employ 1,500 people.

A look into the 1st Year Rule of LDF rule in Kerala

More lows than highs in first year of VS Government

The first and most important event that took place for the VS Achuthanandan-led LDF Ministry had nothing to do with politics. It was an alleged sexual escapade involving a minister, PJ Joseph, till then seen as one of the most clean figures in Kerala politics.

Since that first scandal for the LDF Government, which is celebrating its first anniversary on Friday, has not had much time to settle down. It was a momentous year for Kerala but not a very good year for the LDF.

The Joseph incident was the first blow that the VS Ministry was destined to receive. Joseph, then Minister for Public Works, was accused of behaving indecently with a Malayali woman, Lakshmi Gopakumar, on a Kingfisher Airline plane on a balmy August evening at Chennai airport. The accusation had come at a time when Jospeh was already in the dock over an old case pertaining to the Maithri Housing Project.

After police probes, lies, hearings and heated Cabinet discussions, Joseph resigned to become the first, and so far the only, casualty in the VS Cabinet. However, Joseph ensured that his line of administration would continue by nominating his close confidant TU Kuruvila to head the Public Works Department.

Kuruvila would later prove that what he was best at was to attract criticism for inefficiency. The VS Ministry assumed office when farmers all over Kerala, especially in Waynad district, were continuing to commit suicide due to their inability to repay their bank loans. This was one of the main issues that the LDF had capitalised on during the campaigning for the April 2006 Assembly polls. After the Ministers took the oath of office at a totally unconventional function, the initial enthusiasm had pushed Achuthanandan and his colleagues to immediately announce measures to constitute a Farmers' Debt Relief Commission with quasi-judicial powers. The commission came into being, but the suicides continued.

International deals for mega-projects in banana republics are not unknown. Canadian company, SNC Lavalin had come to repair hydel plants in Kerala in such a situation, and it had obviously played its game well. The contract had later become a 'deal', and when the ghost of the deal took the Assembly by storm, the man who was trapped in it was none other than CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. However, Achuthanandan forgot about group rivalry for a moment, and defended his secretary. Indeed the Opposition UDF, led by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy celebrated it.

The greatest of the failures of the LDF Government had come from Education Minister MA Baby, whose Kerala State Self-Financing Professional Colleges Act 2006 was destined to fail the test of judiciary after circuitous journeys through courtrooms. The only thing he achieved with the Act was that he ensured a strong unity of the college managements and a negotiating power in all matters for them. The pro-CPI(M) SFI were not all overjoyed by this, but they went on defending Baby's Act.

The lavishness of ministers in renovating their official residences, death of more than a dozen persons in police-related events, the chikungunya situation in Alappuzha district, row over the proposed ADB loan, the court cases against Local Administration Minister Paloli Muhammadkutty and Power Minister AK Balan, the spiralling prices of essential commodities the never-ending feud in the CPI(M) which at many points of time became an irritant as far as public administration was concerned. The tests were many for the Achuthanandan Ministry, and in almost all of them the concerned Ministers failed miserably.

The final embarrassment in the series would come towards the end of the first year in the form of the death of 38 newborn babies due to bacterial infection at the Sree Avittam Thirunnal Hospital in the capital. Health Minister PK Sreemathi, who had always been quick in offering justifications that looked more like excuses, saved face somehow with the support of her party.

The saving grace in the first year in office for the Government came from Achuthanandan himself when he succeeded in signing the Smart City agreement and launching Mission Munnar, the overwhelmingly popular operation led by the demolition squad constituting hand-picked team for evicting encroachers from public land in the hill resort. Had he not succeeded in these two affairs, the LDF Ministry would not be celebrating its first anniversary with enthusiasm.

The New Face of Indian Aviation - Air India Merger with Indian Airlines

As the contours of the merger of national flag carrier Air-India with Indian (Indian Airlines) are being finalised, the merged entity will have single code, AI, and the famous IC code for Indian will cease to exist.

According to sources, the new aircraft Boeing 777 LR for Air-India and Airbus 321 for Indian which are expected to arrive in June will be painted in the livery. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is expected to unveil the branding details next week.

The managements of Air-India and Indian and consultant Accenture held a workshop on Thursday to finalise the logo, which will be a combination of the Air-India Centaur and Indian’s Chakra. However, the brand name of the merged entity will be Air-India and it will have a single code, AI for domestic as well as international sectors.

V Thulasidas, chairman and managing director of Air-India said, “India is full of colour and we will ensure that new theme will capture the essence of being a national flag carrier.”

Without disclosing the details of the merger, Thulasidas said the merged entity would have a single code and the target was to bring the entire operations under this code within six months. A team is also integrating the network to rationalise routes and flights. “This will help in providing a seamless connecting service to all the major destinations,” he added.

Going forward, Air-India is planning to start direct flights from four or five Indian cities to the east and west coasts of the US “After Mumbai and Delhi, we are exploring the possibilities of starting direct non-stop flights from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai,” he said.

The national flag carrier may change the configuration of 68 aircraft, for which it has placed orders. Currently, it is buying eight Boeing 777 LR and 15 Boeing 777 ER. Now it is planning to buy 15 Boeing 777 LR, which can fly non-stop for up to 18 hours.

Volte-face on ADB loan proves Left is Right

As per rules the agreement between the Kerala Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), by which the bank will provide a loan for "sustainable development" in the five city municipal corporations of the State, has come into effect, putting Kerala communist parties in the maximum possible bad light.

The story of this loan, started in 2005, has also been a story of communist volte-face and proof of how Right is Left when compared to the actual Right.

Observers do not attach much importance to the opposition to the pact by pocket groups of Maoists and NGOs, as this is not going to serve any purpose now. However, the subject has helped the interest in studies of Communist.

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, who was a fiery opponent of ADB and its programmes to trap Third World countries during his days in the Opposition ten months back, however, is the first man who is now on the receiving end for all attacks from the fire-spitting "voluntary" reformers and splintered hardliner groups.

Novelist Sara Joseph, a former supporter of the traditionalist CPI(M) leader and who leads the formation Anti-ADB Campaign Committee, which has even moved the High Court asking for an interim stay - which has now been turned down - is perhaps the most vocal opponent of Achuthanandan now. It was last Saturday that Sara at a convention in Kochi lambasted all the CPI(M) leaders except Achuthanandan just because the veteran leader had reportedly dissented on the matter of the ADB loan at a Cabinet meet. But when the Chief Minister denied the story of his dissent, he came under Sara's fire. On Tuesday at a protest march, Sara spat venom on VS

The Communist volte-face on ADB loan was not limited to Achuthanandan. CPI(M)'s youth wing, the DYFI, had for five continuous years consistently haunted the Congress-led UDF for its moves for various financial arrangements with the ADB. Kerala had seen protest demonstrations against ADB and the people who wanted to bring it here with its humiliating and trapping conditions on a daily basis. There was even a Communist-led attack on the ADB office in Thiruvananthapuram.

The young comrades had drawn their inspiration from Achuthanandan who had declared that the secretaries who would sign agreement for ADB loan would be beaten up. However, the scene is different now, as the Communists regime has signed the agreement, the DYFI too has changed its track. Its secretary P Sreeramakrishnan appears on TV shows almost everyday saying his group had not opposed ADB loans but the opposition was to the conditions it puts forward. And since the conditions on the loan have changed, Kerala could avail it, he holds.

Whether the conditions have changed or not is a matter for politicians' speeches. The ADB has already said that it does not change its rules for different circumstances, but State ministers and Communist leaders vouch that they were successful in bringing changes in the ADB rules as was desired. Congress leaders say that nothing has changed (meaning an admission by them that the riders could be harmful to the State). However, sociologists and economists say that ADB cannot disburse a loan for Kerala without the conditions it has designed as a policy.

"So there are riders. And everybody knows that. These riders will never be in State's interest," a former CPI(M) theorist said. "It is not a consideration of altered conditions that has compelled the party to go for the loan. There are other things," he quips.

The CPI is trying to gain the image of the real Communist party in this part of the world, with its seemingly principled positions on all issues, including the ADB loan and the self-financing colleges problem. CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan had from day one opposed the move to take the loan, as its conditions were detrimental to the State's interests. But when the LDF met to discuss the issue the last time, Veliyam voted with the loan-seekers saying if his party dissented it would have forced Local Self-Administration Minister Paloli Muhammadkutty, who ordered the State's Resident Commissioner in Delhi to sign the pact with the ADB, which happened on December 8 last. On Wednesday, Veliyam declared in Mallappuram that for his party, the ADB loan issue was a closed chapter.

The loan agreement is already a reality, and there is no going back on it. Now observers are watching keenly how the money to come from the international agency is going to be utilised on the ground.

Left-ruled States fail to achieve target

WB ranks 22nd, Kerala 24th among 30 States in terms of performance

The schemes under the Centre's 20-Point Programme are not progressing well in the States being ruled by the pro-poor political parties. Left-ruled West Bengal ranks 22nd among 30 States in terms of performance by achieving only 45 per cent of the targets, while Kerala ranks 24th by accomplishing 43 per cent of the targets during April-December 2006.

The schemes under 20-Point Programme deal with social and economic empowerment of the poor in general. The performance review done by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation puts Andhra Pradesh on top of the list, followed by Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. These States have achieved 100, 93, 87 and 86 per cent of the targets.

Faced with criticism from the opposition for not carrying out pro-poor works effectively, Uttar Pradesh ranks 5th by achieving 83 per cent targets, followed by Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka. UP and Himachal Pradesh, all other States are under the rule of National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

According to a Ministry official, as many as 12 items have been taken into consideration for the purpose of ranking the performance of States. These items include distribution of surplus land, drinking water supply, immunisation of children, assistance to SC/ST families, houses for economically weaker sections, LIG houses, slum improvement, tree plantation, village electrification, and setting up bio-gas plants.

As per an estimate, 6.24 lakh houses were provided to the rural poor under the Indira Awas Yojana against the target of 8.43 lakh units during April-December 2006. Against the target of 68,518 houses for economically weaker sections of society, 89,311 houses were constructed, achieving 130 per cent of the target.

The areas where the targets have not been achieved are the construction of houses meant for the lower income groups of society, tree plantation on the private lands, immunisation of children and setting up of primary health centres. The review report says that only 84 primary health centres were set up during April-December against the target of 202.

"Around 20.80 lakh people in the slum areas were provided with basic amenities. Almost 13.22 lakh hectares of area have been covered with plantation on the public and forestlands. As many as 12,241 villages were electrified under the Rural Electrification Programme, while 2.58 lakh pump sets were energised for irrigation purposes," a Ministry official said.

"The slow progress of plantation on the public and forestland, Indira Awas Yojana and primary health centres is a matter of concern. The Ministries concerned need to ask the State Governments to expedite efforts to meet the targets," the official added.

Infosys to commence work on Kerala campus from Saturday

Global IT major Infosys Technologies will commence the work on its first full-fledged campus in Kerala from Saturday.Infosys, which currently runs its operations from a centre in the Technopark campus, has been given 50 acres of land in the same neighbourhood by the State government.Its new campus would come up in a newly declared Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and it will create 17,000 jobs when completed while the current facility employs around 1,200 techies.

Apart from top Infosys officials, Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan is also expected to be present during the groundbreaking ceremony of the new campus here on Saturday.The first phase of the new campus would be ready in a year.The Bangalore-headquartered Infosys has centres in Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mangalore and Mysore.

Suggestion to scrap Arun's Ph D registration

Thiruvananthapuram: The syndicate sub-committee on research at Kerala University on Wednesday recommended the cancellation of the part-time research registration granted to VA Arun Kumar, son of Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, on the grounds that he did not possess adequate teaching experience. The decision would come into effect only after the Vice-Chancellor ratified it, university sources said. The syndicate took up the matter following complaints that Arun Kumar did not have seven years' teaching experience necessary for getting the Ph D registration.

One Year of LDF Rule In Kerala

Performance, it seems, has not been the strengths of most of the Ministers in the VS Achuthanandan-led LDF Government, which will complete a year in office on Thursday. Observers refuse to give full marks to any of the Cabinet members, including the Chief Minister, as no path-breaking achievement was accomplished in the first year.

However, lack of performance has been one of the main charges levelled against the Cabinet by the Opposition UDF, and almost all Ministers had given ample opportunities to make such allegations. Apart from Education and Cultural Affairs Minister MA Baby and Health Minister PK Sreemathy, who have received most of the brickbats for non-performance, the other Ministers from the Marxist party have also not done much better.

Elamaram Kareem in the Industries Department, who with his enthusiasm in saving the Public Sector Units, has succeeded in earning credibility among the people, especially with the proposed establishment of a light wagon manufacturing unit at Autokast, Cherthala for the Indian Railways. But in general, the lustre is simply not there for the Ministry, experts observe.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has been one of the first Ministers to be charged with inefficiency as people continued to die either in police stations or while escaping the chasing police party. The deaths - more than ten in the first four months - could not all be termed due to persecution in custody, but Kodiyeri somehow failed in changing the impression of the Government which had come to power using also the custody death Udayakumar at Fort police station here.

Apart from other failures, the embarrassment caused by a taxi driver in the motorcade of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his State visit last October and the subsequent absence of any major action on the matter caused a lot of erosion of credibility of the CPI(M) leader as the Home Minister. He had also created a general dislike among people for himself when he refused to act as per the Chief Minister's wish in the IG Rishiraj Singh episode after a raid on the Kochi studios owned by the wife of IPS official Tomin Thachankery. Home, as is evident is not an easy job, and a first-timer like Kodiyeri might take a long time to prove his mettle.

Employment Affairs and Excise Minister PK Gurudasan is a soft-spoken proletarian leader, much like Chief Minister Achuthanandan and also belonging to his group in the CPI(M).
The beginning was grand as far his portfolios were concerned with several steps for the welfare of, especially, the cashew workers. The problem is, like the State-owned KSRTC, cashew is a very difficult area to be straightened by one man's efforts.

The cashew sector is again in doldrums with many shortcomings and irregularities perpetrated by vested interests. Though there are many who see some good points in Gurudasan's proposals in the Excise policy, the overall reaction was not encouraging.

The proposal to bring in toddy workers' cooperatives to own and operate toddy shops in three districts invited much criticism. However, most of the officials in the Excise Department do not hesitate to say that they have now got a minister who understands them, and this good will had translated into practice with many seizures of smuggled spirit.

The CPI representatives in the Cabinet were destined to be trapped in mind-boggling situations right from the initial days. Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran found that there was nothing he could do except to follow what the Chief Minister and CPI(M) was saying in the situation emanating from the unending series of farmers' suicides. Food and Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran was seen taking weak stands on several issues including the efforts to control the spiralling prices of essential commodities and he was obviously struggling to reach with Cooperation Minister G Sudhakaran in the race to meet the situation. Amidst that he also received some bad press coverage in the issue of the transfer of the Supplyco managing director.
The most testing job, somehow, fell on the heads of Revenue Minister KP Rajendran and Forests Minister Benoy Viswam of the CPI, and the party is now realising that despite the fact that it holds the two portfolios directly connected with the Munnar developments, they have no role in the entire matter. Even their own office in the area was pulled down on charges of norms violation.

Even the party's objection to the appointment of the special team for eviction mission in Munnar was rejected outright by the Chief Minister, and it was forced to reverse its earlier stand.

Kaveri waters

The case can be seen this way - Mysore (erstwhile Kingdom - not ruled by British or India ) needed to tide over frequent droughts. Dams were built to address the situation. Many acres of land were submerged in Mysore (current Karnataka) to the dam waters. But the Kingdom benefited from this. Money, land, labor was all provided by Mysore (not India, not British, not Tamil Nadu or Madras).Kaveri does not generate water on its own - the water is collected from the catchments areas in Mysore during the rains.

Vast areas of land which were earlier submerged downstream now came up. This was immediately reclaimed by Madras for agriculture. Due to proximity to British, it was able to extract a favorable ruling. (The same applies to Mula-periyar with which TN is fighting Kerala) This meant all resources and foresight of Mysore for its prosperity and benefit was laid waste by Madras.Karnataka has one rain season from the Southwest Monsoon whereas TN has two - one from Northeast and other from Southwest monsoon. http://www.tn.gov.in/crop/rainfall.htm

Despite the two monsoons, why has TN not invested in building dams to store water in the Kaveri basin within its territory? Simple it needs money to be invested and also lands will be submerged within its area. So its better that Karnataka and Kerala build the dams with their money and lose their lands to provide water to TN.The irony came to fore during the recent spate of floods - it accused Karnataka of releasing Kaveri waters causing more floods in TN. Common sense did not prevail to see that holding back a gushing river can cause a dam burst as well as flooding in Karnataka. So TN expects Karnataka to wag to its whimsies - hold water for us and release it as it pleases us. The underlying point is - the Maharaja of Mysore blundered by deciding to merge with India .The demography of India was widely different from Mysore. Mysore/Karnataka had/has no problems - population density, illiteracy, higher education, civil administration, judiciary, social equality. The results are for all to see. Pls refer to the site of Union Ministry of Statistics http://mospi.nic.in/6_gsdp_cur_9394ser.htm which confirms Karnataka growing at over 14% p.a. against the Union Of India's growth of 9% p.a.

But history cannot be reversed and now we are part of the Union of India. Consider the industries - hi-tech or manufacturing or aviation - Karnataka beats the Union . But it suffers a body blow to its political aspirations because of less population - only 20 seats to the Union parliament. Over the years, it has received step-motherly treatment vis-a-vis its populous neighbors. Corporate earnings, service taxes and IT exports are filling the Union coffers with little coming back to the state. Name one Kannadiga minister in the Union Cabinet over the last 60 years.

Consider TNs clout - Finance, telecom, health - all with Tamil. See the way Dayanidhi Maran is functioning - not as Telecom minister of the Union but of TN. Just see the no. of telecom projects he has diverted to TN at the expense of other states.No matter what you call this, democracy as practiced in India is flawed. It is more of monocracy - vote-banks rules. The results are obvious; you have smaller states feeling a sense of alienation. If this sense of alienation and lack of political equality is not addressed, it may prompt armed rebellion like what is already seen in the North-East.Why can't India become a democracy in true terms like the United Kingdom and the US of A.?

Let each state have equal representation in the upper house - say 4 seats per state. This will counterbalance the current advantage held by the populous states. Why can't we become the United States of India? Once this happens, all such trivial disputes will be resolved amicably. If TN wants water cached on Karnataka land, it pays a premium to get it (for maintaining the dam as well as for the lands submerged due to the dam as well for maintaining the catchments areas to feed the river).

To meet its water needs, it needs to build dams in the catchments areas in its territory. Bullying its neighbors Karnataka (over Kaveri) and Kerala (over mula-periyar) is no way for a civilized state to behave. TN cannot expect to raise 3 crops a season when Karnataka farmers do not have water to grow a decent 2 crops to sustain their households.

The whole world is watching Tamil behavior to its neighbors both within the Union (Karnataka, Kerala and AP) and outside ( Sri Lanka)

Smart City project: Prospects brighten

The prospects of the proposed Rs 1,500 crore Smart City IT project to be set up in Kochi brightened with the five-and-a-half-hour discussions here on Wednesday between the State Government and Dubai-based Tecom (Technology and Media Free Zone Authority), the promoters of the project, ending in a happy note.

Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob told newsmen after the discussions that the two sides had agreed on many conditions and a final agreement could be expected in two weeks' time. Tecom chief executive officer Abdul Lateef Al Mulla also said that the discussions were very good and that he expected that an agreement would be signed.

The two sides agreed on several points, especially on the questions of the Kerala Government's stake in the project, the non-transfer of Infopark and the presence of other IT companies in the Kochi area.

Abdul Lateef Al Mulla said the two sides agreed on the Government stake of 16 per cent in the project. The Government had demanded a 26 per cent stake. However, the 16 per cent stake could go up in phases as the project progresses.

As per the agreement at the discussions, Tecom has agreed to the Government position that Infopark need not be transferred. The other point on which agreement has been made is that Tecom will not object to the presence of other IT companies in Kochi.

Observers see the agreement on these three points as a great victory of the LDF Government headed by VS Achuthanandan as the former UDF regime headed by Oommen Chandy had agreed to the Tecom conditions on these points.

As per the earlier pact between Tecom and the former UDF Government, the State to get a mere nine per cent stake, the Infopark had to be transferred to the Dubai company and that no IT companies could come up in the Kochi area.

The Chief Secretary said that only some points more had to be discussed now, and a pact on these also could be reached in another round of discussions for which no date had been set. "I hope this can happen in two weeks," Lizzie Jacob said.

Abdul Lateef AL Mulla said that one of the points to be cleared now was the land price. However, he did not want to tell newsmen what was the price offered by his company and what the Government demanded.

The last point on which agreement has to be reached is on the number of job opportunities to be created at the proposed IT facility. It is said that the Dubai-based company is ready to agree on the number of job opportunities to be created in 10 years, but a decision is yet to be reached on the Government's insistence that 70 per cent of these employments should be available during the LDF's tenure.

Hours before the discussions, Chief Minister Achuthanandan claimed that the upcoming Smart City agreements would be far different from the ones reached at by the former UDF regime.
Prior to the afternoon discussions, the Chief Minister and top officials of the Dubai-based company had held talks on the project coming up at Kochi.