Today's Important NEWS

1)FIR against Sheila in CWG scam.

The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch on Thursday lodged an FIR against the former Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, in a streetlight project scam that occurred ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.The ACB registered the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and different provisions of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint filed by the Delhi Urban Development Ministry.The complaint alleged that Ms. Dikshit and her then Cabinet colleague Rajkumar Chauhan, in collusion with officials of the PWD, civic bodies, contractors and vendors, made illegal gains for themselves and caused a loss of Rs. 31.07 crore to the exchequer.The complaint accuses Ms. Dikshit of “displaying an unusual interest in the project and favouring a company which was earlier declared ineligible for the project.”

2)Delhi Lokpal Bill unconstitutional without Centre’s approval.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s move to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly without the Centre’s approval will be a violation of the constitutional mandate and the provisions of the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules, 1993.Legal opinionThis is the legal opinion Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaran has given to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.Highly placed sources said the Lt. Governor sought the law officer’s opinion after the Chief Minister wrote to him on January 31, indicating that his government planned to bring in the Bill in the Assembly. Mr. Jung wanted to know from the Solicitor-General whether its introduction without sending the legislative proposal to the Centre accorded with the Transaction of Business of the GNCT of Delhi Rules, 1993, whether the proposal “involves any constitutional infraction” and whether it was in tune with the mandate of Article 239AA (special provisions with respect to Delhi).Mr. Parasaran replied that Parliament had passed the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, and many of the provisions would obviously be overlapping with the Jan Lokpal Bill sought to be presented before the Delhi Assembly.“Since there is already an existing law made by Parliament…, the Jan Lokpal Bill… has to be necessarily placed by the Lt. Governor for consideration and grant of assent by the President to avoid any repugnance.” In the absence of presidential assent, the law could never come into force, Mr. Parasaran said.“A Bill, if enacted and if it involves expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of the Capital, shall not be passed by the Assembly unless the Lt. Governor has recommended to the Assembly the consideration of the Bill.”Its provisions will overlap with the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, Solicitor-General tells Lieutenant Governor

3)Veteran journalist passes away

P.V Ramana Rao (82), veteran PTI Correspondent and former member of District Consumer Court passed away at his home on Tuesday night.Rao is survived by a son and two daughters.Rao started his journalistic career with Indian Express (1962) and went on to work in The Hindufor a brief while and later as correspondent for Indian Express at Tenali, Nellore, Kakinada, Eluru and Karimnagar. He joined PTI as correspondent of Guntur District. Rao was also member of District Consumer Court and Telephone Advisory Board. He was also town president of Swatantra Party at Tenali and was a close follower of veteran Parliamentarian N.G. Ranga. In his later years, Rao became a passionate RTI activist. Ramana Rao has been a regular writer to The Hindu “Letters to Editor,’’ column and also to Readers Editor. Member of Parliament Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, Minister for Agriculture Kanna Lakshminarayana, Chairman of VGTM UDA V. Sreenivasa Reddy, former MLC R. Srinivas, YSRCP urban convener Lella Appireddy, president of APUWJ Bhaktavatsala Rao, president of APWJF Sk. Rafi condoled the death of Rao.

4)Suspect in Laxman’s account fraud brought to Hyderabad

The Cyberabad police brought Izazul Sheikh, who was caught at Salt Lake in Kolkata a few days ago on charges of siphoning off Rs.10 lakh from former Indian cricketer V.V.S. Laxman’s bank account through net banking, to the city on Thursday.The police team which had gone to Kolkata brought 28-year-old Sheikh hailing from Malda on a seven-day transit warrant.“We will produce Sheikh in a local court here and file a petition seeking his custody to get information about other persons involved in the case,” said Additional DCP (Crimes) G. Janaki Sharmila.Police sources said Sheikh, an embroidery worker, opened 31 accounts in different banks in Kolkata in the name of non-existent individuals and companies to withdraw the amount.His associates used to give ID proofs and other documents required to open an account.“Sheikh is not revealing any information about his gang members,”a police official said. Efforts are on to gather information about his friend in Mumbai.The accused had opened an account in a nationalised bank at Salt Lake in the name of Galaxy Enterprises that does not exist to withdraw Rs.10 lakh from Mr. Laxman’s account.After getting an SMS that the amount was withdrawn, the former cricketer approached the Cyberabad police who in turn alerted the Bidhannagar police near Kolkata.

5)Seemandhra employees launch 15-day strike against bifurcation

About three lakh government employees in coastal and Rayalaseema districts began a 15-day strike in response to a call given by AP Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association against bifurcation of the State.Essential servicesThe strike will exempt essential services like water supply, electricity, medical and health, APSRTC and schools, according to APNGOs association which is spearheading the agitation. The present strike is scheduled till February 21, the last day of the Parliament session which will consider the bifurcation BillAccording to reports reaching here, the strike adversely affected services in treasury, revenue, irrigation, municipal administration, cooperation, Zilla Parishad, agriculture, roads and buildings and commercial taxes departments. The staff locked their offices and participated in demonstrations in their respective centres along with students and other sections.They also took out processions and bike rallies at some places.

6)IT dream has come true: Naidu

TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu said his dream that Telugus should rule the international IT sector has come true with the elevation of Satya Nadella as CEO of Microsoft.Congratulating Mr. Nadella, he said it was a matter of pride not only for Telugus but for all Indians.The IT profession has shown that Telugus can compete with the best in the field. Mr. Nadella’s rise should inspire many a student, he observed. In a message, Mr. Naidu took credit for the achievements in IT sector, saying if 40 per cent of the Indian software engineers in the US hailed from State, it was because of the importance given to higher education by his government.

7)High-speed rail has ‘immense strategic military value’: China

China’s rapidly developing high-speed train network spanning the length and breadth of the giant nation could prove to be of “immense strategic military value” for the rapid movement of forces and missiles, an official media report said.China’s high-speed rail lines are becoming a major transport force for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), allowing the rapid movement of military forces throughout the country, a recent state-run news report said.“While bringing convenience to the lives of the masses, high-speed rail also plays a military role that is growing more prominent by the day,” the article states.“A lightly equipped division could be moved on the Wuhan-to-Guangzhou line — about 600 miles (965 km) — in five hours, a fairly rapid mobilisation in military terms,” the China Youth Daily said outlining military benefits of the country’s six high-speed rail lines.The report says that China’s high-speed rail network will provide “immense strategic military value”.“And the Second Artillery (missile forces) could use the high-speed rail network to quickly deploy short-range missiles ’in a certain strategic direction’ — presumably from inland locations to coastal regions near Taiwan or Japan,” the Washington Times quoted the Daily’s report as saying.Other key rail lines include the Xian—Baoji and Xiamen—Shenzhen connections that are part of the network that has made China a world leader in high-speed rail.Since 2009, the PLA has reportedly been using high-speed trains to move troops in exercises. In 2011, the military conducted a rapid troop transfer on the Beijing—Shanghai line.The PLA’s ability to move troops to the border due to a highly developed rail, road and air infrastructure, including in the rugged Tibetan region, has long raised concerns in the Indian Army prompting the Indian government to initiate its own rapid infrastructure development along the Chinese border.The January 14 report in the Daily said China will eventually set up a high-speed network of eight lines extending in all directions.A typical military train includes 16 high-speed rail cars that can carry 1,100 lightly armed soldiers.“With the daily improvement in China’s high-speed rail network, transferring a 100,000-strong army might be possible within half a day in the future,” the report said, adding that the military will use high—speed rail to project “mobile combat forces in various strategic directions.”It said, “the use of high-speed trains as mobile missile launch platforms for strategic weapons is also a good idea”.China is reportedly planning rail-mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) using a separate system that is not built for high-speed travel but for heavy transport.“The speed with which vehicles change direction is less than in road manoeuvring and is suited to testing work during manoeuvring to reduce the time required to prepare for firing.In addition, it is possible to manoeuvre and shift more than a thousand kilometres at once, making it easier to escape enemy tracking,” the report said. 

8)Vodafone’s share buy-back plan gets Cabinet nod

Will result in foreign investment of about Rs. 10,141 croreThe Union Cabinet, on Thursday, approved a proposal of the U.K.-based telecom major Vodafone to buy out minority shareholders in its Indian arm for Rs.10,141 crore, making it the single-largest foreign investment in the telecom sector.“The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal of CGP India Investment Limited for an increase in foreign equity in Vodafone India Limited (VIL) from 64.38 per cent to 100 per cent. The approval would result in foreign investment of about Rs.10,141 crore being received in the country,” an official statement said.With this, Vodafone India will be the first telecom operator in the country to be fully owned by a foreign company. In December last , the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had cleared the proposal of CGP India, an indirect shareholder in VIL and an indirect Mauritian subsidiary of Vodafone International Holdings BV, to increase its stake to 100 per cent. Since the proposal was worth over Rs.1,200 crore, it needed CCEA clearance. Notably, in 2013, the government had also raised FDI in the telecom sector to 100 per cent.Vodafone will buy shares from its minority shareholders in its Indian arm held by companies of prominent business leaders - Analjit Singh and Ajay Piramal. Mr. Singh, who is Vodafone India’s non-executive chairman, holds 24.65 per cent in the company. Mr. Piramal’s share stands at 10.97 per cent. Vodafone Group Plc will pay Analjit Singh Rs.1,241 crore and Piramal Enterprises Rs.8,900 crore for their stakes in Vodafone India (after share valuation was cleared by the government).Meanwhile, Vodafone India reported a 2 per cent drop in revenue at 937 million pounds (about Rs.9,541 crore) during the quarter ended December 31, 2013. However, its service revenue went up by 13.2 per cent, mainly due to increase in its customer base and doubling of data usage, a company statement said. Vodafone added 49 lakh mobile customers in the three-month period, taking its subscriber base to 16 crore at the end of December 2013. The company said it had 4.5 crore active data customers, including 52 lakh 3G subscribers.Vodafone India emerged as the top market for the entire group in terms of organic growth during the quarter. Its European business declined by 9.6 per cent. Vodafone Group’s revenue declined by 3.6 per cent to 10,977 million pounds (about Rs.1.12 lakh crore) in the third quarter. “Growth (internationally) was led by strong performances in India, Qatar, Turkey and Ghana,” it added.The Indian armwill be the first telecom operatorto be fully ownedby a foreign firm

9)HCL Corp makes foray into healthcare

Initial investment is in the vicinity of Rs.1,000 crore

10)Spectrum bids generate about Rs.53,000 crore

At the ongoing spectrum auction for 900 MHz band in three metro circles and 1800 MHz band in 22 circles, the government, after completion of 28 rounds on Thursday, has ensured revenues of around Rs.53,000 crore. Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata (900 MHz) continue to remain in focus, while companies also bid positively for at least five circles for the 1800 MHz band.A total of eight companies, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Jio Infocomm, are participating in the auction. While the bidding had already crossed the government’s revenue expectations of Rs.40,000 crore, telecom officials felt that the auction for 1,800 MHz would pick up once demand for the premium 900 MHz in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata dried out.In the 900 MHz band, against the reserve price of Rs.360 crore in Delhi, the provisional bid, on Thursday, stood at Rs.639 crore, while in Mumbai, it went up to Rs.563 crore against the reserve price of Rs.328 crore and in Kolkata at Rs.192 crore against Rs.125 crore. The five circles in which demand remained positive for the 1800 MHz band are Uttar Pradesh (East and West), Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh, while Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar has already seen demand in the same band.Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata continue to remain in focus in 900 MHz band

11)Maruti Suzuki rolls out Celerio

12)Infosys expands in Brazil

13)Smartphone head quits Micromax

Domestic mobile maker Micromax has been hit by another high-level resignation, with Ajay Sharma, head of the smartphone division, having put in his papers. According to people with direct knowledge of the matter, Mr. Sharma, who was the head of HTC India before joining Micromax, resigned a few weeks ago. Mr. Sharma confirmed his exit to The Hindu and said that he was “considering his options now”. Last October, Micromax CEO Deepak Mehrotra quit the company, and joined media group Pearson. In 2012, the company’s promoter-founders had put together a professional management, comprising Mr. Mehrotra, Mr. Sharma and Sony Ericcson’s Khaja Muzaffarullah to boost its revenue.

14)Sony cuts 5,000 jobs, exits PC business

Sony warned on Thursday it would book a $1.08 billion annual loss as it cuts 5,000 jobs and exits the stagnant PC market this year, as the once-mighty electronics giant struggles to reinvent itself in the digital age. The shock news comes a week after Moody’s downgraded its credit rating on Sony to junk, saying the maker of Bravia televisions and PlayStation game consoles had more work to do in repairing its battered balance sheet. Sony said the job cuts would save about $1.0 billion a year starting from early 2015, and announced the sale of its Vaio-brand PC division to a Japanese investment fund.

15)Williamson, McCullum feast on Indian attack

The opportunity for India appeared and disappeared in a flash. Kane Williamson edged an away-seamer from Mohammed Shami and Murali Vijay, at first slip, grassed a sitter.Williamson was on 32 and New Zealand, under considerable pressure, at 76 for three. It was Thursday’s turning point at the Eden Park.The score was 251 when the fourth wicket fell. During that period Williamson and skipper Brendon McCullum notched up stroke-filled centuries.And their fourth wicket association of 221 in just over 50 overs could have a huge bearing on the match.Indeed, the opening day of the first Test saw India failing to seize the initiative after winning the toss and making early dents under a cloud-cover, on a pitch doing a fair bit.By afternoon, the ground was bathed in sunshine.The Indian attack, losing bite, turned wayward on a track that favoured the batsmen more. And the fielders were chasing leather.Driven by hundreds from Williamson (113) and McCullum (143 batting), New Zealand ended day one on a comfortable 329 for four.

16)Tendulkar, Warne to lead again

English cricket fans are set to get one more chance to see Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne in action at Lord’s after they were confirmed on Wednesday as captains for a match marking the ground’s 200th anniversary.Tendulkar will lead MCC, the owner of the north-west London venue, and Warne, the Rest of the World, in a 50-overs per side match at the ‘home of cricket’ on July 5.The MCC XI will also include Rahul Dravid, returning to the scene where he scored 95 on his Test debut, against England in 1996. Tendulkar said he was looking forward to the July fixture.“It is an honour to be asked to captain MCC in such a prestigious fixture, and I am delighted to accept,” Tendulkar said in a MCC statement.“Lord's is such a special place to play cricket and I am very much looking forward to helping celebrate its bicentenary by taking part in this match.” 

17)England teams for WI tour, World T20 named

Uncapped duo Moeen Ali and Stephen Parry are in the England squads for the limited overs international tour of the West Indies and the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh which were announced on Thursday. Fellow newcomer Harry Gurney will head to the West Indies.Stuart Broad has been named the captain of both the teams.The teams: For WI tour: Stuart Broad (capt.), Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler (wk), Jade Dernbach, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Michael Lumb, Stephen Parry, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Luke Wright.For ICC World T20: Broad (capt.), Morgan, Ali, Bresnan, Bopara, Buttler, Dernbach, Hales, Jordan, Lumb, Parry, Root, Stokes, Tredwell, Wright.

18)Pietersen will be top draw at IPL auction

When Richard Madley conducts the IPL player auction here on February 12 and 13, an array of players, ranging from legends like Jacques Kallis to promising newcomers like Corey Anderson, will go under the hammer.According to an IPL release, the auction-list features 514 cricketers, and that includes 219 capped players (169 Indians and 50 from abroad), 292 uncapped players (255 Indians and 37 from overseas) and three from Associate nations — the O’Briens, Niall and Kevin, from Ireland and the Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate.Since IPL’s inception in 2008, uncapped Indian players have never been part of the auction, but the latest edition could see the likes of Karnataka’s Manish Pandey and Delhi’s Unmukt Chand, to name a few, earn better remuneration as they will now be part of the lot.Among those much sought after at the auction will be Kevin Pietersen, who is amongst the top-tier of players with a reserve price of Rs 2 crore.