Govt looking at LPG subsidy cut

The government is close to taking a decision on capping the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to "econonomically not weaker" sections to bring down the subsidies by up to Rs 10,000 crore annually, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh said today.

The government is also looking at partial decontrol of diesel, he said.
 
Singh said the government gives Rs 36,000 crore in subsidy on LPG and a lot of people who are "not economically weaker sections" and don't require them, take benefit, adding, the government is looking at reducing the subsidy on LPG by capping the amount (number) of cylinders given on subsidy.
     
Stating that the government is in an adavanced stage of taking a decision on reducing LPG subsidies, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function: "If we cap some cylinders, which do not infringe on the right of poor people who get subsidies, I think we can save Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore just by capping the cylinders for the rich (restricting the number of subsidised cylinders for economically not weaker sections).
     
But he sounded cautious on the issue of raising prices of diesel, saying its a very delicate issue.
     
"If you try to raise the prices of diesel, it has a cascading effect on the economy. We are trying to work out a solution where it impacts the economy in the least manner but also brings down the fiscal deficit", Singh said.

The Minister, who earlier inaugurated the 17th refinery technology meet jointly organised by Centre for High Technology and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, ruled out absolute decontrol of diesel in the near term.
     
"It's extremely difficult for us to absolutely decontrol diesel at the moment because it would impact the economy in a very, very serious manner," he said, but added that the government is looking at partial decontrol of diesel so that the impact on the people would be of "reduced magnitude".
     
He recalled that diesel was decontrolled in 2010 but the measure has not been implemented as the price of crude oil started rising.
     
Singh said the state-run oil marketing companies are bleeding and are having a "terrible time" because of the subsidy burden. The government wants to bring down the subsidies on kerosene, LPG and diesel in a way that does not impact the people in a major manner and takes away subsidies from people who do not deserve them.
     
On prices of petrol, the Minister said his personal opinion is that it should be like in the US, where petrol prices change every day, and different companies have different prices.

सुपरस्टार राजेश खन्ना नहीं रहे

मुंबई: सुपरस्टार राजेश खन्ना का लंबी बीमारी के बाद मुंबई स्थित उनके आवास पर निधन हो गया है। उनके निधन की खबर आते ही उनके घर के बाहर फैन्स का जमावड़ा लगना शुरू हो गया, जिसकी वजह से उनके बंगले की सुरक्षा बढ़ा दी गई है। उनका अंतिम संस्कार कल किया जाएगा। वह मंगलवार को ही अस्पताल से घर लौटे थे।

गौरतलब है कि 70 के दशक के सुपरस्टार पिछले कुछ महीनों से बीमार चल रहे हैं और दो दिन पहले ही वह अस्पताल में रहकर घर लौटे थे। उन्हें कमजोरी के कारण अस्पताल में भर्ती करवाया गया था। उनसे अलग रह रही उनकी पत्नी डिंपल कपाड़िया सहित पूरा परिवार उनके साथ था। इससे पहले 20 जून को खबर आई थी कि खन्ना ने भोजन करना बंद कर दिया जिसके बाद उनकी हालत खराब होती चली गई।

स्कूली जीवन से ही स्टेज और अभिनय के शौकीन रहे राजेश खन्ना का जन्म अविभाजित भारत में पंजाब राज्य के अमृतसर में वर्ष 1942 की 29 दिसंबर को हुआ था, और उनका असली नाम जतिन खन्ना था। उन्होंने वर्ष 1966 में 'आखिरी खत' नामक फिल्म से अपने बॉलीवुड करियर की शुरुआत की थी, और इसके बाद 'राज', 'बहारों के सपने', 'औरत के रूप' जैसी कई फिल्में उन्होंने कीं, लेकिन उन्हें असली कामयाबी वर्ष 1969 में आई 'आराधना' से मिली, जिसके बाद वह सचमुच सुपरस्टार हो गए, और एक के बाद एक 14 सुपरहिट फिल्में दीं।

वर्ष 1971 में भी राजेश ने 'कटी पतंग', 'आनन्द', 'आन मिलो सजना', 'महबूब की मेहंदी', 'हाथी मेरे साथी', 'अंदाज' आदि फिल्मों से कामयाबी का परचम लहराए रखा, और इसके बाद के वक्त में भी उनकी 'दो रास्ते', 'दुश्मन', 'बावर्ची', 'मेरे जीवनसाथी', 'जोरू का गुलाम', 'अनुराग', 'दाग', 'नमकहराम', और 'हमशक्ल' फिल्में बेहद कामयाब रहीं। इसी दौर में राजेश को तीन बार सर्वश्रेष्ठ अभिनेता का फिल्मफेयर पुरस्कार भी मिला, जबकि वह कुल 14 बार इस श्रेणी में नामांकन पाने में कामयाब रहे थे। उन्हें पहली बार वर्ष 1971 में उन्हें फिल्म 'सच्चा झूठा' के लिए सर्वश्रेष्ठ अभिनेता का फिल्मफेयर पुरस्कार मिला। दूसरी बार वर्ष 1972 में आनन्द के लिए उन्हें सर्वश्रेष्ठ अभिनेता चुना गया, जबकि तीसरी बार वर्ष 1975 में फिल्म आविष्कार के लिए वह पुरस्कृत हुए।

वर्ष 1980 के बाद राजेश खन्ना का दौर खत्म होने लगा, और आखिरकार वह भी अपने कई समकालीन साथियों की तरह राजनीति में उतर आए और वर्ष 1991 के लोकसभा चुनाव में नई दिल्ली सीट से कांग्रेस की टिकट पर सांसद चुने गए। वर्ष 1994 में उन्होंने एक बार फिर फिल्म 'खुदाई' से पर्दे पर वापसी की कोशिश की, और 'आ अब लौट चलें', 'क्या दिल ने कहा', 'जाना', और 'वफा' जैसी फिल्मों में अभिनय किया, लेकिन कोई सफलता नहीं मिली।

Rajesh Khanna dies in Mumbai, cremation tomorrow

Actor Rajesh Khanna has died at home in Mumbai. He was 69. He was suffering from cancer. The cremation will be held tomorrow morning.

Mr Khanna had been hospitalized on June 23, when he was taken to Lilavati Hospital to be treated for exhaustion, and spent some days having tests. He was discharged on July 8. 

Worried fans had lined up outside Aashirwad, Mr Khanna's Mumbai bungalow, on June 21 when he was said to have stopped eating. He was later reported to be "more than fine" by son-in-law, actor Akshay Kumar. Mr Khanna himself appeared on his balcony, visibly weak and wearing dark glasses, to wave at his fans and give them the victory sign.

Mr Khanna had also been hospitalized for a few days in April this year.

Mr Khanna's ex-wife, actress Dimple Kapadia, has nursed him through his illness. They have two daughters together - Twinkle, who is expecting her second child with husband Akshay Kumar, and Rinke who is married to businessman Sameer Saran.

Mr Khanna was the top actor in Bollywood during the Seventies and early Eighties, and is considered to be it's first real superstar. He was the star of romantic comedies and dramas such asAnand, Aradhana and Kati Patanag. He won three Filmfare awards in his long career. Mr Khanna also held a Lok Sabha seat as a Congressman from 19992-1996.

Rupee gains tracking Euro strength, at 54.97/$

The rupee rose on Wednesday, extending gains for a second successive session, tracking the euro's strength after the Federal Reserve chief said that the central bank would support the US economy if needed. At 9.01 a.m., the rupee was at 54.97/99 to a dollar as against 55.1250/1450 last close.

Guwahati victim's photo was office mistake, why should I apologise, asks Chief Minister

Guwahati: The chief minister of Assam has said that he accepts the blame and responsibility for a press statement sent out on Monday evening that shared the photo of a young woman who was molested on camera outside a pub in Guwahati a week ago. Tarun Gogoi said the photograph was a mistake, but that his office had not shared the name of the victim in the email sent to reporters.  

Mr Gogoi also made another point - "You cannot go on rolling your camera and shooting for more than 20 minutes on the hapless victim for TRP without informing the police," he said, wading into one of the numerous grey areas that shroud the case. While the woman was being attacked, groped, pulled back from the road that she tried to race down, a TV camera and reporter kept recording. The news channel says this was the best it could do while confronting an unstoppable mob- record the attack so the police would have evidence. 

Atanu Bhuyan, the editor-in-chief of NewsLive, the TV channel that recorded and broadcast the mob attack, resigned today. He said his channel acted correctly in filming the incident to help the police track down the guilty, and that his resignation was an attempt to help ensure a fair and independent inquiry. A reporter, Gaurav Jyoti Neog, who was at the pub when the attack began, quit on Saturday after local activist Akhil Gogoi accused him of instigating the mob. Mr Neog says those allegations are baseless. But the police have told the Ministry of Home Affairs that it will interrogate Mr Neog, who appears to be a close friend of the main accused, Mr Kalita. 
(Read: Did no wrong, says editor of channel)

News Live officials have said repeatedly that were it not for their footage, no arrests would have been made. It took 48 hours to find the first of 12 men clearly identifiable in the video. Nine days later, 11 of the 30 people who fell upon the woman have been arrested.  

The man who led the mob - seen in a red shirt, the same he wears in his Facebook profile photo where he announces himself as James Bond - remains on the loose. His photograph runs every day on national news channels. For the cameras, on that Monday night a week ago, he smiled as he went about his brutal act, trying to rip off the victim's shirt.

The exploitation of the victim continued far beyond that night. After his meeting with her last evening, the chief minister's office, in what many see as a grotesque attempt to convert a tragedy into a PR instalment, sent a press statement and photo of her to reporters, then caught itself and asked reporters to ensure her identity was not disclosed. Details of what the victim wanted - her concern about living in a neighbourhood where she could be easily tracked down by those assaulters who have not been caught, her request for funds to set up a beauty salon that was agreed to by the chief minister - all this was hung out to dry. The statement said Mr Gogoi had promised her Rs.50,000 from the chief minister's relief fund. The disclosure of what should have been a private conversation remains unexplained.

Hours before the chief minister's office sent out its look-what-we-did message, Alka Lamba was removed by the National Commission for Women (NCW) for revealing the victim's name at a press conference during the weekend. Ms Lamba defended her actions on Monday afternoon, saying the victim's identity was already in public domain. "I have done nothing wrong," she told a TV news channel.