A career for compassionate minds!

Art of self control and understanding of a human mind and heart are the mantras for a teacher of special children.



CHILDREN with disabilities are so special that a person working for them has to have a mind which can understand and comprehend situations as well as people. “The job is not easy. People need to have the art of being patient, good presence of mind, compassion and commitment to duty,” says Aparna Babu who is working with children with special needs for many years now.

Any 10+2 student, irrespective of what stream he had in senior secondary can pursue a course in this field. There are degree, diploma and certificate courses available in various colleges in the country recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). An aspirant can choose to study to work for visually impaired, hearing impaired and/or mentally retarded persons. There are specialized degree programmes available in the fields of Locomotor and Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Vocational Counselling, and care giving.

These programmes train students for a whole range of services for children with disabilities. Special schools are on a rise in the country along with major non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who are concentrating their energies and resources to set up help in this particular avenue. “As per the new Inclusive Education paradigm, all the children would be in the same class, studying together irrespective of abilities. Therefore, special teachers, facilitators and guides with this degree are required for this endeavour,” Aparna explains.

As far as the salary structure is concerned, the package may not be that high. As a teacher one can receive what the teachers receive according to the 6th Pay Commission as per the grade whereas counsellors receive more. If we were to give a starting range, one could begin between Rs. 9000 to Rs. 15000 depending on the profile.

The task is challenging because people in this field need to have the art of self control and knowledge and understanding of a human mind and heart. A person needs to be mature enough to deal with any situation, especially the unexpected ones. So though a 10+2 student can look forward to a career in special education, he or she should have a detailed study of how to understand and empathise with special children. “A developed, mature understanding and a strong sense of mind is the need more than age. So if a student of 17 had the passion to work in this field, I would just say, come on board to build our society,” Aparna stresses.

For this reason, a little extra knowledge in terms of higher studies is also advisable. Moreover, there is growth in position in any particular organisation on the basis of the educational qualification. But the amount of satisfaction attained is incomparable.

Corruption result of lack of moral values: Dalai Lama

New Delhi, Aug 10 : Calling corruption an outcome of lack of moral values, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today said a country does not belong to any political party or a leader but only its people.

"There is a lot of corruption. It is obviously due to lack of moral values. Without moral values, a person loses self-control and do what is wrong as soon as he finds the opportunity. There is a need to find your inner self," the Dalai Lama said.

He was addressing the gathering here as part of fourth annual lecture of National Commission for Minorities.

"The world belongs to humanity. A country belongs to its people, but not to any political party or person," he added.

The spiritual leader advised the corrupt people to be believer of God. "India is a nation of religion-minded people. They get up early morning to pray to their Gods but side by side involve in corruption. These two cannot go hand in hand. Faith without moral values is not faith," he said.

He, however, stressed that he was not criticising anybody but felt concerned about a country (India) which has kept its principles of non-violence and harmony.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, NCM Chairman Wajahat Habibullah, BJP leader Jaswant Singh and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Vincent H Pala were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Shahnaz Husain recieves award for Quality Excellence in Ayurveda

New Delhi, Aug 5 : Beauty expert Shanaz Husain has been honoured with Indian Achievers Award for Quality Excellence by Indian Achievers Forum in collaboration with the India Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Husain was awarded for her achievements in promoting Ayurveda as a traditional cultural industry and taking Ayurvedic beauty care to the globe.

The award ceremony was a part of 29th Indian Achievers Summit on Indo-Thai Business Relations held here last evening. Ex-deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Khun Korn Dabbaransi was among the various dignitaries present on the occasion that focused on business and trade opportunities between the two countries.

Speaking of the increasing popularity of Ayurveda, Ms Husain said the concept of "total well being" and spa treatments are steadily gaining ground and the world was looking towards traditional Asian holistic healing.

She noted that both Thailand and India were known for their traditional spa treatments, which draw upon plant products and natural substances and proposed to set up an Indo-Thai Ayurvedic spa in London.

Drench in rains at Saputara this Monsoon!

Saputara, Gujarat, Aug 2: The proof of pudding lies in eating, this English proverb fits well to Saputara, an unexplored hill station in the western state of Gujarat that has been immensely blessed by the God of Rains.

Walking upwards lush green valleys of this small district situated 179 km away from Surat at the beginning of Sahyadri Hills, one experiences water streams flowing under feet with fresh drizzle moistening the mood all through. Green vegetation springs up all over while dense waterfalls cascade down the hills.

"Monsoon is the best time to visit Saputara as it offers a unique experience under clouds and fog spread over the hills.

We call it Cherrapunji of Gujarat," Raju, a native of this destination dotted with lakes and woodlands at a height of 873 meters, said.

To mark this belief, the Gujarat Government has started a month-long Saputara Monsoon Festival from July 31 this year.

During this festival, tourists will have a first-hand experience not only with the scenic beauty of this place but the culture and traditions being followed here.

The festival offers visitors an opportunity to interact with the natives of this place who belong to Dang tribe and experience their way of living, their eating habits, the clothes they wear, the games they play, the God they worship and the language they speak, among others. Along with this, a gamut of games including boat race and competitions, an cultural programmes have also been organised.

A photo gallery showcasing the district and a souvenir shop also form a part of the festival.

Saputara also offers a plethora of exciting tourist attractions including those having mythological significance. It is believed that it got its name due to one of them. When Lord Rama was undergoing "vanavaas" (exile) along with his brother Laxmana and wife Sita, a snake had bitten Laxmana and the cure was found at this place.

Another explanation says that Saputara means the 'Abode of Serpents' and it gets it name from a rock looking like a snake that appeared on the banks of the river Sarpagana and is worshipped by the tribal people on important festivals.

Places to be visited here include Gira Falls, Saputara lake, Sunset point, The Ropeway, Echo Point, Saputara Tribal Museum, Artist Village, Vansda National Park, Shabri Dhaam, Pampa Sarovar, Rose Garden, Step Garden, Lake Garden, to name a few.

Gira Falls is the most picturesque sight in the district which goes outstandingly beautiful during the rains. Thick falls flow 30 metres down the hills into river Ambika. Eating boiled corn on the rocks near these falls adds to the fun undoubtedly.
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Amitabh Bachchan to promote Gujarat's only hill station, Saputara

Saputara, Gujarat, Aug 1 : Veteran filmstar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to visit Gujarat in the month of September to promote the western state's only hill station, Saputara.

The Gujarat brand ambassador will shoot a video that will feature the charismatic actor wearing the traditional attire and talking about the picturesque destination.

"Amitabh Bachchan will return to Gujarat once again to cast his magic. He will come to Saputara and will shot a video with the local tribes in our traditional attire," Kamlesh Patel, chairman of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), said on the sidelines of an event, Monsoon Festival, to promote Saputara as a tourist spot.

"Mr Bachchan could not make it to this event due to some of his commitments. Even he is particular to push the tourism in the virgin hill station of Gujarat which has preserved the age old communities and traditions of India in its best way," Mr Patel added.

He further said Mr Bachchan will be coming to Gujarat for a seven-day shoot at the end of September. He will shoot in Saputara, Ambaji, Adalaj step wells and the Buddhist circuit.

The Bollywood icon has earlier promoted Kutch region, Dwarka, Somnath and Gir National Park resulting in an increase in tourist footfalls, including a 30 per cent rise in foreign travellers, over the past few years.

"In 2006-07 it was 1.27 lakh, which increased to 1.70 lakh in 2009-10. In 2010-11, we have crossed the footfall of nearly 2 lakh tourists across India and overseas," he said.

"Over the next two years, the Gujarat government will pump in Rs 650 crore towards developing tourism activities and promoting tourism infrastructure," Mr Patel added.

Situated at a height of 873 metres on Sahyadri Hills in Dang District of Gujrat, Saputara is an idyllic destination dotted with lakes, streams, woodlands and hills.

Bombay High Oil fire: When India lost its biggest oil platform

New Delhi, Jul 27 : Six years have passed when the country's biggest oilfield was destroyed in a disastrous fire at Bombay High North.

This killed 11 people and as many went missing, but those who survived the accident still feel the unrest of the flames.

On this day in 2005, Samudra Suraksha, a ship in which one of the ONGC employees cut his fingers, lost control, drifted and collided against BHN, leading to a major oil spill and causing both the platform and the ship to catch fire.

The tragedy was even worse as it took place at a time when the coastal city was trying to come out of torrential rains massacre that had already taken 300 lives.

However, maximum of the people onboard were saved. Some of them jumped into the Arabian Sea or into the lifeboats, some crossed over to a neighbouring smaller rig via a low-slung bridge while many were rescued by another ONGC ship DSV Samudra Prabha, a fire-fighting ship with High voltage generation of 11400 KW.

"It was a massive explosion. When we reached BHN for rescue operations, to our horror, we saw that the platform had vanished in less that two hours time," Engineer Sharad Gupta, who was the DP Electronics Officer at Samudra Prabha, said today.

Er Gupta and his team were awarded Maritime Bravery Award 2005 by DG Shipping, Government of India, for this life saving task.

Sharing how in such adverse conditions 361 lives were saved and he said, "Samudra Suraksha, which was on fire, was drifting dangerously close to other installations and had six divers pressurised in chamber. Fortunately, all those six were saved. But we could not save the ship."

Heavy rains had flooded Juhu helibase and ONGC colonies grounding many helicopters and so the rescue was tougher. The sea was also rough. The ship had slowly sank on the intervening night of August 1 and 2.

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A hug that didn't offend Dr Kalam!

New Delhi, Jul 15 : It was a dream come true for a woman today when the most-loved former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam accepted her offer to get hugged.

While the notable scientist had already captivated a gathering of his fans and believers by talking to them in person at a function held here, the woman could not hold back her excitement and requested him for an embrace.

"You have always been a great inspiration for me. If it does not offend you, can I give you a hug?" she asked, surprising every person present inside the hall.

As expected from the generous leader, he nodded a "yes" smiling widely at her and within few seconds, the camera flashes surrounded the hall to capture that moment of respectful clasp.

It was later found out that she was Nalini Chandran, a known educationist and founder of Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School in Trichur, Kerela who has received numerous awards in the field of education and human enrichment.

Some of them are the Charter of Honour by the Indian Medical Association, Thrissur; the Manorama-Air India BOLT Award for Educational and Community Work; the Kerala Vikas Kendra Award for work connected with women's welfare and many others.

Children have no "altitude " problem in community service

New Delhi, Apr 6 : Breaking all conventional barriers, Indian school children have surpassed their elders in community service from cleaning a dirty village pond to climbing 17,000 ft to collect 32 kg of garbage!

Ninth class student Sarojini Sarada turned a disused pond in her village in Orissa to a fish breeding ground providing an excellent business opportunity for the local people. She conducted a "Pond restoration mission" to clean the pond and motivated her friends and neighbours towards the cause.

Such is a story of not one small girl but hundreds of other students nationwide who put extraordinary efforts to serve the community.

Arun Vajpai, a XII class student from Haryana, trekked at an altitude of 17,000 ft over a period of two and a half months and collected 32 kg of garbage. It was his effort to free the people living on mountains from various ecological problems they face.

"We generally think that it is more than enough for school children to complete their homework. However, these children are not only doing well in their studies but have excelled in helping others," said Ms Sujata Dutta, founder member of Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards, organised for the first time to felicitate such students in the country on Monday.

Altogether 42 students, belonging to classes VI to XII, were shortlisted from around 600 such young volunteers and awarded medals and certificates. Two students received gold medals, a cash prize and a return trip to the US while 18 got silver medals and 20 bronze medals. Two students were also presented with Jury Appreciation Awards.

Mother to a seven-year-old boy, Ms Dutta, however, stressed that community service in India is not easy, especially for girls "When we talked to these children, we realised that there are problems like community acceptance, insecurity, and lack of encouragement, except in some cases where teachers and parents were the morale builders," she said.

Citing an example, she informed UNI about a VII class boy, S R Poobesh Gowtham, in Hosur, Karnataka, who felt strongly for the girl students of his school who had to go to toilets with no roofs.

"For construction of the covered toilets he had to raise money. When he talked about it to his friends, they used to laugh at him. But he did not feel demoralised and collected Rs 10,000 for the construction activity," she said.

Gowtham even educated children about the importance of toilet hygiene through skits, presentations and life-skills classes in his own school premises. He received a silver medal and a certificate for the same.

Emphasising that encouragement from teachers and parents can lead these students achieve greater heights, Ms Dutta shared the story of VII class student Nikkita Chhiber of St Mary's school in New Delhi who initiated a greenery club at colony level.

"She started the club and was later joined by friends who all work regularly towards making the locality parks better. She was inspired by her grandmother who was a nature lover and was helped by her school teachers," she said.

The girl received a silver medal and a certificate.

The recipient of the awards, an extension of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in the United States, were selected by an eminent jury comprising retired d IPS officer Kiran Bedi, President of Pratham NGO Madhav Chavan, Founder of Shri Ram Schools Manju Bharatram, chief of Biocon Foundation Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Founding Dean of Indian School of Business Pramath Raj Sinha.

Numerous schools all over the country were approached personally by the host company from July 2010 to December 2010 to reach out to the students. Once applications were received, the students' contributions were judged on the basis of timeline of the service, how motivated the students were, the impact that the service created and the degree of challenges faced in accomplishing the goals.

Among the first 22 awardees, 11 were from Delhi and NCR while the rest were from states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Noted film actress and theatre personality Shabana Azmi gave away these awards in the national capital.

6-yr-old achieves 1st division in IGNOU's course of pottery

New Delhi, Mar 27 : Six-year-old Divya Prakash Pandey has surpassed all his elder classmates by passing a certificate in Craft and Design (Pottery) Programme in first division.

Divya has become the youngest pride of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) by passing the course under School of Engineering and Technology in July 2010 session with 76 per cent marks.

He is not only the youngest student at IGNOU but also the youngest student ever admitted in any university.

A class two student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Divya, had interest in Craft and Design (pottery) since childhood and so during the course of his studies, he created fusion in craft and design as well as magic, a university official said.

"He has created wonder in the world of clay by designing the famous magic trick 'Water of India' besides designing different pattern and creating innovative ideas in craft and design," he said.

The CCDP course is developed under the IGNOU-Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) project and aims at upgrading the knowledge and skills of artisans engaged/interested in pottery.

This programme envisages no prerequisite educational qualification for the target group of rural artisans and interested youths. It introduces artisans to conceptual designing as well as cost analysis and marketing of products.

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Kalam "dies" and comes alive on cyber space!

New Delhi: "People's President" A P J Abdul Kalam today became yet another eminent personality to have received numerous condolence messages and homage while being very much alive!

The former President's educational advisor Hafiz Saleh Muhammad Alladin's death, in no time, turned into a rumour about Dr Kalam's passing away and spread like wildfire in cyberspace.

Dr Alladin, 80, a renowned astronomer, died yesterday.

Homage and condolence messages started flashing on social network portals like Twitter and Facebook.

One of the tweets said, "India salutes its greatest president! Dr Abdul Kalam brought rare grace, courage, dignity and simplicity to Rashtrapati Bhavan. RIP." The rumour gained further strength when noted author Shobhaa De also tweeted regretting the death of Dr Kalam. Soon she removed that message and expressed deep regrets saying, "A thousand apologies.

Our beloved former President is alive and well. Jiyo Hazaaron Saal.

Maafi Chhaiye." However, with no dearth of people who rejected the news, the post was removed from the sites soon followed by many posts and tweets about Dr Kalam being very much alive.

Some called it a "cyber death for a few hours" while others termed the people who spread such rumours as "dumb".

Numerous countrymen also wished for Dr Kalam's well being and long life. "Guys, believe me, Abdul Kalam performs Shivananda yoga everyday and eats simply. He'll outlive all of us," a tweet said.

BJP to hit UPA on Bhopal tragedy in Parliament

New Delhi, Aug 2 (UNI) The BJP is all set to demand a discussion in Parliament on the 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy verdict and the safe passage to Union Carbide's former chief Warren Anderson even as the CBI today filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court which had diluted charges in the case.

BJP would demand more compensation for victims of the tragedy and extradition of Anderson to India, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj today told reporters.
''Decision to provide meagre compensation of Rs 50,000 to the victims and that too in instalments should be invalidated and a new higher compensation should be fixed,'' the BJP leader said.

She demanded that ''absconding'' Anderson be brought back to face trial in India and punished as per the Indian laws.

The CBI today filed the curative petition in apex court under Article 142 of the Constitution seeking complete justice in the case. The petition challanges the Supreme Court's September 23, 1996 judgement which had diluted the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Anderson and top brass of the Union Carbide to death by negligance. The homicide charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years as against the death-by-negligance charge which entails a maximan sentence of two years.

Speaking after inaugurating a photo exhibition on Bhopal gas tragedy organised by the BJP here, Ms Swaraj called for justice for victims of the tragedy which is estimated to have claimed 15,000 lives since the deadly methyl iso-cynate(MIC) leaked from the Union Carbide's plant in Bhopal in December 1984.

The photographs showcased the sufferings of those hit by the tragedy, especially women and children. ''Everyone wander in crowd clueless but where are the perpetrators who forced us here?'', said a caption to one such photograph.

Twist in the wrist: Gavaskar's wrist surprises Gadkari

Jhinjholi, Haryana, Jul 10 (UNI) BJP president Nitin Gadkari's misconception that men with small wrists could not play cricket went for a toss when he met India's record-setting batsman Sunil Gavaskar.

Sharing his experiences from his heydays with party workers here, Mr Gadkari recollected his first meeting with the former Indian captain. ''When I first saw Gavaskar, I was surprised to see his wrist. How could a man with such a small wrist become such a great batsman?'' he said with a touch of incredulity.

The BJP leader confessed that till then he had believed that only those with sturdy wrists could bat well, the reason for his fascination with West Indian players.

However, his misconception was cleared when the little master explained to him confidently that it was all a game of skill. ''Gavaskar told me that he had been trained in batting, so was able to play that well. When you know your job, the game is won automatically,'' he said.

Mr Gadkari cited this incident to illustrate to party workers the importance of training for success in any field -- be it cricket or politics.

He was addressing a gathering at the party's ongoing training camp organised to make them well-versed in the BJP ideology, conduct and to imbibe the feeling of nationalism to become a dedicated politician.

Dance the Salsa on June 19!

New Delhi, Jun 16 (UNI) It seems Spanish is the flavour of the season in films, culture and commerce!

At a time when the 'Hispanic' (Spanish) fever is still on after the release of Hrithik Roshan and Spain's Barbara Mori starrer 'Kites' last month, Salsa will be colouring the streets of Delhi on June 19.

Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish language institute created by Spanish Parliament, will hold the second edition of the Spanish Day on the day to celebrate the importance of Spanish as an international language.

With plays, concerts, movies, magic show, dance, games, children's workshops, food tasting and Mexican cuisine, poetry, cartoons, folklore, 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries exhibition and many more surprises, the day will be full of
cultural activities attended by the language lovers in and around the national capital.

Speaking to mediapersons here today, director of the institute Oscar Pujol Riembau said, ''The day is celebrated across the world with the realisation that around 14 million students study the language as foreign language.''

He noted that the countdown to the event has been for a while. The institute had started a website in March 2010 where the internet users voted for their favourite word in the language or play the 'Game of Spanish', he said.

''The final round of the game will happen on the day giving much opportunity to the language lovers to know more about it. The winners will get a chance to win a free trip to the country,'' he said.

One of the other exciting events during the day would be the ''Rain of Words,'' wherein the Spanish words written on small pieces of soft material would be showered from a height and students would catch them.

Serve society by means of Mediation Centres

New Delhi, Jun 15 (UNI) Mediation Centres, established by the Delhi Government, are providing a unique opportunity to people who want to serve the society by way of resolution of those disputes which have been lying in courts for years together.

In this initiative, taken up by Delhi Dispute Resolution Society (DDRS) in the Department of Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs of the Delhi government, not only lawyers are involved but members of various Resident Welfare Associations, retired
officials, bureaucrats, social workers and socially spirited people are also enrolling themselves.

''All respectable citizens can become the mediators by undertaking prescribed training by the DDRS,'' Principal Secretary (Law, Justice and LA) M L Mehta told mediapersons today. He added that interested people could also join the Society in spreading awareness about the programme.

Various non-governmental organisations (NGO) and other organisations which have been dealing in consumer affairs and/or family disputes have also approached the Society to workout mechanism for resolving the pre-litigative disputes, Mr Mehta
informed.

In regards to lawyers, those who have undergone training as prescribed by Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court and have got the certificate of trained mediator, are eligible to become the mediator.

At present, there are three such centres working in three different districts of the national capital located at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Patparganj and IP Estate. Four other centres are coming up at Parliament Street, Rohini, Nand Nagri and Rajpur Road.

In addition, sub-centres will also be set up in public places like hospitals and markets.

The kind of cases enlisted in the rule-book of such centres include neighbourhood issues, family disputes, student issues, commercial complaints and other miscellaneous like human rights, cross-cultural and religious disputes, police, petty crime, disabilities, charitable, among others.

Within last three months, altogether 97 cases have been resolved by these centres, Mr Mehta said.

''Cases that had been lying pending in the courts for more than ten years were resolved at these centres within 45 minutes,'' he added.

Fear of honour killing? Approach Mediation Centres

New Delhi, Jun 15 (UNI) At a time when honour killings are a shock not only to Haryana but also the national capital, Delhi government's Mediation Centres today reminded people that they are here to provide counselling and enable mutual settlement.

An initiative by Delhi Dispute Resolution Society (DDRS) in the Department of Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs of the Delhi government, the Mediation Centres are a forum in which an impartial and neutral mediator tries to bring the disputant parties to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.

''In times when children and parents are not able to convey their feelings to each other in a right manner, these centres can provide an opportunity to ventilate their feelings and grievances and thereafter work out the solution to meet their interests,'' Principal Secretary (Law, Justice and LA) M L Mehta told UNI today.

He said both the parents and the children can be counselled thereby increasing the possibility of settlement.

Mr Mehta, who is also the Chairman of DDRS, detailed that mediation was done in a very neutral and friendly atmosphere.

''The mediator establishes communication between the parties and also listens to both the parties separately to generate options for amicable settlement,'' Mr Mehta said.

However, to a query, he noted that even in such counselling sessions, the mediator could not impose anything on the parties. ''The cases are solved through settlement but not by passing orders,'' he said.

He added that these centres could not take up the cases of honour killings as ''they are very serious ones''. The kind of cases enlisted in the rule-book of such centres
include family disputes, domestic violence, parent-child disputes, human rights, cross-cultural and religious disputes, among others.

At present, there are three such centres working in three different districts of the national capital located at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Patparganj and IP Estate. Four other centres are coming up at Parliament Street, Rohini, Nand Nagri and Rajpur Road.

In addition, sub-centres will also be set up in public places like hospitals and markets.

The reminder comes a day after a girl and a boy, allegedly in a love relationship, were brutally killed by the former's family as the two belonged to different castes.

Become a star online!

New Delhi, Jun 11 (UNI) Gone are the days when an upcoming writer, director or actor had to wait and go door to door to vouch for his or her talent as the ticket to fame is now just a click away.

Indian social networking portal, ibibo.com, in collaboration with Maruti Suzuki, has come up with a new concept, iSerial Star, inviting writers, directors or actors to come online and showcase their respective talents to get selected for the country's first online serial.

''In this talent hunt game, the aspirants have to upload a video showcasing their respective talent on their own profile page. Once uploaded, the ibibo community will then vote for the person, making him or her popular,'' a company's spokesperson said today.

The participants can upload the videos made through their mobile phones also, he added.

At the end, the participants who will be able to garner the maximum number of votes would be chosen for the online serial.

''A total of eight actors, two script writers and two directors will be chosen for the 24-episode-show. They will be making the serial under the supervision of country's two well-known directors,'' the spokesperson said.

Raman Kumar of the serial 'Tara' fame and Khalid Hashmi, the man who played a pivotal role in the launch of 'Zee News', have joined hands to bring forth this serial which is likely to go online this August.

Anderson flew in, out of Bhopal in state govt's plane: Capt SH Ali

New Delhi, Jun 10 (UNI) Claims that Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson had flown in and out of Bhopal in a state government plane was today strengthened by the aircraft's pilot.

''We got flight information from the then Director of Aviation R S Sodhi for a flight from Bhopal to Delhi and were told to keep the aircraft, a state government plane, ready,'' Captain Syed Hasan Ali claimed.

He added that Anderson's identity was kept a secret from him. ''We did not know who he was,'' he said.

Capt Ali further claimed that Anderson was alone in the aircraft and looked upset and tired.

''As we waited for him, he came with the then SP and the District Magistrate of Bhopal. When we landed in Delhi, an ambassador picked him up from next to the plane and I left him with the airport manager,'' he claimed.

Capt Sodhi, seconding the pilot's claims, said it was on orders of Arjun Singh government that Anderson was allowed to fly.

''I had received a call from the office of the then Chief Minister, Arjun Singh, ordering to arrange Anderson's departure on December 7, 1984,'' Captain R S Sodhi claimed in an interview to a news channel today.

He alleged Anderson, a few hours after he came to know about his charges with culpable homicide, reached the airport where the Chief Minister's official plane stood waiting for him, along with senior bureaucrats and police officers.

The city's Superintendent of Police and the district magistrate, Moti Singh, waved to Anderson as he boarded Singh's plane, he said.

Earlier, Moti Singh had also alleged that the then Chief Secretary of the state had called him to his room and told him to arrange for the flight of Anderson out of Bhopal.

''The then chairman Keshub Mahindra and UCIL's then managing director Vijay Gokhale after landing in Bhopal were taken into custody at the airport itself but soon after that, he and the district police chief were told by the Chief Secretary to get the
US citizen released on bail and send him to Delhi by plane,'' he said.

MTNL employees raise numerous 'mismanagement' issues

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Employees of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) today raised multiple issues related to ''mismanagement'' in the organisation, including alleged outstanding dues worth hundreds crores.

The concerns were raised by hundreds of employees during a function organised to bid farewell to MTNL staff union's General Secretary, Ch Sarup Singh, here today.

''More than Rs 500 crore outstanding dues have to be realised from VIP customers. No task force have been deployed for realisation of these dues,'' a union's spokesperson alleged.

He added that Dolphin network is not being managed properly to give customer base to private operatives. ''Similarly, broadband service is also mismanaged. Modems are not procured obstructing new addtions of subscriber base,'' he said.

Referring to 3G spectrum, the official said it has not been running profitably and in addition, the 2G service has also not been augmented.

He further alleged that the land allotted to MTNL by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) remained unutilised. ''Penalty of Rs 1000 crore has been raised by the DDA,'' he claimed.

Training centres built in Delhi and Mumbai have also remained unutilised. ''These centres can be given on lease to other agencies and considerable revenues can be mobilised,'' he said.

Minister of State for labour Harish Rawat and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) members were also present on the occasion.

The employees were assured by Ch Singh, who was presented with a luxurious SUV by the union, that he would continue to work for them and said the issue of settlement of pension at par with BSNL will also be resolved shortly.

Are you being stalked? Call Delhi Police's new helpline

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Delhi Police today launched an anti-stalking helpline for women to help them against the menace.

After the success of its anti-obscene calls cell, an initiative against obscene calls, the Delhi Police has taken this decision to help women in Delhi from such anti-social elements.

Various forms of media including newspaper and radio today carry the police advertisements regarding the helpline passing on the message ''Do not bear this silently!'' to the womenfolk.

The advertisements adds, ''Our anti-obscene calls cell has redressed 14301 complaints so far. We intend helping you against stalkers too.''

Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal announced it here yesterday and said, ''We intend to start an anti-stalking helpline from May 15, which we had set up last month. We hope that the helpline would go a long way in helping women against stalkers.''

Women can call the helpline by dialling 1096. They may also call the number 27894455, send their complaint through fax on 27292523 or send an SMS to 9911135446. They may also send an email regarding their complaint to acp-sit-dl@nic.in .

Petrol pumps strike in Delhi affects life

New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) Agitated over the government's inaction on the hike in VAT rates of diesel, petrol pump owners in the national capital today observed a complete shut down hitting normal life in Delhi.

Morning commuters bore the major brunt as the petrol pumps remained closed since last midnight.

However, 12 petrol pumps all over the city, belonging to Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum are open but vehicle owners have to wait for hours in long queues.

The closure protest has been called by Federation of All India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT).

FAIPT General Secretary Ajay Bansal told UNI that the government has failed to pay heed to the plight of petrol traders, who witnessed a loss of a staggering 48 per cent in diesel sales during April, 2010, in comparison to the same month in 2009.
Loss of Rs 350 crore was incurred during the period.

The VAT on diesel was raised from 12.5 per cent to 20 per cent. As a result, the difference between the rate of diesel in Delhi and in Haryana stood at Rs 4. ''Our demand is that the Delhi government should bring the diesel rate on the level of that in Haryana,'' Mr Bansal said.

All petroleum facilities will remain shut whether they were selling petrol, diesel or CNG, he added.