YSR chopper crash site secured; Maoist hand ruled out

Ahead of the visit of technical experts from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to probe the crash of the helicopter carrying late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy [ Images ] and four others, the site atop Pavurallagutta hillock has been surrounded and secured by a 30-member security team from the Greyhound force.
As the place, about 15 km way from the tribal hamlet of Rudrakodur, is highly inaccessible. The armed force has pitched three tents at the site. In the absence of any facility to cook food, these personnel will have to be content with packets of ready-to-eat food and packaged drinking water.
Officials said that securing the site had become necessary as parts of the crashed helicopter, belongings of the five passengers and various other clues were spread all over the place.
While crucial components like the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered and taken away by the officials, the Emergency Locator Transmitter is yet to be found.
A team of CID, which has launched its own investigations, while scouring the site on Saturday came across some body parts of the victims, including a finger, a hand and internal parts spread around the place.
The team also gathered parts of the Bell-430 helicopter, including electronic chips, from the site that will be handed over to the four-member team constituted by the DGCA.
The team also recovered a coarse rice packet, a bag, a suitcase, a sealed cover with helicopter manual and a few books.
In view of suspicions of foul play or Maoist hand behind the crash, a bomb disposal squad also visited the site but did not find any clue or material to suggest that the helicopter was shot down using the rocket launcher or any other weapon. The suspicion arose as the police had recovered huge stockpile of rocket launchers from the Naxalites [ Images ] in this region about couple of years ago.
However, sources said bomb disposal experts did not find any such indication and ruled out the use of rocket launcher.
The team found a burnt patch on the ground spread over 25 to 30 square meters suggesting that the helicopter had exploded in flames after it crashed on the hillock. As the helicopter's tank was loaded with fuel sufficient for two hours flight, it exploded on impact.
Kurnool district collector Mukesh Kumar Meena has said that the administration was fully geared up to extend full cooperation to the DGCA panel when it undertakes the visit to the site. The panel has asked the administration to hand over everything, which was recovered from the site of the crash, and also provide the video clippings of the site and other documents.

Make YSR's son the successor, Andhra cabinet urges Sonia Gandhi

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi urging her to make late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy the next chief minister of the state.
In a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi Friday, the council of ministers told her that the cabinet at its special meeting Thursday unanimously resolved to propose the candidature of Jaganmohan Reddy as the next chief minister.
'Keeping in view the developmental commitments and ongoing irrigation projects, besides the sentiments of the general public, we have unanimously resolved to propose the candidature of Jaganmohan Reddy as the chief minister of the state,' said the letter, copies of which were made available to media.
The letter carried the names of caretaker Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, who presided over the meeting, and all other 35 ministers.
'Just like Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy has a good following among the masses from the grassroot level and is acceptable to all sections, particularly the downtrodden and weaker sections,' the letter reads.
'Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy is the only suitable candidate in the present circumstances.'

YS Jaganmohan in YSR's shadow

Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, 37, who is being pushed to succeed his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as
Andhra Pradesh chief minister, is a media baron who runs popular the Telugu daily Sakshi and a
television channel by the same name.
The state cabinet presided over by K Rosaiah, who was installed as caretaker chief minister
Thursday, passed a resolution urging the Congress party's central leadership to let Jaganmohan
take over the mantle of the state, though the high command is yet to decide on YSR's successor.
The decision also has a backing of some 100-odd legislators, who have even launched a campaign to
put Jaganmohan in the saddle.
There is also an SMS doing the rounds, saying: "When Indira Gandhi expired Rajiv Gandhi was made
the prime minister. Why not Jagan be made chief minister now?" The SMS is being circulated by
Jaganmohan's supporters.
Jaganmohan Reddy, a first time MP from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, received his early
education from Pulivendula--also the place of his birth-- and went on to get a Master's degree in
business administration. While in college, he took active part in sports, excelled in cricket and
won several shields at various inter-collegiate tournaments.
His supporters argue that by projecting Jaganmohan Reddy as a young entrepreneur and a
philanthropist, they could counter the charisma of those cine stars who have either started new
political outfits or have been actively campaigning for regional parties. Jaganmohan is married
and has a school-going daughter.
Making Jaganmohan the chief minister would be a real tribute to the deceased leader, state Health
Minister D Nagender said.
Born on December 21, 1972, Jaganmohan joined the Congress in his young years and was inspired by
the late Rajiv Gandhi. He also has a website ysjaganreddy.com, that claims he is an industrialist
who sets up factories in remote villages to create employment opportunities for the poor.
There is a groundswell of support for Jaganmohan. While many legislators met Union Minister for
law and in-charge of party affairs in the state M. Veerappa Moily and submitted a memorandum to
make him the chief minister, some even went to Praja Rajyam Party president K. Chiranjeevi to
request him to support Jaganmohan Reddy's candidature.
A group of MPs held a meeting here and decided to place their demand before Congress president
Sonia Gandhi.
Some party workers sitting outside Gandhi Bhavan, the party headquarters in the city, said they
would not accept anybody other than YSR's son to head the state government.
YSR was killed in a chopper crash while travelling to Chittoor from Hyderabad in inclement
weather Wednesday. The mangled remains of the helicopter and the bodies of the chief minister and
four others accompanying him were located on Thursday morning in the Nallamala jungles.

India's first Islamic bank to start in Kerala by 2010

The first Islamic bank in the country with active involvement of the Kerala [ Images ] government is likely to start operations in Kochi by next year as the bank's registration formalities are currently being fulfilled on a war footing.The Kerala industries department is actively involved in the new initiative and a high level meeting held at Kozhikode on August 12 had approved a project report prepared by Ernst & Young.
Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, which is the designated agency for the formation of the bank, will have 11 per cent stake in the proposed banking company.
According to government officials in the know, it will be registered as a non-banking finance company in the beginning and later get transformed into a full-fledged Shari'ah-compliant bank. It is likely that the registration formalities will be completed in the current year itself and the NBFC will become operational in 2010.
The project proposes to raise an initial capital of Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) from leading non-resident Indians and Indian business houses. According to sources close to the development, leading NRI businessmen such as Mohammed Ali, MA Yusuf Ali, CK Menon and other Kerala-based industrialists such as Azad Mooppan have shown keen interest in the venture.
Though an RBI study group had eariler rejected the concept of Islamic banking, it got the backing of the Raghuram Rajan Committee on banking reforms. Purely based on Shari'ah principles, the bank will avoid interest-based business activities.
The proposed Kerala-based bank plans to invest funds in infrastructure projects, and two areas, Bai al Salam and Instinsa, under Shari'ah have been identified for such investments.
The bank will invest all its funds in wealth generating investment avenues and will distribute profit to its shareholders. The proposed Islamic bank will also set apart a social fund, compulsory under Shri'ah principles and the Islamic banking concept, and will provide interest-free loans to the Gulf returnees to set up business or small scale ventures.
The concept is getting widespread support among the Muslim community of the state as a large number of rich Muslims are strictly practicing Shari'ah principles in business.
A major chunk of such persons do not have a bank account. A lot of discussion is also going on whether investment in capital market is against Shari'ah principles. A section of the community believes that share trading is against the fundamentals of Islam. So the formation of an Islamic bank will be a relief to them.
This concept is very popular in West Asia and in predominantly Muslim nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Leading international banks such as HSBC and Standard & Charted have exclusive Islamic banking windows.
According to sources, the biggest challenge before the Kerala-based bank will be the formation of a Shai'ah Supervisory Board in order to monitor the activities of the bank. The board should include independent scholars on Shari'ah and banking business

161 districts face drought, but it's no panic: Govt

More than a quarter of India's districts are facing the threat of drought and the sowing of crops nationally is 20 per cent lower than in the previous year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday.
While many of these districts are not major crop producers, the Minister's statement underscored growing government concern that a weak monsoon could reduce output of crops like rice and dampen economic growth already hit by a global recession.
After the driest June in 83 years, the annual rains have been more than a quarter below below normal this season.
The Minister said he expected the economy to expand more than six per cent in 2009/10, in line with the central bank's outlook, although some private economists have warned that the risk is to the downside given the poor monsoon performance.
"Monsoon situation is still erratic," Mukherjee told reporters."One hundred and sixty one districts have been declared drought prone. So far as sowing is concerned, 20 percent would be down," he said.
India has 604 districts.
He did not specify the drought-prone districts.
The rain deficit since June 1 worsened to 28 per cent at the weekend, raising fears that the season may turn out to be as bad as 2004 when summer crop output fell 12 per cent after a drought.
GDP fell to 7.5 per cent that fiscal year from 8.5 per cent in the previous year.
The rains are vital for sugarcane, oilseeds and other crops, although the impact has been more severe for certain crops - particularly rice - than for many others.
A feared shortfall in the sugar harvest has lifted global prices to near record highs.
Mukherjee said the government was ready to manage a drought and a contingency plan was also in place.
"Of course, always there is a contingency plan," the Minister said. "There is no point of pressing the panic button because you will go and start chanting drought, drought, drought and it will have an adverse impact," he said.
Among measures the government could take to mitigate the situation are to raise imports and curtail exports.
It has already stepped up efforts to buy more sugar and has banned wheat exports and restricted rice shipments.
"Fortunately, Punjab and Haryana have extensively used the ground water. Bihar and certain other states, there are shortfalls," Mukherjee said.
Mukherjee was also confident that targets for direct tax receipts for the 2009/10 fiscal year would be surpassed.

Azad should apologise or resign: Reeda’s family

Reacting strongly to the statement of Ghulam Nabi Azad where he blamed Pune’s Reeda Sheikh for spreading the swine flu virus to 85 people, the girl’s family on Sunday asked the Union Health Minister to either apologise to them or resign from his post for making “insensitive remarks”.

Speaking to reporters here, the family of the 14-year-old girl who became India’s first victim from A(H1N1) virus, instead blamed the authorities for being slow in taking corrective action and not releasing any information regarding the symptoms of the pandemic.

“The Health Minister says Reeda spread the infection to 85 people… I am her mother and I am negative. What does he have to say about it,” Reeda’s mother said.

“My daughter is a martyr. It is only after her death that the government has become serious about the swine flu outbreak. My daughter sacrificed her life for the country. It is only after her death that so many people are going to hospitals to get themselves checked for A(H1N1) virus,” she further added.

The family further told the Health Minister not to make any more statements and asked the government to detail the actions they have taken after the family filed an FIR against the erring private hospital and doctors in Pune for medical negligence in Reeda’s case.

“Azad is sitting in New Delhi and making statements. He did not even bother to visit our family,” the girl’s family said.