Captain Dhoni

Captain Dhoni has his way, BCCI sidelines Eden Garden curator

In a move which has triggered a fresh controversy, the BCCI today asked the Cricket Association of Bengal to appoint East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick to prepare the Eden track in place of veteran Prabir Mukherjee, who has been in charge of the historic Eden Gardens pitch for decades. According to reports, octogenarian Mukherjee, who looks after the Eden strip, has been sidelined due to his differences with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who insisted for rank turners from day one of the Kolkata Test against England, starting December 5. Bhowmick, who hails from the Tripura Cricket Assocition (TCA), is arriving this evening following BCCI instruction.

"He is going there as per BCCI's instruction. But I've no idea whether he has replaced the local curator there (Prabir Mukherjee). I'm not aware of the details," TCA secretary Arindam Ganguly said. CAB joint-secretary Sujan Mukherjee, however, termed Bhowmick's visit as a "routine" inspection tour and maintained that the 83-year-old Mukherjee has not been replaced. "It's a routine visit to assess the pitch and conditions which happens every time before a match. Prabir Mukherjee remains the Eden curator," Sujan Mukherjee said.

The BCCI's move to send Bhowmick to Kolkata ahead of the third Test has raised many eyebrows as, only on Sunday, Daljit Singh, who is the chairman of BCCI's ground and pitches committee, did a recce of the same Eden track. Senior BCCI official and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla refused to read too much into the matter and said the decision to send Bhowmick to Kolkata was taken by the Board's ground and pitch committee.

First Prize

Chennai girl wins first prize in US Embassy-organised contest

Chennai, Shruti Balaji, a nine-year-old girl from Chennai won the all India first prize in the art contest "Being a Child in India", organised by the US Embassy in New Delhi to highlight the importance of child survival. US Ambassador to India Nancy J Powell presented an Apple iPod to Shruti, a student of PSBB School in  Nungambakkam, today for her picture "Healthy and Happy".

Samya Rehan, 10, from Noida and Madhu Bhaandari, a fifth grader from New Delhi won second and third prizes respectively. "India, Ethiopia and the US joined together in June to say that we wanted to make sure that every child around the world made it to age five. If you make it to age five, the chances are that you are going to make it to age 65. But it is very, very difficult for many children around the world to get to five."

"They suffer from lung diseases, from malnutrition, from diarrhoeal diseases and a variety of things... We wanted to have children tell us about their vision of what makes a child survival project work", the envoy said. The Embassy announced the contest in September and the results were announced on October 11 this year, recognised as the International Day of the Girl Child by the UN.

Earthquake shakes

Earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA - The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude has hit the eastern part of Indonesia. There are no immediate reports of damage. Indonesian seismologist Fauzi says there is no risk of a tsunami. The U.S. agency says Wednesday's quake was centered 56 kilometers (35 miles) under the sea.

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency initially reported a quake measuring a preliminary 6.3 magnitude that was centered about 157 kilometers (97 miles) northwest of Tual in the southeastern part of Maluku province. It said the epicenter was 12 kilometers (7 miles) deep.

Chinese restaurant blast

Fourteen killed in Chinese restaurant blast

Beijing: Fourteen people were killed and 47 injured when a blast tore through a restaurant in northern China, state media said Saturday, with initial investigations pointing to a gas leak as the likely cause.

The explosion occurred in the city of Jinzhong in Shanxi province, which lies to the west of Beijing, on Friday evening, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The blast shattered windows of buildings near the two-storey restaurant, which served hot pot -- a popular Chinese kind of stew.

Xinhua quoted local investigators as saying that 17 of the injured were in a serious condition.

China has a notoriously poor health and safety record, blamed on a combination of poor regulations, lax enforcement and corruption.

vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal

11 die as vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal

Shimla, Eleven people were killed and fifteen injured when an overcrowded multi-utility vehicle carrying locals fell into a gorge near Timbi on Bakhal–Timbi road of Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh today, police said. Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Lakhanpal said eight persons, including a couple Kanwar Singh and Kamla Devi, died on the spot while three succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital.

The 15 injured were admitted to the hospital at Paonta Sahib and Shillai while four critically injured persons were referred to PGI, Chandigarh. Most of the victims belonged to Bakral and Timbi villages of Shillai block. Eyewitness told the police that the vehicle was overloaded and driver was rash.

64th Kargil Victory Day

Army celebrates 64th Kargil Victory Day

    Jammu, Army officers and civilians on November 24th celebrated the 64th anniversary of liberation of Kargil from Pakistan raiders in 1948. Senior army officers laid wreath at the Kargil war memorial here on the occasion of 'Kargil Yome Fateh', also known as 'Kargil Victory Day'. Civilians too joined in paying homage to the martyrs who liberated Kargil town after it was captured by Pakistani raiders in 1948 on May 10 by taking advantage of the thin deployment of Indian Army troops.

The troops of 1/5 Royal Gorkha Rifles and 77 Para Brigade had recaptured Kargil from Pakistani raiders on November 23, 1948.

Interceptor Missile

India successfully test fires supersonic interceptor missile

India today successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile , capable of destroying a hostile ballistic missile , from a test range off the Odisha coast. "At around 12.52 hours, the interceptor hit the target missile successfully at an altitude of about 15 kilometres," DRDO spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta told PTI. India is working towards development of a multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. The test was conducted to validate various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode, said a defence source.

The "hostile" ballistic missile, a modified surface-to-surface 'Prithvi', mimicking an incoming enemy weapon, first lifted off from a mobile launcher at around 12.52 hours from the launch complex-3 of integrated test range(ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea, about 15 km from here. Within about four minutes, the interceptor, Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile positioned at Wheeler Island, about 70 km from Chandipur, after getting signals from tracking radars, roared through its trajectory to destroy the incoming missile mid-air, in an "endo-atmospheric" altitude, defence sources said. "The 'kill' effect of the interceptor is being ascertained by analysing data from multiple tracking sources," a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist said soon after the test was carried out.

The interceptor is a 7.5-metre-long single-stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator, the sources said. The interceptor missile had its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities, besides sophisticated radars, the sources added. The previous trial conducted on February 10, 2012 from the same base was successful. The earlier trials were conducted on November 27, 2006, December 6, 2007 and March 6, 2009 from Wheeler Island, the sources said.

The fourth test which was scheduled in mid-March 2010 was put-off twice. Due to some technical glitches in the sub-system of the missile, the mission was aborted prior to its take off on March 14, 2010. On March 15, 2010, the target missile, a modified 'Prithvi', deviated from its pre-determined trajectory, which forced the scientists of DRDO to put-off the launch of the interceptor missile at the last minute. However, the fifth trial, conducted on July 26, 2010 incorporating some new technologies in the interceptor missile, was a success, the sources said. The last two trials conducted on March 6, 2011 and February 10, 2012 were also successful and today's test is the eighth trial, they said.

Beaumont

2 dead, many injured after at least 140 vehicles collide on US highway in dense fog

Beaumont: Two people died and more than 80 people were hurt on Thursday when at least 140 vehicles collided in Southeast Texas in a pileup that left trucks twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from the wreckage. The collision occurred in extremely foggy conditions at about 8:45 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on Interstate 10 southwest of Beaumont, a Gulf Coast city about 80 miles east of Houston. A man and a woman were killed in a Chevy Suburban SUV crushed by a tractor trailer, the Texas Department of Public Safety told KFDM-TV.

Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Rod Carroll said in a news release that 80 to 90 people were transported to hospitals with 10 to 12 of those in serious to critical condition. He said 140 to 150 vehicles were involved in the pileup. According to DPS, a crash on the eastbound side of the highway led to other accidents in a dangerous chain reaction. There were multiple crashes on the other side of the highway as well. Carroll told The Associated Press the fog was so thick that deputies didn't immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents.

"It is catastrophic," Carroll said. "I've got cars on top of cars." I-10's eastbound lanes were re-opened Thursday evening after more than eight hours. DPS trooper Stephanie Davis told KFDM that two people in an SUV died after the crash. Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.
"It's just people helping people," Carroll said. "The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travelers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured."

Four double centuries in calendar year

Clarke becomes first batsman to score four double centuries in calendar year

Adelaide: Michael Clarke set a benchmark in Test cricket that surpasses even the great Don Bradman's best years when he stroked his fourth double century of 2012 with a stunning, unbeaten 224 against South Africa. It was a recently as January last year that an Australian crowd booed him as he walked on to the field during a barren patch. On Thursday, he had 16,500 people on their feet applauding him at the Adelaide Oval for becoming the first batsmen to ever score four double centuries in a calendar year.

The Australia captain has now scored a combined 483 runs in two innings without getting out against South Africa, the No. 1-ranked team in the world. The 31-year-old Clarke started the year with a career-high knock of 329 not out at Sydney and 210 at Adelaide in January against India. His two more against South Africa take him past the usually incomparable Bradman, who scored three double centuries in an Ashes series in England in 1930. While Bradman's Test average of 99.94 is out of every modern batsman's reach, Clarke certainly deserves credit for his form since assuming the captaincy from Ricky Ponting after the 2011 World Cup

Lajpat Nagar blast case

Lajpat Nagar blast case: High Court slams Delhi Police probe, acquits two death row convicts

 New Delhi: Sixteen years after a powerful bomb blast killed 13 people in the Capital, the Delhi High Court today let off two convicts sentenced to death and reduced the death penalty of the third to life imprisonment. The court said its verdict was forced by the Delhi Police's shoddy investigation in the case.

The high intensity blast at Delhi's popular and perennially overcrowded Lajpat Nagar market on May 21, 1996 was triggered by explosives packed in a stolen Maruti car. Thirty eight people were injured in the terror attack. A city court had in April 2010 convicted six alleged militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF). Three of them - Mohd Naushad, Mohd Ali Bhatt and Mirza Nissar Hussain - got death sentences while the fourth, Javed Ahmed Khan, was punished with life imprisonment.

Today, the court converted Naushad's death penalty to life term, acquitted Hussain and Bhat, and upheld the life sentence given to Khan. But not before giving the Delhi Police some tongue-lashing. The police showed "casual approach in the case", the court said. "The police has not maintained a minimum standard of probe. The test identification parade was not conducted and the statements of key witnesses were not recorded," the bench said.

The two other convicts in the case, Farooq Ahmed Khan and his accomplice Farida Dar, had been held guilty by the trial court under the Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act. They were sentenced to imprisonment for seven years and four years and two months respectively

Ranjit Sinha

Bihar cadre IPS officer Ranjit Sinha appointed as new CBI chief

New Delhi: Bihar cadre Indian Police Service Officer Ranjit Sinha has been appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sinha, who joined the IPS in 1974, was the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief.

Sinha will take over from AP Singh, who belonged to the IPS 1974 Jharkhand cadre. Sinha has already worked in the CBI. He was on deputation as DIG, CBI, Patna and also served as Joint Director (Anti-corruption), Delhi and Joint Director (Admn) in CBI, HO. In course of his tenure in CBI, he supervised a number of important cases.

He joined CRPF and was posted as IG (Ops), Srinagar, during which period, the security of Srinagar city was taken over by CRPF from BSF. He has also served as IG (Pers) in CRPF. Sinha also headed RPF as DG and made significant contribution in implementing integrated security scheme at various railway stations in the wake of terrorist attack at CST Railway Station, Mumbai in November 2008.

He has been awarded Indian Police Medal of Meritorious Service in 1991 and President Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1997 as well as DG's commendation discs in CRPF and ITBP Force.

Mumbai

Mumbai: In one of the nicest ironies in Shiv Sena supremo and 'Hindutva' champion Bal Thackeray's life, the doctor who treated him for the past five years and was with him in his last hours was a Muslim.

Dr Jalil Parkar, well known Pulmonologist from Lilavati hospital who had been Thackeray's trusted physician for the last five years, made the announcement of Sena chief's death last evening with tears in his eyes before the crowd of party workers and mediapersons here.

Dr Parkar, a Muslim, earned the faith of Thackeray family after he successfully treated the Sena patriarch's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease that makes breathing difficult, some years ago. From thereon, every time Thackeray developed health complications, Dr Parkar was called in. He became so close to the family that in the recent years he was spotted on the dais with other VIPs at the annual Dussehra rally of Shiv Sena.

Dr Parkar is credited with saving Thackeray's life five times in five years. When senior Thackeray needed a second heart intervention in 2009 (the first was needed in 1996), it was Dr Parkar who prescribed the treatment which was readily accepted by the Sena chief.

When Uddhav Thackeray, his son and Shiv Sena executive president, needed a heart surgery some months ago, it was again Dr Parkar who led the medical team which treated him.

Though there was some commentary in political circles about Thackeray's personal doctor being a Muslim, Dr Parkar never commented on this aspect. All he would say was the Sena Chief had been very kind to him.

I haven't signed on any new film

I haven't signed on any new film: Genelia D'Souza

New Delhi, Genelia D'Souza says she has not signed on any new film yet because she is enjoying her post-marriage break. The 25-year-old actress, who got married to Riteish on February 3 this year, said that she was eagerly waiting for a break after constantly working in five film industries - Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam for a decade.

"I have not signed on a new film yet as I am on a small break. I started my career at a very young age and worked for 10 years and all 365 days without taking any break. I was a part of five film industries including Bollywood and I feel I deserve this break now after marriage," Genelia told. The actress, who was last seen with husband in rom-com 'Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya', said life has not changed post marriage.

"No, life is still the same. The only thing which has changed now is that I am seen less on TV. But there are other things happening off-screen which keep me busy. Riteish has purchased a cricket team in Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) and also produced his maiden home production 'Balak Palak'," she said at a Samsung event here. Genelia will next be seen in Anees Bazmee's "It's my life" and zombie comedy "Rock the Shaadi" opposite Abhay Deol. She had signed both the films before marriage.

India get past Hong Kong

India get past Hong Kong China in women's squash

Nimes (France): India outclassed Hong Kong China 2-0 in a playoff match here and will take on Ireland in the 5-6 classification tie in the WSF Women's World Team squash championship. Dipika Pallikal overcame Annie Au 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-5 in 53 minutes to put India in front and then Anaka Alankamony defeated Tong Tsz-Wing 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 in 40 minutes to give her team an unbeatable lead Friday.

The third singles was not played.

India next take on Ireland who got past New Zealand 2-1 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

Meanwhile, top seeds England eliminated Malaysia 2-1 to set up a title clash with No.2 Egypt who brushed aside Australia 3-0 in the semi-finals.

CBSE textbook row on Nadar community

CBSE textbook row on Nadar community: Centre assures to look into issue

CHENNAI: As political parties in Tamil Nadu strongly protested the "wrong" depiction of Nadar community in a CBSE textbook, the Centre today assured it would look into the issue and do the needful. The assurance was given by HRD minister M M Pallam Raju to his party colleague and shipping minister G K Vasan when the latter met him to discuss the issue. Raju said he was holding discussions with officials to find out the reality and would "definitely try to do the needful on this important issue". He said the "wrong" information given in the CBSE textbook "wounded" the sentiments of the Nadar community and the particular portion should be removed at the earliest. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding removal of the "objectionable" references in the book about Nadars, a trading community concentrated in southern districts of the state.

"The social and economical development achieved by the Nadars over the years is commendable. Their success in the fields of education and business can be attributed to their hard work and determination," she said urging the Prime Minister to direct officials to remove "objectionable" references. Noting that great leaders, including Kamaraj, belonged to the Nadar community and their contribution to society was immeasurable, Jayalalithaa said various associations belonging to the community made representations to her condemning such "objectionable" references about their community. DMK chief M Karunanidhi yesterday urged the PM to direct officials to rectify these "errors" and remove the objectionable references from the textbook of class IX. It was "historically incorrect" to have labelled Nadars as migrants to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, he had said. DMDK chief Vijaykant, MDMK leader Vaiko, and PMK leader S Ramadoss have also objected to the references.

Family drown in the Ganga river

Five of family drown in the Ganga river

Haridwar, Five members of a family, including a father-son duo, drowned in the Ganga today while trying to cross the river near Ajitpur Jiyapota village of the district. All the five drowned as they did not have an idea of the depth of the river and tried to wade through it to reach the trees on the other side laden with plum fruits, police said. Shyam Singh(35), his 14-year-old son Rohan, nephew Ajay (13) and two more relatives Gaurav and Chotu drowned near Ajit Ghat of the river, police said. A co-villager Anil was also with them, however, he swam to safety, police said. All the five bodies have been fished out.

Sri Lankan nationals

3 Lankan nationals held for bid to smuggle gold jewels

Chennai, Three Sri Lankan nationals, including two women, were arrested at the airport here today for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold ornaments totally weighing nearly one kg and valued at Rs 37 lakh. The two women and a man, who arrived from Colombo by two different flights yesterday, were detained after customs officials found them carrying the gold ornaments kept concealed in their inner garments, airport sources said. The women, aged 52 and 42, were illegally  carrying 382 grams and 342 grams of jewels while the 44-year old man had 325 grams of ornaments, they said.

Mulayam's jolt to Congress

Mulayam's jolt to Congress, releases list of candidates for 2014

 Lucknow: Mulayam Singh Yadav has indicated he is ready for the elections. His Samajwadi Party released its list of candidates today, a good 18 months before the Lok Sabha polls are meant to take place. The 55 candidates on the list  today include Mr Yadav, whose constituency is Mainpuri, and his daughter-in-law  Dimple, who will ask voters to re-elect her from Kannuaj.

Mr Yadav's list will be interpreted by many as a sign that he does not expect the ruling UPA coalition to complete its term.  The government is in a minority since its main ally, Mamata Banerjee, dropped out in September over new economic reforms.  Since then the government is on life support courtesy Mr Yadav and his fierce rival Mayawati.  Both UP powerhouses do not participate in the government but lend external support.  The vote of their 43 MPs is crucial for the government to help    pass important legislation. The winter session of parliament begins on Thursday, November 22.

Three killed in Naxal attack

Three killed in Naxal attack on police van in Jharkhand

Giridih: Naxals attacked a prison van and killed three people, including two policemen and an undertrial in Jharkhand's Giridih district today. 32 prisoners, who were being transported, are missing. Several Naxal leaders were also in among these prisoners. The prison van was returning from the local court to Giridih jail when it was attacked.

Nobel Prize for Malala Yousufzai

UK campaigners call for Nobel Prize for Malala Yousufzai

Tens of thousands of Britons called on the government on Friday to nominate Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education, for the Nobel Peace Prize. The 15-year-old is receiving specialist treatment in the English city of Birmingham after gunmen shot her on Oct. 9 for standing up against the Taliban and openly advocating education for women. The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation and Yousufzai has become a powerful symbol of resistance to the Taliban's attempts to suppress women's rights. On Friday, a campaign led by a Pakistani-British woman urged Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior government officials to nominate Yousufzai for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala doesn't just represent one young woman, she speaks out for all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of their gender, campaign leader Shahida Choudhary said in a statement issued by global petition platform Change.org. More than 30,000 people have signed the petition in Britain as part of a global push by women's rights advocates to nominate her for the prize. Similar campaigns have sprung up in Canada, France and Spain. Under the Nobel Committee's rules, only prominent figures such as members of national assemblies and governments are able to make nominations. Yousufzai was unconscious and fighting for her life when she was flown to Britain a month ago but the hospital in Birmingham where she is being treated says she is recovering well. On Friday it released photographs of Yousufzai reading a book and clutching a white teddy bear, dark bruises covering her eyelids.

Delhi councillor suicide

Delhi councillor suicide: Husband arrested, charged with dowry death

New Delhi: Police today arrested the husband of a councillor in Delhi's municipal corporation, who committed suicide after killing her one-and-half-year-old baby. Satyam Yadav, 27, hanged herself at her Nangloi home in west Delhi on Thursday morning after strangling her daughter. She represented Nangloi (East) in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Her husband Pawan Yadav, a teacher, has been charged with dowry death and cruelty towards his wife. Mrs Yadav's family has alleged she was harassed by her in-laws for dowry and giving birth to a girl child.

"Satyam's in-laws were demanding Rs. 10 lakh and a car. We went to Delhi to bring her back to Bulandshahr. They refused to let her come and said they will not leave her until their demands were fulfilled," her brother Nishat Yadav alleged.

US Election Result

US election results: Ministry of External Affairs congratulates Barack Obama; Pranab Mukherjee & Manmohan Singh to send messages

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday congratulated US President Barack Obama on his re-election. "The Government and people of India send their congratulations to President Obama on his winning a second mandate from the people of the USA who have expressed their will in the great tradition of democracy in their country," the MEA said in a press release.

The release stated that President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will send separate messages of congratulations to US President Obama upon his re-election.

 "India and the US have developed extensive bilateral cooperation and partnership based on shared values based on belief in democracy, the rule of law and pluralism. We look forward to continuing to deepen and widen the engagement between India and the US in the years ahead," the release added.

US President Barack Obama rolled to re-election and a second term in the White House on Tuesday with a victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney as the Democrat overcame deep doubts about his handling of the US economy.

Obama, America's first black president, won by convincing voters to stick with him as he tries to reignite strong economic growth and recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. An uneven recovery has been showing some signs of strength but the country's 7.9 per cent jobless rate remains stubbornly high.

Obama's victory in the hotly contested swing state of Ohio - as projected by TV networks - was a major step in the fight for the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House and ended Romney's hopes of pulling off a string of swing-state upsets.

Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna

Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna enter Paris semis, clinch World Tour Finals' berth

Paris: The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna booked the final berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London after advancing to the semi final of the BNP Paribas Masters.

In a winner-take-all quarter-final clash yesterday fifth seeds Bhupathi and Bopanna defeated the Polish Power pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-4.

They will now be up against the Australian-British combination of Paul Hanley and Jonathan Marray.

Bhupathi and Bopanna will make their team debut at the season finale.

The 38-year-old Bhupathi is a four-time runner-up at the event, losing in the final in 2010 (w/Max Mirnyi) and 1997, '99 and 2000 with Leander Paes.

Bopanna, 32, made his debut at the year-end championships last year, partnering Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

The Indian pairing joined forces this season and have compiled a 29-20 match record. They won their first title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and were runners-up at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Cincinnati and Shanghai.

Seventh seeds Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, who have also qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, reached the semi-finals in Paris with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor.

Manmohan Singh

12th Plan will triple spending on health: Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that the 12th Five Year Plan will enhance spending on health up to three times and that more medical and nursing colleges were needed to overcome a shortage of trained human resources in the sector.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying of the Lady Hardinge Medical College project here, the prime minister also said that health indicators reflected a country's overall well-being.

"Recognising the need to provide for the complex challenges in the health sector, the allocation for health has been enhanced three times in the 12th Plan as compared with the 11th Plan allocation," he said.

He said the government was paying more attention to medical education. In the last three years, the number of MBBS seats in medical colleges rose by over 30 percent and the seats for post-graduate programmes by 51 percent.

"However, the availability of trained human resources remains a challenge. We need to set up more nursing and medical colleges to increase both undergraduate and postgraduate seats in the 12th Plan," he said.

The prime minister said that nutrition, drinking water, sanitation, housing and education, particularly of the girl child, were increasingly being underlined as the social determinants of health.

He added that generic drugs would be made available free in all public hospitals across the country to help the poor reduce their out of pocket expenditure on health.