NEWS

• Ten Thousand new bank branches will be opened by next month, says Finance Minister.

• CBI Director Ranjit Sinha clarifies that his statement on Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case was misquoted.

• New Delhi and Washington must deal with differences in a constructive manner, says US National Security Advisor.

• ICC approves structural revamp proposal; BCCI President N Srinivasan to Chair ICC Board from Mid 2014.

• In the Auckland Cricket test, India bundles out Kiwis for 105; Needs 320 runs to win with nine wickets in hand.

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said that ten thousand new bank branches will be opened by next month. He was inaugurating online 108 new bank branches of Indian Bank in 14 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odissa and West Bengal at a function in Tirubhuvanam in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu today. Chidambaram said that with this, 50,000 job opportunities will be created in the banking sector.

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The Finance Minister has hoped that the final estimates of economic growth will not be less than five per cent for the year 2013-2014. In a statement issued in New Delhi today, Mr. P Chidambaram said, the advance estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation yesterday, shows that the growth in the second half of the current fiscal has been better than first half as anticipated.

On the agriculture growth of 4.6 per cent, he said, it is a vindication of the policies pursued by the UPA government including higher Minimum Support Price, subsidy to fertilisers and enhanced credit to farmers. The Finance Minister expressed confidence that growth in next financial year will witness a significant improvement over the current fiscal.

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A Reserve Bank panel has recommended that banks should simplify the system for mobile banking. It suggested that customers should be allowed to make payments at merchant outlets and transfer funds by using mobile phones.

"Inspired by high mobile phone penetration in the country, the Reserve Bank of India Report on Mobile Banking emphasised the need for a standardised and simplified procedure for registration and authentication of customers for mobile banking services. The report has recommended that banks should simplify system for mobile banking so that the facility could be availed on any type of phone handsets with suitable level of security. It says that customers should not be mandated to visit the bank branch for the purpose of registration. LUBNA YUSUF MOOSA, AIR NEWS, MUMBAI."

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The Central Bureau of Investigation, director Ranjit Sinha today clarified that the agency has done a fair investigation in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.

His clarification came after an English daily quoted Sinha as saying that the UPA government would have been very happy if the CBI had charged Amit Shah in the case. Mr Sinha said that he has been misquoted unfairly and completely out of context. He added the agency is an impartial and an apolitical organisation.

The CBI had filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case on Thursday. However, the charge sheet in the case had not mentioned the name of former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah who was then questioned by the agency.

The BJP today said, the revelations made by the CBI director are of great importance. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi this afternoon, party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, after Sinha’s disclosure, it is clear that there was no prosecutable evidence against Amit Shah in the case.

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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is participating in a Vikas Khoj Yatra organized by the Youth Congress in Gujarat today. Mr. Gandhi is likely to join the Yatra at Bardoli in South Gujarat and is expected to walk a few kilometers before addressing a the rally of youth congress workers.

Our Ahmedabad correspondent reports that Bardoli is known for Sardar Patel’s civil disobedience agitation against the British rule. The Vikas Khoj Yatra-is going to end tomorrow at Swaraj Ashram near the historic place Dandi.

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The resignation of Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Health, Shabir Khan, has been accepted by the State Governor N N Vohra. Mr. Khan was booked in an alleged molestation case.

Amid mounting pressure from political parties demanding action against him, Mr. Khan yesterday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Police registered a case against Mr. Khan after a lady doctor alleged that the Minister called her to his office in Srinagar and attempted to molest her.

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In Manipur, one Assam Rifles personnel was killed and another two injured in a militant ambush in Ningchou Lambisana under the Chasad Police Station in Ukhrul District today. Police sources said, the incident took place at around 4:30 early this morning while the Assam Rifles personnel were patrolling on foot. Militants first exploded a bomb along the road and just after it ambushed the patrolling party. Assam Rifles also retaliated and an exchange of fire took place.

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The Allahabad High Court has directed the State government to file its reply on the acquisition of about 3.5 lakh hectares of land in Ghaziabad district for the construction of a road. The Court has also ordered that status quo be maintained with respect to the land until further orders.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Arun Tandon and A K Mishra passed the order while hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the acquisition of land. The petitioners have alleged that they were agriculturalists dependent on the acquired land for their livelihood. The court has fixed March 3rd as the next date of hearing in the matter.

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BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narender Modi has assured that the huge amount of black money kept in the foreign countries, will be brought back to India once his party comes to power at the Centre. Speaking at a rally at Imphal in Manipur this morning, Modi said that politics of corruption needs to be stopped now. Mr. Modi said, the whole of North-East is facing the problems of extremism, insurgency and divisive forces.

Because, of lack of attention and lack of governance, the Northeast region has fallen into the hands of divisive forces. When the boundary of your home become weak, people makes roads to walk through extremism, insurgency and infiltration are the current problem of this region.

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The Srinagar-Jammu national highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was opened for vehicular traffic today. The 294-km arterial highway, was closed for traffic yesterday in the wake of landslides due to heavy snowfall at many places along the route.

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The US today said that New Delhi and Washington need to deal with their differences in a constructive manner. In an apparent reference to the Devyani Khobragde incident, it said that such challenges should not be allowed to derail the future of its important relationship with India.

The US National Security Advisor Susan Rice said, every meaningful partnership between powerful nations encounters setbacks. She said, the recent events have drawn more attention to our disagreements than to our cooperative efforts but those difficulties should be minor compared to the breadth of our relationship and the magnitude of what we can accomplish together. Ms. Rice said this in her address to the Aspen Institute US-India Dialogue being held in Washington.

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Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander Jayanath Colombage has charged the Indian fishermen of deliberately violating the boundary. Speaking to the local press, Colombage said that many of the Indian fishing vessels have a GPS installed and also since they come very close to the Sri Lankan coast for purposes of illegal bottom trawling, they clearly know that they are poaching on Sri Lankan resources. He however said that the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard understand the situation and have been cooperative. With regard to the ongoing talks between the two countries on the issue, Commander Colombage said that Indian fishermen have asked for permission for 70 days of fishing in Sri Lankan waters but this cannot be agreed to.

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In Syria, the first round of evacuation of 83 civilians from the besieged old city of Homs has been carried out. Buses ferried children, women and elderly to a meeting point outside Homs where aid workers were present. The Syrian Government has said that those evacuated would be given medical treatment and shelter, and those residents of Old Homs who prefer to remain will be sent humanitarian aid. A local ceasefire for three days of humanitarian operations has been agreed upon by the two sides . The old city of Homs is under rebel opposition control and surrounded by the Syrian forces for over one and a half year. Around 2500 civilians are reportedly trapped in Homs.

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The UN Nuclear watchdog, IAEA will hold talks with Iranian representatives in Teheran today. The talks are aimed at addressing the concerns of the western nations that Iran is clandestinely trying to acquire nuclear weapons capability. Iran’s Ambassador to IAEA Reza Najafi and IAEA Deputy Director General Tero Tapio Varjoranta would lead the negotiations.

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The ICC today approved its radical reform plans aimed at bringing about improved governance. The move that will give India significant control over revenue and power structure of the world's governing body. Despite strong resentment from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa, the controversial proposals related to the restructuring of the ICC was passed at the Executive Board meeting after gaining the support of eight of the ICC's 10 full members with Sri Lanka and Pakistan abstaining from the meeting in Singapore.

The key elements of the resolution are the establishment of an Executive Committee and Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee to provide leadership at an operational level, with five members, including BCCI, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board representatives.

As per the resolution passed at the meeting, current BCCI president N Srinivasan will chair the ICC Board from mid-2014 which will be the primary decision-making body. Among other key elements of the resolution are the creation of Test Cricket Fund to protect the traditional format of the game.

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Chasing a victory target of 407 set by New Zealand, India were 87 for one in their second innings at stumps on day three of the first cricket Test at Eden Park in Auckland today. India still needs 320 runs with nine wickets in hand in two more days in the two-match series.

Earlier today, the Indian bowlers and fielders made a sensational comeback to bowl New Zealand out for just 105. In total, New Zealand scored 503 and 105 all out in 41.2 overs and India scored 202 and 87 for one in 25 overs. Shikhar Dhawan scored 49 not out and Cheteshwar Pujara was on 22 not out.

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The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today released a commemorative stamp to honour ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh on his 71st birth anniversary. Addressing a gathering after releasing the stamp in New Delhi, Dr Singh said, the legendary singer enjoys a special place in the music history of the country. He said, the magical voice of Jagjit Singh will continue to touch everyone’s heart forever.

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Sayed Muzaffar Hussain Burney, a former civil servant who also served as Governor in various states, has passed away. He was 90. Burney, suffering from old age related ailments, died last night. He was an officer of the Indian Administrative Services of the Orissa cadre and went on to become the Chief Secretary of the state.

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Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari today called upon students pursuing higher education to inculcate a sense of responsibility in pursuit of building a modern, progressive and just society. Addressing the fourth convocation of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University at Katra near Jammu, the Vice President urged the students to continue the process of learning and pursuing excellence, not only for their own sake but also for society at large.

The vision of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi is to establish a scientific and technical University of excellence to nurture young talented human resources for the service of Indian society and world at large.

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A 14-year-old Manipuri girl was allegedly raped by her landlord's son in Delhi last night. According to the Delhi Police, the incident happened at Munirka in south Delhi. The accused has been arrested.

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