Railway minister Laloo Yadav spares fares & freight hikes in Railway budget 2005-06.
Gujjars and Bakerwals flee on fear of avalanches: Gujjar and Bakerwal tribals flee homes and go downhill in fear of avalanches in higher reaches of Jammu & Kashmir. (The Hindu)
Record Forex weekly reserves surge:Forex reserves surged by US$ 2.9 billion to US$ 132.959 billion for week ending February 16. This is attributed to huge FII inflows during the week that forced the central bank to mop up dollars from the market. (Economic Times)
ISRO announces 4 satellite launches for 2005:ISRO announced that India would launch four satellites this year. These would include two remote sensing satellites Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2 and two communication satellites for DTH applications INSAT-4A and INSAT-4C . The remote sensing satellites would be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. (Economic Times)
NASA interested in Chandrayan mission:NASA has expressed interest in joining India's first moon mission project Chandrayan-1 scheduled for launch in 2007-08. NASA is in talks with ISRO for deploying some of its scientific payload in the spacecraft. (Times of India)
CBMs with India have boosted investments
Manmohan urged to amend Hindu Succession Act: Several organisations and individuals from across the country have sought the intervention of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, for a comprehensive amendment of the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 to bring about full gender equality. (The Hindu)
Concerted efforts towards conservation of Oliver Ridley turtles: International conservation groups and biologists have joined hands with the fishing community to fight for the conservation of the Olive Ridley sea turtles and for better management of marine resources on the Orissa coast. (The Hindu)
Pankaj Advani wins 4th Asian billiards championship: Indian champion Pankaj Advani, displayed his superb form as he routed Thai challenger Praput Chaithansukul 5-0 (100-64, 100-32, 100-0, 100-0, 101-51)to win the fourth Asian Billiards Championship at Pune. (Hindustan Times)
Hockey player Deepak Thakur beaten up by Punjab police player: In a freak incident at a super league match hockey match of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh tournament , India forward Deepak Thakur , playing for Indian Oil , was attacked violently with the hockey stick by ‘good friend’, Punjab Police’s Kanwalpreet Singh , apparently without provocation. The incident shocked the Indian hockey fraternity. The match was on at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi. (Times of India)
Kalam: Govt. committed to common man: President Abdul Kalam in his pre budget address to parliament at Central Hall put on record that "my Government is committed to an inclusive society, a caring polity and a sharing economy". The President's address define the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh govenment's agenda. He also said "My government wants India to shine, but it must shine for all", indicating the budget would be in favour of the common man. (President's speech)(The Hindu)
President in pre budget address says Govt. committed to common man.
Economic survey 2005-06 moots tax reforms: The Economic Survey 2004-05 presented to parliament estimates a GDP growth of 6.9% this year despite a bad monsoon and predicts 7-8% for the next year. The survey urges the government to take many steps/actions. It urges higher caps for foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, insurance and mining; greater labour market flexibility, sharp targeting of subsidies to the poor, reduction of non-merit subsidies (58% of subsidies), ending of items reserved for production by small scale industries (SSI) and cutting of customs duties to ASEAN rates. It advocates improving collection of taxes, without raising them. (The Economic Times)(Economic Survey 2004-05)
Srilanka thanks India for Tsunami aid:Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar thanked India for "tremendous assistance in the greatest hour of need". (The Hindu)
Court cannot tell Parliament what to debate:Speaker: The Lok Sabhaspeaker, Somnath Chatterjee, politely but firmly asserted that the Supreme court (or any other court) could not tell Parliament what it should debate. He made these comments in the context of reports that the apex courts had dismissed a petition of "charge sheeted" Ministers after the Government counsel apparently made assurances that Parliament would discuss the issue. (The Statesman)
Cabinet nod for disaster management authority: The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the proposal for setting up a national disaster management authority (NDMA ) and building up specialised capabilities for rapid intervention in case of disasters. The NDMA will be set up under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. (Business Line)
Govt clears use of Tricolour: The government clarified it had no objection of the tricolour by sports persons on their helmets or their outfits, albeit without the Ashok Chakra. This clarification was issued in response to the Board of Control for Cricket in India query to the government in this regard. This also puts India's first ever Formula one driver Narain Karthikeyan in the clear for use of the tricolor in his debut grand prix in Melbourne on March 6. (The Statesman)
Jordan F1 team unveiled in Moscow's Red square: - Midland announced their arrival on the Formula one scene with the launch of the Jordan EJ15 in Moscow'sRed Square. The EJ15 was flanked by its new drivers Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan. For the first time in its history Red Square in Moscow was used to promote a commercial event. (Canada.com)
Pankaj Advani in finals of 4th Asian Billiards championship:Pankaj Advani beat Kyaw Oo of Myanmar 100-71, 100-0, 101-33, 22-101, 101-0 to move into the finals of the 4th Asian Billiards Championship at Pune. (Indian Express)
55% polling in Bihar & Jharkand election: The final phase of polling for 93 Assembly seats in Bihar and 28 seats in Jharkhand witnessed an estimated 55 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise. (The Hindu)
Narayana Murthy most admired biz leader:Infosys chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy has emerged as India's most admired business leader for the fourth consecutive year, according to a survey by brand consulting, advertising and PR firm Brand-comm. (Rediff)
UK may participate in India's moon mission: British High Commissioner Michael Arthur told reporters that Britain is considering taking part in India's moon mission Chandrayan - 1. The Indian spacecraft may carry a UK component as one of the payload, he said. (Rediff)
M&M, Renault team for passenger carMahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Renault announced today the formation of a joint venture company, Mahindra Renault Ltd., which will introduce the popular `C' segment passenger car, Logan, in India in 2007. (The Hindu)
Air India takes delivery of Boeing 737-800Air India today took delivery of the first of the three Boeing 737-800s for its subsidiary, AI Express , for operations to the Gulf. (The Hindu)
Avalanche toll in south Kashmir: More than 100 people (includes 26 children and 18 women) are feared killed with around 230 missing in the avalanches that swept villages in south Kashmir district of Anantnag located on the Pirpanchal foothills. Avalanche almost buried the hamlets Naginpora Nar, Panzgam and Watlungu Nar with 10-15 feet of snowfall. (The Hindu)
Akash missile test fired: The medium-range surface–to-air missile Akash was test-fired at the test range at Chandipur -on-sea near Balasore in the state of Orissa. (Dawn)
52% dropout in schools: – India prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the dropout rate at elementary level (Class I to VIII) was 52.79% due to lack of adequate facilities and large scale teacher absenteeism. (New Kerala)
Jyoti Randhawa 3rd in Asian Order if merit: Indian golf pro Jyoti Randhawa moved up to the third position in the 2005 Order of Merit in the Asian Tour. (The Hindu)
The All India Anti-Terrorist Front seeks a ban on entry of former Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad in India following reports of his son's alleged engagement to underworlddonDawood Ibrahim's daughter.
2005 in India: January 2004 in India: January February March April May June July August September October November December 2003 in India: January February March April May June July August September October November December
