India proposes five Jantar Mantars for world heritage status to UNESCO

NEW DELHI: Measuring time for the past three centuries, five Jantar Mantars in the country could add more feathers to their cap if UNESCO accepts India's proposal to accord World Heritage status to them.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has identified five astronomical observatories in Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura as significant heritage structures and has recommended to the UNESCO to declare them as World Heritage Sites in this year's serial nominations.

"The ASI has sent a proposal for a serial nomination of five Jantar Mantars in the country. The nominations form part of the tentative list sent to the UNESCO, which is the approving authority," ASI Deputy Director General B R Mani said.

He said the ASI has also mentioned about the five sites in the dossier which has been sent to the UNESCO.

Constructed between 1727 and 1734 by Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur, the five astronomical observatories incorporate multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialised function for astronomical measurement.

These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale, have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians worldwide.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Congress releases manifesto, projects Manmohan Singh as PM

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday released the party’s election manifesto here saying security, respect and prosperity of all citizens will be the party’s endeavour.


The party is projecting Manmohan Singh as the next prime minister of the country saying that there could be many candidates for the post but no one matched up to him.

Sonia ruled out the possibility of her becoming the party's prime ministerial candidate and said there was no change in her position taken in 2004 when she refused the top job.

"I had made my position (on the issue of PM's post) very clear in 2004 and there is no change in that position even now," Gandhi said when asked whether she will consider herself for prime ministership after the Lok Sabha polls.

"There can be many candidates for the post of prime minister but nobody stands in front of Manmohan Singh. He has both experience and competence," she added while releasing the party's manifesto here.

She said that the people would vote for the Congress keeping in mind the achievements of the UPA government in the last five years.

The Congress party said it would introduce measures to ensure that economic growth is maintained and protect farmers from the impact of a global slowdown.

It would extend interest relief to farmers and build on the national job guarantee scheme, both seen as potential vote winners in the general election to be held next month.

"When I look at the opportunities, I am convinced that this country can move forward on a road to faster, more equitable growth," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at the launch of the manifesto.

At the release of the party’s manifesto, the Prime Minister slammed BJP candidate Varun Gandhi for his communal remarks and said his comments represented the BJP’s mindset. He said the BJP was responsible for dividing the country on communal lines.

Manmohan Singh also accused the Left of being regressive. He said Left parties and BJP have "negative mindset" which cannot take the nation forward.

NDA and Third Front don't have the capacity to meet the challenges facing the nation, the PM said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, however, remained mum on the issue, and refused to comment on the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the Left.

Referring to the Nov 26 Mumbai attacks, Manmohan Singh said, “I can't say we are fully satisfied with actions taken by Pakistan in connection with Mumbai attacks but no purpose will be served by creating war hysteria.”

“Pakistan must take next consequential steps to ensure perpetrators of Mumbai attacks are brought to justice,” he said.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Congress-projects-Manmohan-Singh-as-PM/articleshow/4309055.cms

Sensex ends 47 points up, surrenders sharp initial gains

Mumbai, Mar 24 (PTI) The Sensex, which was up by nearly 275 points in intra-day trade to more than a one-month high on firm global cues, cooled off after mid-session, still showing a rise of 47 points.

The Bombay Stock Exchange 30-share barometer opened firm and improved further to more than a one-month high of 9,699.00 on firm global cues as Wall Street yesterday surged nearly 7 per cent after the Obama administration detailed a plan to rid bank balance sheets of toxic assets.

Brokers said the markets across the globe seem to have welcomed a US public-private sector programme to help the ailing banking system recover from massive losses suffered in the US real estate meltdown.

However, profit-booking ahead of the expiry of March contracts on Thursday pulled it down to settle the day at 9,471.04, still exhibiting a rise of 47.02 points or 0.50 per cent over the previous close.

Yesterday, the Sensex registered its biggest single-day gain of 457.34 points in the current calendar year.

The broad-based 50-issue Nifty of the National Stock Exchange, however, ended flat at 2,938.70 from the last close of 2,939.90.

PTI