India, Pak come closer in terror co-operation

Pakistan has agreed to allow an Indian team to question the 2008 Mumbai terror attack suspects being prosecuted there as the home secretaries of the two countries Tuesday concluded their two-day talks on a positive note. They have also agreed to set up a "hotline" to share information about militants.

According to a joint statement issued at the end of the two-day talks, Pakistan has agreed to allow a team of Indian investigators to question some Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who are presently lodged in a jail in that country.

The modalities and dates of the team's visit would be decided later, an official told IANS.

"Both sides agreed to set up a hotline between the home secretary of India and the interior secretary of Pakistan to facilitate real-time information sharing with respect to terrorist threats," said the statement.

Pakistan has agreed in principle to entertain commission from India on guidelines to be followed by both countries regarding their investigation into the Mumbai terror attack investigations.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and his Pakistani counterpart Qamar Zaman met in what is seen as a first step towards advancing the re-initiated peace process stalled after 10 Pakistani terrorists slaughtered 166 people in Mumbai in 2008, almost triggering an India-Pakistan war.

Among the issues the two sides discussed during the talks were the trial of the Mumbai terror suspects in Pakistan, the Samjhauta Express blasts probe, easing of visa norms, narcotics control and smuggling of fake Indian currency notes.

India provided details of the probe into the Samjhauta Express blasts to a team of Pakistani interior ministry officials.

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Agency to ensure smooth fund flow in MGNREGA

Meghalaya will set up an agency to ensure there is no delay in payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). "The State Rural Agency of Meghalaya (SRAM) would be responsible in ensuring there is smooth flow of fund in the implementation of the MGNREGA in the state. We have approved the proposal submitted by the Community and Rural Development (C&RD) development for constituting of the SRAM in the state," Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"This is basically to ensure that under the MGNREGA, there is no delay in release of the funds by the respective deputy commissioners and subsequently to the respective blocks for payment of wages to the beneficiaries," he said.

Agreeing that there has been delay in the payment of wages to the beneficiaries under MGNREGA, the chief minister said, "the agency will try to address other loopholes dogging the implementation of the scheme".

The SRAM would also look into the overall aspects of the MNREGA, including examining the various allegations on misappropriation of funds while implementing this scheme.

Cong-DMK combine will win TN Assembly elections: Chidambaram

Union home minister P Chidambaram expressed hope that the Congress-DMK combine would win the April 13 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls owing to the developmental works undertaken by both the state and central governments. Addressing a campaign meeting in Pudukottai district on Monday, he said, "a maya (fake appearance) has been created as if the forthcoming assembly elections will be very tough. But that is not the truth. We are facing the people in the same way as we met them in the last elections. The results will depend on people's state of mind".

"It is difficult to predict the election results as the alliance is different. The Centre had allocated a lot of funds for Tamil Nadu. This enabled the poor people develop. (Gestures such as) the farm loan waiver and loans to SHGs have improved the status of poor. There is no doubt that the Congress and DMK combine, responsible for it, will win."

Chidambaram said that both the central and the state governments had implemented a series of schemes for the benefit of the people during the past years respectively.

"People know whom to believe and whom not to believe. They know who will do what they promise, and who will not do what they say," he said.

He also said that if the state and the central governments worked in harmony many projects and programmes could be implemented.

The home minister also claimed that AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa had "copied" the manifesto of the DMK, comparing it to a student copying another in a school exam.

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CCEA approves Rs 378 cr-grant for GAGAN project

The government on Tuesday approved a one time grant-in aid of Rs 378 crore as Budgetary support for implementation of GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). The GAGAN system, estimated to cost Rs 774 crore, would make the skies from South-east Asia to Africa, including Indian airspace, much safer.

The prestigious project, being developed jointly by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), would place India in the fourth position along with the US, Europe and Japan to have such an advanced navigation system.

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a one-time grant-in-aid of Rs 378 crore from the Government Budgetary Support (GBS) for implementation of GAGAN project...," an official statement said.

The project is expected to be ready for operational use by May, 2013, it said.

It would be an all weather national infrastructure and can be used by defence services, security agencies, Railways, surface transport, shipping, telecom industry besides personal users of position location based services, it said.

It will provide precision approach to all aircraft either landing at Indian airports or overflying the airspace, even over the high seas.

The system will offer seamless satellite navigation to air traffic across the Indian Ocean region.

As much as Rs 171 crore would be provided for the project for the current year, while for the next year, appropriate provisions would be made for the balance amount, the statement said.

Of the total project cost of Rs 774 crore, AAI was required to shell out Rs 604 crore, while ISRO was to contribute rest of the money (Rs 170 crore).

AAI has already spent Rs 226 crore and sought one time grant-in-aid of Rs 378 crore from the Gross Budgetary Support to meet its balance commitment, the statement said.

After completion of its final operational phase, GAGAN will be compatible with other Space Based Augmentation Systems like the Wide Area Augmentation System of the US, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service and the multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System of Japan.

HT