India Celebrates 60th Republic Day

India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead, its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Dr. Ambedkar as the Chairman. A Draft Constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on November 4, 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on January 24, 1950. Two days later, the Constitution of India became the law of all the Indian lands. The Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950. Following January 26, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president of India.

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Floats exhibiting the cultures of the various states and regions of India are in the grand parade, which is broadcast nationwide on television and radio. Also part of the parade are children who win the National Bravery Award for the year. The parade also includes other vibrant displays and floats and traditionally ends with a flypast by Indian Air Force jets.

India Wants Economic Package

Responding to the economic slowdown affecting the country, the govt on Sunday unveiled a wide ranging stimulus package aimed at bringing down prices and providing relief to sectors hardest hit by the global financial crisis.

The Government effected an across-the-board 4 percent cut in CENVAT that will bring down prices of cars, cement, textiles and other goods as part of an economic stimulus package that also earmarks an additional Rs 20,000 crore for infrastructure, industry and export sectors.

In a virtual mini-budget that entails a revenue loss of Rs 8,700 crore in the next four months, the package seeks to revive the crucial housing, export, automobile, textiles and small and medium enterprises sector to counter the economic slow down caused by the global financial crisis and the recession in the West.

The much-awaited package, set rolling by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is also the Finance Minister, targets power, exports, housing, auto, small and medium industries and infrastructure sectors through additional funding and guarantees that total an amount of over Rs 30,000 crore.

The economy will continue to need stimulus in 2009-2010 also and this can be achieved by ensuring a substantial increase in plan expenditure as part of the budget for next year," it added. The measures also included the government departments being allowed to seek replacement of government vehicles within the allowed budget, in relaxation of extant economy instructions.

The Government is keeping a close watch on the evolving economic situation and will not hesitate to take any additional steps that may be needed to counter recessionary trends and maintain the pace of economic activity," it added.

3 killed, 30 wounded Train Blast in Assam,India

Three people were killed and more than 30 wounded on Tuesday in a blast that ripped through a passenger train in Assam.

A police spokesman said the explosion went off as the train was stopped at a railway station about 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of Guwahati.

One person died on the spot and two succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.

"There are a large number of women and children among the casualties," the spokesman said.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, but the outlawed Karbi Longri National Liberation Front, fighting for an independent homeland for the majority Karbi tribe, is known to be active in the area.

Gunmen kill at least 78 in 7 attacks in Mumbai

Teams of heavily armed gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular tourist attraction and a crowded train station in at least seven attacks in India's financial capital, killing at least 78 people and wounding at least 200, officials said Thursday. The gunmen were specifically targeting Britons and Americans and a top police official said the gunmen are holding hostages at two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels.


Several people have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks targeting Mumbai sites popular with tourists and business people, according to police and CNN's sister network in India.

The gunmen also attacked police headquarters in south Mumbai, the area where most of the attacks, which began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning, took place.



Gunmen opened fire on two of the city's best known luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi. They also attacked the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station in southern Mumbai and Leopold's restaurant, a Mumbai landmark.

India has been wracked by deadly bomb attacks in recent years, which police blame on Muslim militants intent on destabilizing this largely Hindu country. Since October 2005, nearly 700 people have died in the bombings. And since May a militant group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen had taken credit for a string of blasts that have killed more than 130.

Mumbai has been hit repeatedly by terror attacks since March 1993, when Muslim underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carried out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange, trains, hotels and gas stations. Authorities say those attacks, which killed 257 people and wounded more than 1,100, were carried out to avenge the deaths of hundreds of Muslims in religious riots which had swept India.

Finance Minister says India not staring at recession

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram has claimed that India is nowhere close to recession and that the country has successfully weathered the global economic storm.



Chidambaram said that the only major impact of the ongoing global economic crisis has been on inflation, which will take some time to moderate. He, however, admitted that economic crisis will have a fallout on the growth rate this year.

"India is nowhere near a recession. The growth estimate for first quarter of 2008-09 is 7.9 per cent and it will be good for the second quarter as well. Nevertheless we must be prepared for a temporary slowdown in Indian economy. Our effort will be to minimise the impact of crisis in the economy and return to the growth trajectory of nine per cent," Chidambaram said after meeting a group of economic editors in New Delhi on Monday.

Gujarati Rap Song

I have found Rap Song in Gujarati.

you can dial 109 for a Modi-Rickshaw !!!

Now you can dial 109 for Modi Rickshaw.you know that Gujarati Song "Hun Amdavad no rickshaw walo, 999 number walo…Amdavad batavu chalo" but modi has change that number 109 instead of 999.The Modi-Rickshaw will offer services like call-on-board, newspapers, bottled water and music.

Soon, if you need to be shown around Ahmedabad, all you need to do is dial 109 to find a swanky rickshaw at your doorstep.

This will be officially called the ‘Modi Rickshaw’, as the concept is the brain-child of the Gujarat chief minister himself.

If ‘Dial 108′ changed the face of medical emergency services in the state, the state government is now set to float a ‘Dial-a-Rick’ concept sometime later this year.

The vehicles will have a distinct colour scheme, different than the green-yellow combo of the existing three-wheelers.

“We want to encourage people to go for public transport. The Modi-Rickshaw will offer services like call-on-board, newspapers, bottled water and music.

The government will offer subsidies to owner-driver ricksha-wallahs, who will be trained as tourist guides.

The first phase of the project will have a fleet of around 250 rickshaws in Ahmedabad who will be bound by a contract and a fixed tariff plan. The project will be replicated in other cities later.

As per the plan, the state government wanted to dedicate the service before Diwali but it may take a little more time.

I think his planning for all this sequence number for all service.