Nation faces Collective assault on IQ' says Arundhati Roy

As the impasse over FTII issue entered the 100th day, award winning writer Arundhati Roy today came out in support of the agitating students and said the nation was facing a "collective assault on its IQ" and the situation was way beyond fascism. Referring to the protesting students, Roy said,"These kids are the last people standing." "We are facing a collective assault on the IQ of this country and this is a part of dismantling our collective intelligence," Roy told reporters at the protest venue in Jantar Mantar. Talking about the FTII row, Roy said sometimes she heard that government is trying to find a solution which also gives them a face-saver. "The situation is quite serious," she said. "When you will dismantle universities like this. When you will overhaul syllabus, when....non scholarly atmosphere will be created where anybody can do anything.... clean ICU's with cow urine, then it is very dangerous," she said. Earlier, while addressing the protesting students, Roy said that comments were being made that Ganesha indicates that plastic surgery was initiated in India, or cow urine to clean hospitals and that Culture minister is talking about things like "cultural pollution". Institutions like FTII and Nehru Memorial are under attack, she added. "The situation is way beyond fascism," Roy said. In an apparent dig at actor Gajendra Chauhan, who portrayed 'Yudhidhthir' in tele-serial Mahabharat and whose appointment as FTII chief triggered the protests, Roy said mythological characters are being chosen to head film schools. Speaking to students, who took out a protest march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar here, Roy said that she had been asked why she had come there. "I am saying that these kids are the last people standing. They are standing up because we are really suffering an assault on the collective IQ of this nation," Roy said.

Hyderabad to host 3rd 'Taleem ki Taquat' conference on Sunday

The third edition of 'Taleem ki Taquat', a conference on how education can energise communities, will be held at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) campus at Gachibowli here tomorrow. Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will chair the conference. The conference has been organised with a particular emphasis on empowering different communities, particularly the Muslim community. It also looks into ways to accelerate the process of bringing the minorities into the mainstream through the use of Taleem or education, a release said today. The first edition of this "movement" was held in Mumbai on August 3, while the second one was held in Patna on September 5. Zafar Sareshwala, the Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University will preside over the conference, in which Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohd Mohamood Ali, Supreme Court Judge Justice M Y Eqbal, among other dignitaries will take part. "The only agenda behind this initiative is to encourage different communities, particularly the Muslim community, to equip itself with knowledge and skill through education since it is the only key to development for its social and economic transformation," Sareshwala said. "I want Muslims and all young people, particularly women, to engage with the government and take benefit of diverse welfare schemes," he added.

Man held for raping minor girl in Dabeerpura

A middle-aged man was today arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Dabeerpura area, police said. Hamidullah K, a football coach providing training to local youths, allegedly raped the girl two days ago at his house, Dabeerpura Police Station Inspector M Mattaiah said. The girl's mother lodged a complaint in this regard and also accused Hamidullah of misbehaving with the girl a fortnight ago, the police officer said. Following the complaint, a case was booked under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he was arrested.

Hyderabad police launch 'Vehicle mounted CCTV cameras'

As part of its efforts to make Hyderabad, a 'safe and secure' city, Hyderabad Police today launched Vehicle mounted CCTV cameras. Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy, who flagged off five vehicles mounted with CCTV cameras at Tank Bund here told reporters that they would soon equip all the 120 patrolling police vehicles plying in the city under the mounted CCTV camera project besides installing them on Interceptor vehicles also. "In view of the ongoing Ganesh festival and forthcoming Bakr Eid festival, five vehicles mounted with CCTV cameras have been launched as part of security arrangements," the Hyderabad Police chief said. The mounted CCTV cameras provide a 360 degree panoramic view and the footage can be stored for 15-days. Such vehicles will be linked to 'Command Control Centre' from where the footage captured will be monitored, Reddy explained. Keeping in view the immersion programme of idols of Lord Ganesha in Hussain Sagar lake, a Command Control Centre was also opened today near Tank Bund. "This project will help in making Hyderabad a 'safe and secure' city. Under the mobile surveillance, the vehicles mounted with CCTV cameras will film after moving in different locations." "This will help in enhancing vigil by keeping a watch on anti-social elements, who may create disturbances and it will also help in prevention of untoward incidents," Reddy added.

Telangana cabinet hikes ex-gratia for kin of farmers who committed suicide

Telangana government today decided to enhance the ex-gratia being paid to families of farmers who have committed suicide due to distress like low crop yield or indebtedness to Rs 6 lakh from Rs 1.5 lakh. Briefing reporters after a meeting of the state Cabinet, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari said the decision to raise the ex-gratia would be effective from today. The 'Kalyana Lakshmi' scheme of providing help for the marriage of young women would be extended to the families of farmers who committed suicide, he said. Srihari said that the Cabinet expressed regret that farmers are committing suicide due to deficit rainfall, low crop yield or indebtedness. He appealed to the farmers not to take the extreme step of ending their lives. Farmers' suicides has, of late, become a political issue in the state with opposition Congress, TDP and other parties alleging that hundreds of farmers have committed suicide due to distress in the last over one year since TRS assumed office. The ruling party, however, has dismissed the allegation. A state government release issued on September 11 said that 141 farmers have committed suicide so far and that ex-gratia was being paid to them. Srihari said the political parties, media and NGOs should instill courage among farmers and that the issue should not be used for politics. Highlighting that the state government has taken many pro-farmer measures, he said that seeds and fertilisers have been made available for agriculture and uninterrupted power is being supplied to the extent possible. The government also waived farmers' loans to the tune of Rs 17,000 crore, the Deputy CM said, adding that the government would wait till September 30 to announce various mandals as drought-hit as per Centre's norms. He said the Cabinet has decided to appoint 1,000 agriculture extension officers in the state in addition to 1,100 such officers who are working to serve about 41 lakh hectares of cultivable land in the state.

Telangana Assembly to meet from September 23

Telangana Assembly will meet for five days beginning September 23. KCR has called for a meeting of his cabinet colleagues tomorrow afternoon to discuss the strategy to face the opposition questions. Also, he will discuss the ways and means to counter the problem of farmers' suicides and how to prevent them. Over 400 farmers are said have died up till now. - See more at: http://www.ap7am.com/lv-199075-telangana-assembly-to-meet-for-five-days-from-sept-23.html#sthash.4a64k16z.dpuf

Centre needs to tread cautiously on Netaji files' says Venkaiah

The Centre will take a decision on declassification of files related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose only after studying its impact on India's relations with other countries, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad today. "The West Bengal government has made public certain confidential files related to Netaji. It is good... it needs to be studied what is there in those files before the Centre takes such a decision, its impact on the international community, our relations with other countries, neighbouring countries, needs to be studied. "The Centre will have to take a final decision after studying that. I personally feel that people of the country have the right to know the truth on the Netaji issue. Government will think of it and decide how and when to do it," the Parliamentary Affairs minister told reporters here on the sidelines of an event. Seventy years after his mysterious disappearance, 64 files running into nearly 13,000 pages were declassified yesterday which shows some of Netaji's family members were spied upon in independent India. However, there was no clarity on whether Bose died in an air crash in 1945 as is widely believed. Tucked away in police and government lockers for decades, the files containing 12,744 pages were declassified by West Bengal government in the presence of Bose's family members, who have been demanding that information on Netaji be made public. The files have been kept inside glass cases at the Kolkata Police Museum before they are made accessible to the public on Monday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded that the Centre declassify files pertaining to the nationalist leader and said that it is unfortunate that the mystery of Netaji's disappearance has remained unresolved for 70 years. Some of Netaji's family members have rejected the theory that he had died in a plane crash in Taihoku airport in Taiwan on August 18, 1945.