Power sop for Andhra poor

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to provide from Dussehra a subsidy of Rs 10 in the power bill of 13.92 lakh domestic users who consume Rs 25 worth of electricity per month, reports our special correspondent.

?Instead of carving out a new category for providing 15 units of free power to the poor, we chose to give a blanket subsidy of Rs 10 for such consumers,? chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy said on Friday, undaunted by the controversy over the announcement of free power to farmers.

The latest sop by the Congress government to the poorest of the poor domestic users of giving subsidy comes in the wake of the Planning Commission?s diktat that state governments should not give any free lunches. The move is also aimed at curbing electricity theft.

Power theft had spiralled during the kharif season, reaching an astounding four lakh illegal farm connections. The government?s decision to do away with illegal connections had driven a majority of farmers to cling to live power lines.

The Congress government had started reconciling to the inability of providing totally free power to farmers and poor domestic users as the party had promised during the election campaign.

Immigrants in Greek net

Komotini (AFP): Greek border guards have found 54 would-be illegal immigrants, including some Indians, hidden between mattresses in a truck that had crossed the border from Turkey.

The guards seized the truck 5 km from the border on the main road to Alexandroupolis and found the people, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

They had earlier crossed the Evros river, a traditional crossing point for illegal immigrants trying to reach the European Union.

The driver of the truck, going from Istanbul to the Greek capital Athens, had charged his illegal passengers $400 each for the journey, police said.

Meal stick for 3 teachers

Bhopal (PTI): Three teachers, including a headmaster, were suspended and similar action was recommended for two government officers for making separate meal arrangements for Dalit and upper-caste students in a school at Purankheri village of Shivpuri district.

Headmaster Rajendra Srivastava, academic coordinator Brajmohan Singh Jat and assistant teacher Pawan Awasthi were suspended on Friday by collector M. Geeta when she inspected the school, sources said on Saturday. The sarpanch has been warned, they said.

35 get life term

Ahmednagar (PTI): A fast-track court has sentenced 35 accused for life for killing two brothers over a land dispute. This is the first case in Maharashtra when so many people have been awarded life term.

Hizb cloud on two

Banihal (PTI): Security forces have taken into custody a woman and her daughter in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir for alleged links with the Hizb-ul Mujahideen. Shama Begum, 40, and Parveen, 17, were detained after security personnel intercepted a wireless transmission on September 7, in which Parveen, while travelling in a vehicle with her mother, was found talking to a Hizb commander about the escape of a militant.

Drought relief

Lucknow: The Mulayam Singh Yadav-led regime has geared up to provide relief to the drought-affected people of Uttar Pradesh. With byelections a month away, it called an all-party meeting on Saturday so that no controversy dogged its relief measures later. A nine-member central team had already visited parts of Uttar Pradesh and met state chief secretary V.K. Mittal.

Axe on mayor

Rajkot (PTI): City mayor Mansukhbhai Chavda has been asked to step down following molestation charges levelled by a Congress worker against him. The state Congress president has also asked him to clear his mobile bill of Rs 1.16 lakh. The worker was also suspended from the party.

The common man?s Palace on Wheels, Village on Wheels, will be launched within a month. All railway zonal managers have been asked to coordinate with each other to make minister Laloo Prasad Yadav?s dream project a success.