Daily News Notes

· In Kerala, a Fast Track Court in Thrissur today awarded death penalty to Govindachamy in connection with the sensational Sowmya rape and murder case. The Court termed the accused as a habitual offender and a threat to women in society.
· The CBI today filed a status report on the Bhanwari Devi case in the Rajathan High Court at Jodhpur. The the judges said that if the government does not take any action in this regard then it can interfere. The court gave this direction while hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by husband of Bhanwari Devi..
· The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file within two weeks a comprehensive report on the number of Pakistani nationals languishing in various Indian jails without trial.
· Government today launched its ambitious Shiksha ka Haq Campaign in Nuh (which has one of the lowest education performance parameters in the country) in the Mewat district of Haryana which aims at creating awareness among people about the Right to Education and their entitlement to free and compulsory education. The Campaign was launched to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad which is also celebrated as National Education Day.
· The budget for the Education sector will get a substantial boost in the 12th Five year plan. Government aims to double the gross enrollment ratio in schools to 30 percent in the next ten years. While Dr. Hamid Ansari has said that more and more research-based educational institutions are needed to solve backwardness in education sector.
· The 17th SAARC Summit will conclude in the Addu City of Maldives today in which four important Agreements are to be finalized which includes two agreements on regional standards, one agreement to establish a rapid response mechanism to deal with natural disasters, and an agreement to establish a SAARC Seed Bank. On the side lines of the Summit, Dr. Singh had a series of bilateral meetings with the heads of States of the SAARC member states. After the concluding session of the SAARC today, Prime Minister will fly to Male for a bilateral visit to Maldives (first visit of PM in 9 yrs.) where he will also address the Peoples’ Majlis, the Parliament of Maldives.
· Interior Minister Rehman Malik's claim that there was no proof against Jamaat-ud-Dawa Chief Hafeez Saeed to prosecute him in the 26/11 attacks case while Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said that extensive documentation on Hafeez Saeed and those under trial have been given to Pakistan, where there is enough evidence for Pakistan to take up the case against those accused and retreated that "Terrorism is a threat to India, it is now threat to Pakistan also but acts of terrorism have the capability of being a spoiler in our relationship of setting back any kind of progress that we could make in our dialogue and therefore Pakistan needs to address this in all earnest”.
· Union Defence Minister A K Antony today said the final decision on Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA will be taken by the Unified Command Headquarters in J&K as Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS last year decided.
· In Jharkhand, three naxals were killed and three others severely injured on the night of 8^th of this month when the police returned fire after they were attacked in a school building. This was discovered by the police and security forces today as they launched a search operation- named "Prahar" against the naxals.
· Industrial growth has slumped to 1.9% in September from 6.1% in the corresponding month last year. 15 out of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth while Electrical machinery and apparatus and Capital goods registers negative growth in September this year compared to corresponding period last year.
· Food inflation (measured by the Wholesale Price Index) declined marginally to 11.81 % in the week. Government today said that inflation will moderate by end of next month. Indian economy is likely to register a growth of 7.6 to 8 percent in this fiscal.
· The Government today emphasized the need to constitute monitoring committees for reviewing the performance reports of the 20 point programme and appealed to all state Nodal Departments to have proper coordination with the implementing agencies for timely submission of the report.
· After the success of Indian Grand Prix, the Formula-1 Motor Racing scene shifts to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull’s German Champion Sebastian Vettel (youngest Formula One Champion) will be eyeing for a hat-trick at Yas Marina Circuit. In case he wins pole position both here and in Brazil, he would eclipse Nigel Masnell’s 14 for Williams in 1997.