HEADLINES

Power Minister Conrad Sangma (right), accompanied by Urban Affairs Minister Paul Lyngdoh, addresses the media after the Cabinet meeting in city on Thursday. (ST).

Washington/New Delhi: US President George W Bush telephoned Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to discuss joint efforts to forge ahead on their countries' controversial nuclear deal, the White House said. "Both leaders expressed their desire to see the US-India civil nuclear issue move forward as expeditiously as possible," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement. Bush told Singh "he looks forward to continuing to work with his government to strengthen the United States India strategic relationship," Johndroe said, adding that they had also discussed stalled World Trade Organizations talks. Meanwhile, UPA Government has expressed hope that India will get the support of all countries during its negotiations on the nuclear deal but noted it would be difficult to fix an exact timeframe for making the agreement a reality. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Board of Governors of IAEA is likely to meet on August one to discuss the India-specific safeguards agreement but he would not like to make any premature comment on its outcome. [Detail]

MPA Govt shelves two power deals
Cabinet decides to seek fresh MoAs on 4 hydel projects

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG: Bowing to prolonged public outcry, the MPA Cabinet on Thursday abrogated two major deals on three power projects that, it said, were inked by the former Congress-led Government with different private firms in violation of the State Power Policy. The government also decided to go for fresh MoAs with the other parties on four hydel power projects. The deals scrapped by the government include those entered into with Athena Project Private Limited on Kynshi Stage I and Jay Pee Group on Umngot and Kynshi Stage II. The investment in these three hydro-power projects was supposed to be more than Rs 6,000 crore, and the combined capacity is 1100 MW. The decision of the Donkupar Cabinet may come as a welcome news for various organisations that spearheaded the anti-power deal movement, but it could make the government face legal and economic consequences involving over Rs 6000 crore. Interestingly, the government decision to partially shelve the power pacts ran contrary to the recommendation of the MPA [Detail]

Centre agrees to 90:10 funding on N-E education

From CK Nayak

NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to fund educational programmes in the north-eastern states on 90:10 basis instead of the existing 75:25 pattern. Speaking to The Shillong Times after conclusion of the two-day State Education Ministers' Conference here on Thursday, Meghalaya Minister for Higher and Technical Education Manas Chaudhuri said the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development had agreed to the demand of NE states for Central funding of educational programmes in the region on 90:10 pattern. "This is a major achievement pending with the Centre for a long time," Mr Chaudhuri said. The Centre also agreed to consider bearing land acquisition cost for all educational projects in the region where land is scarce and mostly under private ownership. "If northeastern states like Meghalaya have to bear the cost of land for educational institutions such projects would remain on paper only," he said. Mr Chaudhuri disfavoured the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in expanding education in North-East since there is no industry worth the name in the region, particularly in states like Meghalaya. "The Centre must come forward to help the NE states," he said. Union HRD Minister [Detail]

Power Minister Conrad Sangma (right), accompanied by Urban Affairs Minister Paul Lyngdoh, addresses the media after the Cabinet meeting in city on Thursday. (ST). Singh-Bush push for N-deal Washington/New Delhi: US President George W Bush telephoned Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to discuss joint efforts to forge ahead on their countries' controversial nuclear deal, the White House said. "Both leaders expressed their desire to see the US-India civil nuclear issue move forward as expeditiously as possible," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement. Bush told Singh "he looks forward to continuing to work with his government to strengthen the United States India strategic relationship," Johndroe said, adding that they had also discussed stalled World Trade Organizations talks. Meanwhile, UPA Government has expressed hope that India will get the support of all countries during its negotiations on the nuclear deal but noted it would be difficult to fix an exact timeframe for making the agreement a reality. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Board of Governors of IAEA is likely to meet on August one to discuss the India-specific safeguards agreement but he would not like to make any premature comment on its outcome. [Detail] MPA Govt shelves two power deals Cabinet decides to seek fresh MoAs on 4 hydel projects By Our Reporter SHILLONG: Bowing to prolonged public outcry, the MPA Cabinet on Thursday abrogated two major deals on three power projects that, it said, were inked by the former Congress-led Government with different private firms in violation of the State Power Policy. The government also decided to go for fresh MoAs with the other parties on four hydel power projects. The deals scrapped by the government include those entered into with Athena Project Private Limited on Kynshi Stage I and Jay Pee Group on Umngot and Kynshi Stage II. The investment in these three hydro-power projects was supposed to be more than Rs 6,000 crore, and the combined capacity is 1100 MW. The decision of the Donkupar Cabinet may come as a welcome news for various organisations that spearheaded the anti-power deal movement, but it could make the government face legal and economic consequences involving over Rs 6000 crore. Interestingly, the government decision to partially shelve the power pacts ran contrary to the recommendation of the MPA [Detail] Centre agrees to 90:10 funding on N-E education From CK Nayak NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to fund educational programmes in the north-eastern states on 90:10 basis instead of the existing 75:25 pattern. Speaking to The Shillong Times after conclusion of the two-day State Education Ministers' Conference here on Thursday, Meghalaya Minister for Higher and Technical Education Manas Chaudhuri said the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development had agreed to the demand of NE states for Central funding of educational programmes in the region on 90:10 pattern. "This is a major achievement pending with the Centre for a long time," Mr Chaudhuri said. The Centre also agreed to consider bearing land acquisition cost for all educational projects in the region where land is scarce and mostly under private ownership. "If northeastern states like Meghalaya have to bear the cost of land for educational institutions such projects would remain on paper only," he said. Mr Chaudhuri disfavoured the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in expanding education in North-East since there is no industry worth the name in the region, particularly in states like Meghalaya. "The Centre must come forward to help the NE states," he said. Union HRD Minister [Detail]
	n *Shiv Sena activists enter Taj, pray inside* Agra/Lucknow: A group of Shiv Sena activists, including three women, entered the Taj Mahal complex and prayed within the precincts on Thursday. They were taken into custody and later released. Around 10 Shiv Sena activists bought tickets and entered one by one into the Taj Mahal complex in the afternoon. They performed some kind of 'parikrama' (walked around the monument) of the main structure with folded hands. They were forced to stop when security personnel noticed them wearing saffron scarves. A minor scuffle ensued after which the police took them to the Taj Ganj thana. They were released in the evening. The Shiv Sena claims the 17th century monument is actually a Shiva temple. (IANS) nInflation eases to 11.89 pc New Delhi: In what could be music to the government, the inflation snapped its nine-week long upsurge to decline marginally by 0.02 as prices of food items like potato, maize, sea fish, tea and imported edible oils fell. The fall in inflation, data for which was released this evening, for the week ending July 12 comes within 48 hours of the UPA government winning a crucial trust vote in Parliament, where the Opposition criticised it for the rising prices.The inflation rate, which stood at 7.82 per cent for the week ended May 10, shot up to 11.05 per cent in June after an increase in prices of petroleum products. (PTI)
	n‘Flood victim’s body retrieved off Garobadha From Our Correspondent TURA: The body of the bus passenger who was swept away by flood waters from near Garobadha during Tuesday's heavy storm was recovered from an open field on Thursday afternoon. The victim, Ogendro M Marak (43 ) of Bollonggre, Kalaichar, employed with the Border Security Force in Shillong, was returning home on leave to visit his family when tragedy struck. He was coming in a public bus which got bogged down in the flood waters a little ahead of the cold storage godown on the outskirts of Garobadha town. He tried to negotiate the strong current of the flood waters by getting down from the bus and trying to move on when it swept him away.
	Weather
	Region	Shillong
	Max	21.9
	Min	18.0