World News Today: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sri Lanka vs Kenya Cricket World Cup 2011: Preview

On March 1 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, host Sri Lanka will take on Kenya in a group 'A' match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Both Sri Lanka and Kenya will play their third match in the ongoing mega event of cricket.
ICC World Cup 2007 finalist, Sri Lanka, started the tenth edition of Cricket World Cup in style. In the first match against minnow Canada, the host team won by 210 runs. But in the next match against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, Sri Lanka lost by 11 runs.
Kenya, the semi-finalist of 2003 Cricket World Cup, which was jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, lost their both of the opening matches. Their team lost their first match against New Zealand by 10 wickets and in the next match against Pakistan, they lost by a huge margin of by 205 runs. Now, from this stage it is very difficult for this African country to move ahead in the next round.
Sri Lanka and Kenya have played five matches with other, out of which the Lankan team has won four times and the Kenyan team one time. In the Cricket World Cup, record is in favour of Sri Lanka by 2-1.
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match against Kenya, Sri Lankan key bowler Lasith Malinga may again watch the game from the dressing room. Malinga, who is suffering from back strain, is still not fit.

The Sri Lankan captain may pick an one all-rounder in place of a bowler in the playing XI. In the last game, the pitch of at the Premadasa Stadium did not provide much support for bowlers.
Given below are the squads of Sri Lanka and Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, AlexObanda, David Obuya (wk), Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma (wk), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.

Find Out >> Live Score Card, Cricket Live Score

Zimbabwe vs Canada ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Live score Card

ON THE tenth day of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, two matches are in the schedule. First match between two minnows of Group 'A' Zimbabwe and Canada is in progress, whereas the second match between two Group 'B' teams West Indies vs Netherlands will start from 2:30 pm.

Earlier in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and decided to bat first at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur against Canada in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Zimbabwe lost their first wicket in the first ball of the game. Canadian bowler Khurram Chohan departed opener Brendan Taylor. Batting team lost their second wicket as opener Charles Coventry in the fourth over of the play.

Zimbabwean wicket keeper batsman Tatenda Taibu completed his second world cup fifty in 45 deliveries with eight boundaries. Whereas, Craig Ervine completed his maiden world cup fifty in 55 balls with four boundaries and a six.
Zimbabwe team lost their first match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against Australia by 91 runs whereas Canada lost their opening match to Sri Lanka in a one sided game by 210 runs.

Here is the playing XI of Zimbabwe and Canada for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sean Williams, Gregory Lamb, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Christopher Mpofu and Raymond Price.

Canada: Nitish Kumar, John Davison, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Ashish Bagai (capt/wk), Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Tyson Gordon, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Harvir Baidwan and Balaji Rao.

Check out here more on>>> Cricket World Cup Points Table, Cricket World Cup Schedule, Cricket Live Score

Indian cricket team should correct national anthem 'stance

AT THE India-England One day International at Namma Bengaluru on Sunday, 27th Feb 2011, I observed that duirng the playing of the National Anthem most of our Indian players were standing in an "at ease" postion, although as per the Indian Government Code of Conduct, it is very clear that at the time of playing of National Anthem, we have to stand in an "attention" position.

Each Indian player seemed to be adopting his own convenient stance, unlike the English team, in which everyone had one identical stance. In fact, this is an elementary thing taught to us in school.

I hope this message is conveyed to all the players and they make correct this immediately.

The Youngistan of India, love to emulate cricketers, so it is important that these cricketers convey the right message, in the right way, otherwise the youngsters will start emulating the wrong stance displayed by the cricketers.

Indeed, most people in the country promptly stand to attention whenever the National Anthem is played - be it at home, movie hall, stadium or any other public place. Perhaps it is those who occupy positions of infulence who are watched to see if they are following any rules of conduct - in this case the National Anthem.

The next logical question - whom do we complain? To the foreign coach Gary Kirsten, Dhoni, the chief of slectors, or BCCI. Maybe, as usual, Dhoni can take the lead, as he always does, to take this bull by the horns, and make it stand to 'attention'.

West Indies vs Netherlands ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE 13th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between West Indies and Netherlands at Delhi's historical Feroz Shah Kotla ground, the Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to field first. Both teams from group 'B' began their ICC World Cup 2011 campaigns with defeats.

Netherlands have made no changes in the playing XI from the last match against England, whereas the Caribbean team made one change. Nikita Miler came in place of Dwayne Bravo, who was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.

West Indies lost their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at the same venue against South Africans by seven wickets. After batting first the Caribbean team were all out for 222 runs in 47.3 overs. Darren Bravo was the top scorer for his side.

The Dutch team started their Cricket World Cup 2011 against England with style. Their batsman Ryan ten Doeschate scored 119 runs off 110 balls. In the allotted 50 overs, Netherlands scored 292 runs for the lost of six wickets. However, they lost but they fought till the end of the match.

In the last meeting in Dublin in 2007 between West Indies and Netherlands, the Caribbean team defeated Dutch team by 10 wickets.

Here is the playing XI of West Indies and Netherlands for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Nikita Miler, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Thomas (wk).

Netherlands: Peter Borren (Capt), Alexei Kervezee, Wesley Baressi (wk), Tom Cooper, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Tom de Grooth, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots, Berend Westdijk.

Union Budget 2011: ASSOCHAM expects addressing of macro issues

IN THE wake of escalating inflation, scandals, tight liquidity and rising current account deficit, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is presenting the sixth union budget 2011.

With challenges galore, Mukherjee's need of the hour is to satisfy the common man as well as to put the economy back higher growth track.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) hopes that its recommendations for the union budget 2011 will be considered by the Centre.

Making a note of the recommendations made by ASSOCHAM, it said that the progress on the Direct Tax Code and Goods and Service Tax (GST) were constantly being delayed with no further news on the implementation of either of the two.

The body also said that it believes rational GST is quite essential to simplify indirect tax structure and make India a common market. Apart from this, the body also expects the Centre to play a pivotal role in the continuation of tax reforms.

ASSOCHAM also emphasised that amendments in the provisions of Income Tax Act are necessary, specially in the case of international transactions and taxation of non residents should be comparable to international practices to facilitate introduction of direct tax code.

Some of the proposals made by the Finance Minister in Union Budget 2011 include:

> Talking about food inflation, Pranab Mukherjee said that although it has been reduced to 9.3 per cent in January from 20.2, it still does raise eye brows. He also mentioned about the spurt in prices in cereals, onions and milk.

> Reconciliation of ecological concerns with development aspirations.

> In current year, overall economic growth is expected at 8.6 per cent, agriculture growth at 5.4 per cent, industrial growth at 8.1 per cent, and services growth at 9.3 per cent.

> Public Debt Management Agency Bill to be introduced in the next financial year.

> The Parliament is likely to pass the Direct Tax Code Bill in the next financial year whereas, Goods and Services Tax Code Bill will be introduced in the Parliament this year.

> Micro finance equity with SIDBI will be formed at Rs. 100 crore.

> A proposal will be made to increase rural housing fund to Rs. 3,000 crore.

> From the priority sector lending, a proposal will be made to increase housing loan limit from the present Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 25 lakhs.

> The Government also intends to create a Women's Self Help Group Development Fund with a corpus of Rs500 crore.

> For infrastructural development, tax free bonds of worth Rs. 30,000 crore will be issued which will cover a wide spectrum under the Warehousing Corporation of India, National Highways Authority of India, IRFC, and Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

Related News on >> Union Budget 2011, General Budget 2011

Mukherjee's budget woes: Inflation, deficit, taxes, and reforms

WHEN FINANCE Minister Pranab Mukherjee delivers his sixth budget he will have to address the issues related to high inflation, tight liquidity, and rising current account deficit. Subsidies are becoming difficult to manage and there is a feeling among businesses that UPA-2 is not doing much on the policy reform front.
All therse factors are holding back our economy. So Mukherjee has the difficult task of putting the economy back on track as well as keep people from all socio-political classes happy. This will be an onerous task.
Inflation has been difficul to curb, and prices have remained high through the last year. Rising inflation has reduced purchasing power and also offset the hike in the tax exemption limit announced in the last Budget.
On the other hand there's a chance that another tax exemption will be hiked. If this step is taken it will be in line with the Direct Taxes Code (DTC). The DTC, which aims to simplify income tax structure, has been cleared by the Cabinet in August, 2010. According to the DTC, income up to Rs. 2 lakh will be tax-free, Rs. 2-5 lakh would be taxed at 10 per cent, Rs. 5-10 lakh would be taxed at 20 per cent and income over Rs. 10 lakh would attract 30 per cent tax.
To compensate for the shortfall in revenue through direct tax, Mukherjee might increase the service tax by 2 per cent. This will generate between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 15,000 crore more.
An increase in excise duty on the same lines might be done.
To bring down the fiscal deficit to the targetted level (5.5 per cent), the government must have a plan to address the subsidy problem. Subsidies are likely to be Rs. 1 lakh crore this fiscal. Plus, rising prices of crude has increased the subsidy bill for the government.
The finance minister will have to do a neat balancing act between revenue receipts and expenditure, given that there won't be any 3G windfall like in the last fiscal year.

Related News on >> Union Budget 2011, General Budget 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Union Budget 2011: Time for deliverance

INDIA'S INDUSTRIAL sector will also have hopes pinned on the Finance Minister to push pending reforms in the financial and infrastructural sector.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are looking forward to key announcements to address their stimulus concerns in their respective sectors. Small and Medium Enterprises being the backbone of Indian economy, their contribution accounts for 40 per cent of the total exports and 45 per cent of the manufacturing output of the country.

This year, the fiscal deficit should be lower than its estimate 4.7 per cent vs the budgeted 5.5 per cent. Due to large welfare schemes meeting, FY12 deficit targets will be extremely challenging. Rollback of fiscal stimulus is expected to continue in Union Budget 2011-12, but FY12 deficit of 4. 7 per cent is unlikely to be met. From FY12 onwards, fiscal consolidation will be much more challenging.

Offsetting the higher receipts, the government budget expenditures are expected to reach 18 per cent year on year (YoY) from that of 9 per cent. Growth of expenditure this year has been better, and likely to rise 26 per cent as against only 10 per cent in FY10, adding to 44 per cent of the incremental expenditure.

Infrastructure is also a major setback in the growth of IT industry in India. We would expect development of world class infrastructure including roads, public transportation, power, domestic and international air connectivity , and robust telecommunications in upcoming General Budget.

Lets see, whether the Finance Minister will deliver on all these expectations.

More Coverage on >> Union Budget 2011, General Budget 2011

Bangladesh vs Ireland ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, co-hosts Bangladesh will take on Ireland in the ninth match of the event at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first, while keeping in mind the dew factor.

Bangladesh, who is playing their second match in the ICC World Cup 2011, has made one change in playing XI from the first match against India. All-rounder Mahmudullah was replaced by middle order batsman Mohammad Ashraful so as to make their batting attack stronger.

In the inaugural match of the Cricket World Cup on February 19 against India, Bangladesh lost by 87 runs. However, Bangladeshi players resisted Indian bowling attack and scored 283 runs for the lost of nine wickets in 50 overs.

Ireland starts their Cricket World Cup 2011 campaign with this match. Prior to the ICC World Cup, Ireland lost one match against New Zealand and won one against Zimbabwe in the warm-up matches.

Bangladesh and Ireland have played six ODIs against one another, where Bangladesh won four matches and Ireland two. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, Ireland had defeated Bangladesh by 74 runs in the Super Eights stage.

Here is the playing XI of Bangladesh and Ireland for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.

Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien (wk), Andrew White, Kevin O'Brien, Andre Botha, John Mooney, Trent Johnston, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin.

Ind vs Eng; Pak vs SL: The real battle for ICC WC begins

FIVE DAYS have passed since the start of ICC World Cup but nothing interesting has happened except some huge scores by the top teams and big defeats for the minnows. No drama nor any shocking result has taken place.

Should the weaker teams be given a chance to play in the World Cup as they are unable to make any difference? All the top teams who were expected to win their respective matches have showed that they are well prepared for this tournament. So a lot of entertainment is guaranteed as the tournament progresses.

Teams such as Bangladesh and Netherlands have given a courageous fight but that was not enough for a win.

In the first match, Indian batsmen hammered the Bangla bowlers and scored a huge total of 370. It looked like the batting order of Bangladesh will collapse under the pressure of such a massive score, and it will be a cake walk for Indian bowlers. But the Bangla batsmen, in reply, gave their best to entertain the crowd.

The crow also supported the home team as they batted fearlessly. The same approach was shown by the Netherlands against England. The way these two teams are playing makes the competition tougher for the seventh and the eight place for the quarterfinals.

The real battle will begin after South Africa plays against the West Indies. It will be followed by some interesting matches, which will make it interesting for ricket fans. This weekend promises to deliver full excitement. On February 25, defending champion Australia will face New Zealand at Nagpur while the co-hosts Sri Lanka will fight against Pakistan on February 26 at Colombo.

The big match is on Sunday when England will play against the hosts, and favourites India play England at Bengaluru. This match will be the most awaited match in the first week of the world cup and it guarantees lost of thrills and spills.

The empty stands, which is worrying the organising committee, are likely to be packed on Saturday and Sunday as the home team will be playing.

Australia is the favourites in the match against New Zealand as they are the better side among the two. But with the likes of Styris, Mccullam and Vettori, the Kiwis can surprise the world champions any time. The middle order will be a worry for Ponting, while Vettori will be busy thinking about the strategy to be adopted against the Aussie bowling attack consisting of Lee, Tait and Johnson.

This speed trio is capable of breaking any batting order in the world. Kreja will be watched closely as he can be the danger man. The Sri Lanka-Pakistan should be a good contest as well as both teams are almost on the same keel though Sri Lanka may have an upper hand. Both teams have won their first match and will be ready for this crucial game. New talent players such as Umar Akmal and Perrera are likley to attract the spotlight.

In the match between India and England, Indians are the clear favourite. The pressure of playing at home can affect the Indian team in both ways. The young brigade of Dhoni along with the experienced campaigner Tendulkar will set the ground on fire when they enter the Chinnaswami stadium. England will have to deal will the crazy Indian crowd and will have to really play well to shut them up. If they succeed in doing so then their world cup campaign will be little easier.

So get ready for some great action on this weekend as the world cup progresses into the second week. Here we go!!

Mamata delivers populist Railway Budget 2011

AS EXPECTED Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has come out with a populist budget with something to offer to everyone. Coming against the backdrop of the crucial West Bengal elections, where Mamata is a key player, the Rail Budget has tried to mollify the common man as well as the industry keeping in mind the political ramifications of the the entire exercise.

Delivering the Rail Budget in the Parliament on Friday, Mamata Banerjee announced a number of measures to expand the rail network, modernise the technology and railway safety systems as well as to improve the lot of the railway employees.

The Railway Minister has proposed no hike in passenger fares as well as the freight rate in the Rail Budget 2011-12, while announcing the highest-ever plan outlay of Rs 57,630 crore. Out of this Rs 9,583 crore is meant to set up new rail lines and to improve the amenities for passengers.

In her address, Banerjee has proposed an allocation of Rs 9,583 crore for new lines, Rs. 5,406 crore for doubling the lines and Rs. 2,470 crore for gauge conversion projects.

The Railway Minister has also proposed to introduce 56 new Express Trains, 3 new Shatabdis and 9 new Duronto Trains during 2011-12, besides 47 additional suburban services in Mumbai and 50 new suburban services for Kolkata.

To ensure that rail passengers get quality linen, she has proposed additional mechanised laundry units at Nagpur, Chandhigarh and Bhopal. To meet the energy requirements of the Railways, she has proposed to set up a 700 MW gas-based power plant at Thakurli in Maharashtra.

To help the poor as part of social responsibility, the Minister has proposed construction of 10,000 shelter units for track side dwellers in Mumbai, Sealdah, Siliguri, Tiruchirapalli on pilot basis.

The minister has also proposed to extend the concessions to physically handicapped persons in Rajadhani and Shatabdi Trains.

Asserting that bringing social revolution was the chief objective of Railways, she has also announced a non-lapsable fund for social projects under the name of ‘Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojana’.

Putting an emphasis on safety, the minister has has said that anti-collision devices will be deployed on more routes. She also declared the year 2011-12 as the 'Year of Green Energy' for the Railways and sought to put emphasis on cleaner and greener use of energy.

Mamata also said that 236 more stations will be upgraded as Adarsh stations. For Railway employees, she proposed the extension of medical facilities to dependent parents, scholarships and hostels for children of railway employees.

She also informed that 1.75 lakh posts in Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ are being filled up and steps have been taken to fill up about 13,000 posts in Railway Protection Force.

More On >> Railway Budget 2011, Railway Budget News

Rail Budget 2011: No hike in passenger fares, freights

RAILWAY MINISTER Mamata Banerjee, in her just concluded Rail Budget speech in the Lok Sabha has announced no hike in passenger fares as well as freight rates much to the relief of the rail commuters as well as the Indian industry.

While speaking in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said that she has attempted to forge a combination of business with social inclusion and responsibility to give it a human face.

The following are the highlights of the Rail Budget delivered today by Mamata Banerjee in the House today.

* Highest ever Plan outlay of Rs. 57, 630 crore proposed for Railways.
* Rs. 9,583 crore provided for new lines.
* 1300 km new lines, 867 km doubling of lines and 1017 km gauge conversion targeted in 2011-12.
* 56 new Express Trains, 3 new Shatabdis and 9 Duronto trains to be introduced.
* AC Double Decker services on Jaipur-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai routes.
* New Super AC Class to be introduced.
* A new portal for e-ticketing to be launched shortly. Booking charges will be cheaper with a charge of only Rs. 10 for AC classes and Rs.5 for others.
* Pan-India multi-purpose smart card “Go India” to be introduced.
* 236 more stations to be upgraded as Adarsh Stations.
* 47 additional suburban services in Mumbai and 50 new suburban services proposed for Kolkata.
* Two new passenger terminals in Kerala and one each in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal proposed.
* Feasibility study to raise speed of passenger trains to 160-200 kmph to be undertaken.
* A special package of two new trains and two projects for the States managing trouble free run of trains through out the year.
* Anti Collision Devise (ACD) sanctioned to cover 8 zonal railways.
* GPS Based ‘Fog Safe’ Device to be deployed.
* All unmanned level crossing upto 3000 to be eliminated.
* All India Security Help line on a single number set up.
* All state capitals in the North-East except Sikkim to be connected by Rail in next seven years.
* A Bridge Factory in J & K and a state-of-art Institute for Tunnel and Bridge Engineering is proposed at Jammu.
* A Diesel Locomotive Centre will be set-up in Manipur.
* A Centre of Excellence in Software at Darjeeling proposed under the aegis of CRIS.
* Rail Industrial Parks at Jellingham and New Bongaigaon proposed.
* Additional mechanized laundry units to be set up at Nagpur, Chandhigarh and Bhopal.
* 700 MW gas-based power plant to be set up at Thakurli in Maharashtra.
* 18,000 Wagons to be procured during 2011-12.
* A scheme for socially desirable projects, ‘Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojana’ with Non-lapsable fund proposed.
* 10,000 shelter units proposed for track side dwellers in Mumbai, Sealdah, Siliguri, Tiruchirapalli on pilot basis.
* Concession to physically handicapped persons to be extended on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.
* Concession of 50% to press correspondents with family increased to twice a year.
* Senior Citizens concession to be hiked from 30 % to 40 %.
* Medical facilities extended to dependent parents of the Railway employees.
* Scholarship for Girl child of Group-D railway employees increased to Rs.1200 per month.
* 20 additional hostels for children of railway employees to be set up.
* Recruitment for 1.75 lakh vacancies of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ including to fill up backlog of SC/ST initiated, 16,000 ex-servicemen to be inducted by March 2011.
* A separate sports cadre to be created.
* 2011-12 declared ‘Year of Green Energy’ for Railways.
* Freight loading of 993 MT and passenger growth of 6.4 % estimated for 2011-12.
* Gross Traffic Receipts at Rs.1,06,239 crore, exceeding one lakh crore mark for the first time estimated.
* Ordinary Working Expenses assessed at Rs. 73,650 crore.

More On >> Railway Budget 2011, Railway Budget News

Railway Budget 2011 highlights

RAILWAY MINISTER Mamata Banerjee is delivering the Rail Budget in the Lok Sabha in her characteristic style not in any way unnerved by the huge din and cry being made by the opposition members. Repeatedly the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar had to make interventions to calm the opposition members, even as the Rail Minister angrily asked the MPs to keep quite and listen.

Here is a list of proposals made by the Railway Minister as part of her Railway Budget 2011.

Railways will construct 10,000 shelters for people staying next to lines
It will meet the demand for coaches, rail based industries to be set up under Vision 2020
First coach from the new rail factory at Rae Bareli to roll out in next three months
It will set up two wagon units with private partners
It will set up track machine unit in West Bengal
It will construct 700 km rail track each year

It has received 85 proposals under PPP scheme

It will set up 700 megawatt gas based power plant in Maharashtra

It will set up rail industrial park in Nandigram

It will set up railway software unit in Darjeeling
It will set up diesel locomotive works in Manipur
It will set up one metro coach factory in Singur
It will set up a bridge factory in Jammu and Kashmir
It will absorb 16,000 ex-servicemen to be inducted by Railways
The Railways has cancelled 1,500 trains, 3,500 re-scheduled last year
It will set up two new passenger terminals in Kerala
It will ensure better accessibility of stations to physically challenged
It will provide 12000 acres to east-west freight corridor
Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojna to be launched
Safety first priority; accident rate has come down
Work on wagon factory in Orissa to begin after land is acquired
It will do do away with all unmanned railway crossings by next year

Anti collision devices have been deployed in 8 zones
Anti collision devices to be commissioned in 3 zones
It will spend Rs 9583 crore on new lines in FY 12

More On >> Railway Budget 2011, Railway Budget New Trains

Railway budget 2011: Mamata delivers budget in Lok House

UNION RAILWAYS Minister Mamata Banerjee has made a number of proposals in her third railway budget, which is being presented today in the Lok Sabha. Calling the railway budget 2011 the common man's budget, Mamata began her speech on a melodramatic note and defended the railways' stand on following strict business-driven policies, and offering easy access to coal and iron ore freight facility - apart from offering quality food in trains in the form of Jana Ahaar.

Adding that the railways is keen on following a two-pronged strategy, she addressed the need for establishing locomotive units in north east India including Nandigram, Manipur and New Bongaigaon in Assam. This will meet the demand for the supply of railway coaches. She also said that 85 proposals through public-private partnership are under consideration.

For the betterment of functioning of the Indian railways, last year the railways was given $9 billion, which is most likely to be utilised this year. The railways had a deficit of Rs, 2,500 crore last year.

The total earnings of the Indian railways between April 2010 and January 2011 shot up to Rs 76,187.27 crore, whereas freight earning was calculated at Rs. 50,899.2 crore. Freight earnings constitute of two-thirds of the total earnings of Indian Railways.

Some of the proposals made by Mamata Banerjee includes:

> Railway capacity to be increased by 700 kilometres

> Schemes to set up shelters for homeless people living on railway tracks, particularly in Mumbai

> Gas-based power plant in Maharashtra

> Annual plan for financial year is Rs 57,630 crores

> First coach from Rai Baraelly factory to roll out in three months

> Metro coach units to be set up in Nandigram

> Railways to set up factory in J&K

More On >> Railway Budget 2011, Indian Railway Budget

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Australia vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE eight match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between Australia and New Zealand at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur, Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bowl first on a cloudy morning.
Yesterday in Nagpur, there was some rain which could have motivated Ponting to bowl first. However the wicket of VCA Nagpur is dry and there is little grass on the pitcy. However, the fast bowlers might get some assistance in the morning.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has made no changes in his team from the last match against Zimbabwe. The Aussie team defeated Zimbabwe by 91 runs in their opening match at Motera, Ahmedabad on Monday.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has made one change from the last match against Kenya. The Kiwis included Right-hand batsman Jamie How in place of all-rounder Jacob Oram in this very important match against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. New Zealand won their first match against Kenya by 10 wickets in just eight overs.
In the last three ICC Cricket World Cups matches played between tthe wo countries, Australia has won on two occasions, whereas New Zealand won a match in 1999. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, the Aussie team defeated the Kiwis by a huge margin of 215 runs.
Here is the playing XI of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Michael Clarke, David Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Shaun Tait.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Scott Styris, Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett.

Australia vs New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2011 match preview

ONCE AGAIN orange city Nagpur is ready to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match on Friday. Two group 'A' teams, Australia and New Zealand will play their second match in this tournament at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
In their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Sunday in Chennai, New Zealand had thrashed Kenya by 10 wickets and that too in just eight overs. Defending champion Australia also continued their winning march in the World Cup as they won a match at Motera, Ahmedabad on Monday. The Aussie team defeated Zimbabwe by 91 runs in their opening match.
VCA ground in Nagpur is a paradise for the batsmen. In the last match, at the same venue on Tuesday, Netherlands scored 292 runs but England won the match by six wickets. In the warm-up match here, Kiwis scored 311 runs against Ireland and won by 32 runs.
The Aussie batting is mainly dependent on opener Shane Watson, captain Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke. David Hussey and Cameron White can score quick runs during the slog overs. Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee are the key bowlers for their team.
From last eight months, New Zealand is not playing good cricket. They have lost to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in their last three ODI matches. Kiwi batsmen Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris are the key players.
In the last three ICC Cricket World Cups matches played between two countries, Australia has won on two occasions, whereas New Zealand won once in 1999. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, Ricky Ponting and his team defeated the Kiwis by a huge margin of 215 runs.
Here are the ICC Cricket World Cup squads of Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke (vice capt), Doug Bollinger, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), John Hastings, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Tim Paine (wk), Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

South Africa vs West Indies ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

ON THE green surface of Delhi's historical Ferozeshah Kotla stadium this afternoon, South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to ball first in the seventh match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Both the group 'B' teams, South Africa and West Indies start their ICC Cricket World cup 2011 campaign with this match. Winning the toss could prove very important on this pitch because the outfield is likely to be slowed in the second session because of fog and moisture in the air.
South African captain Graeme Smith has preferred to play with two seamers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and three specialist spinners Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and debutant Imran Tahir in his playing XI. West Indies is playing with one specialist spinner Sulieman Benn in their playing XI.
Before the Cricket World Cup, South Africa won both the warm-up matches in grand style. South African team registered their first victory in the warm-up match against Zimbabwe by eight wickets with 159 balls remaining and in the second warm-up match they beat Australia by seven wickets. Whereas, West Indies won one warm-up match against Kenya by 61 runs and lost to Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second warm-up match.
South Africa and West Indies are meeting for the fifth times in the Cricket World Cup. Both the teams have won two times each, and interestingly, all four matches have been won by the team batting first.

Here is the playing XI of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Thomas (wk).

Related News on >> Cricket Live Score , ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Highlights of the Railway Budget 2011

No hike in freight and passenger fare.

New Janmabhoomi train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur.

Concession for children of accredited journalists up to 18 years.

Free journey for cancer patients in sleeper and 3AC.

Matribhumi special trains for women.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur Velachery-St.Thomas Mount MRTS link by 2012

RPF to have women battalion

New train service to Dhaka, Bangladesh from Agartala.

Wagon Repair Shop to be set up in Badnera near Amravati in Maharashtra

Service charge on AC fares cut to Rs. 20

Land acquisition: One member from the family would be given employment in Railways

New housing scheme for 14 lakh employees

To provide clean and cheap drinking water to passengers.

Five sports academies to be set-up, including Delhi, Chennai, Secunderabad

E-tickets to be made available at panchayat level

Special drive for improving passenger amentities

More Related News on >> Railway Budget 2011, Railway Budget Highlights

Railways to earn over Rs.26,000 cr from passengers

The Indian Railways today said it expects earnings from passenger traffic to rise 9 per cent to to Rs 26,126.47 crore in the next fiscal.

According to the Railway Budget, Rs 24,350.10 crore would come from non-suburban passengers while Rs 1,776.37 crore from suburban traffic. For the current fiscal, the earning estimates are at Rs 24,057.03 crore.

The Railways has also said it would carry 777 crore passengers in the next fiscal, an increase of over 5 per cent compared to the current financial year. Commuters ferried by the Railways in 2009-10 stands at 737 crore, according to the Budget.

It is expected that in the next fiscal, over 404 crore passengers would come from the suburban areas and 372 crore from the non—suburban areas. Out of the Rs 1,776 crore revenue estimated from suburban passengers in the next fiscal, the Railways has targeted Rs 1,523 crore from ordinary second class.

More Related News on >> Railway Budget News, Railway Budget Highlights

South Africa vs West Indies Cricket World Cup 2011 Preview

NEW DELHI is ready to welcome guests from South Africa and West Indies for the seventh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which will be played at Delhi's historical Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Thursday, February 24. Both South Africa and West Indies, who feature in the group 'B' teams, will start their ICC Cricket World cup 2011 campaign with this match.

South Africa, one of the strongest contenders of the world's biggest cricketing event, have never won tournament. Whereas, West Indies lifted the Cricket World Cup trophy last time 32 years back in the 1979 World Cup.

In the 50 ODIs played between South Africa and West Indies, the Proteas have won 37 times and the Caribbeans tasted victory 12 times. Both the teams had met four times in the Cricket World Cup and won two times each, and interestingly, all four matches have been won by the team batting first.

South African captain Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Kallis can change the match any time in their favour. In the bowling department Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe can destroy any batting line-up. South Africans are equally balanced in the fielding department. In the last five matches, the Proteas have won four matches and lost one against India.

Prior to the Cricket World Cup 2011, West Indies won one warm-up match against Kenya by 61 runs and lost to Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second warm-up match. The West Indian batting mainly depends on Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. However, Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard are very useful players for the side.

Here is the squad of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk (wk).

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Devon Thomas (wk).

Cricket World cup tickets up for grabs through lottery system

THE RUSH for getting tickets for the final match of the ongoing ICC cricket world cup 2011 ended on a sour note when the official ticket website crashed due to heavy traffic.

The sale of world cup tickets for the final match, which was to start at 19:30 GMT on Tuesday, February 22 did not go as scheduled as the website could not handle the amount of traffic trying to visit the site.

Due to the heavy rush of online traffic, servers could not handle the load and eventually crashed hours before the scheduled opening.

However, as per latest reports, it is being expected that tickets will now be available via a lottery system. In order to claim world cup tickets, the visitor will have to visit the website and record their names in an online ballot box on the tournament's official ticketing website. The lottery is will take place once the period for registration is complete.

The ICC world cup 2011 final will be held at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, which has a strength of accommodating 33,000 spectators. During initial bookings, 4,000 cricket world cup tickets were made available for the public out of which 1,000 world cup tickets can be purchased online and the remaining 3,000 world cup tickets are reserved for people who queue up at the stadium box offices.

The rest of the world cup tickets have been distributed amongst the clubs associated with the Mumbai Cricket Association and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Related News On >> Cricket World Cup Tickets, World Cup Cricket Ticket

Pakistan vs Kenya ICC World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE sixth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between Pakistan vs Kenya at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka this afternoon, Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and decided to bat first at the typical subcontinental batting track.

In the fourth match of group 'A', Pakistan is starting its ICC World cup 2011 campaign, whereas Kenya lost to New Zealand in its first encounter in the ongoing Cricket World Cup by 10 wickets just in eight overs in Chennai on Sunday. The Kenyan team scored only 69 runs in 23.5 overs. Pakistan and Kenya are meeting for the first time in any of the World Cup tournaments.

Prior to the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistani team won one warm-up match against Bangladesh while it lost the other warm-up match against England.

Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi opted for two pacers in his playing XI including Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul whereas all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is also in the playing squad. Kenyan team have made one change from their last match against New Zealand. All-rounder Tanmay Mishra has been inducted in place of Alex Obanda.

Given below is the list of the playing XI in Pakistan and Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Ahmed Shehzad.

Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma (wk), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno and Shem Ngoche.

Railway Budget 2011: What's in the bag

Railway Budget 2011, to be presented on February 25th, may bring the announcement of setting up of a Rail Industrial Park along with the introduction of green toilets, to cater the various needs of the Railways Divisions, including the manufacturing of components for rail operations.

Indian Railway Ministry has proposed for setting up of a green toilet manufacturing unit at Nagpur.Green toilets, such as controlled discharge toilet system and zero discharge toilet system are being tested by the Indian Railways currently, which are based on bio-digester technology. Introduction of green toilets will be a step forward towards commitment of providing a cleaner environment.

Railway Budget may also make way for the expansion of Diesel Loco Works at Varanasi and setting up of a diesel locomotive shed in Mariani, Assam.

Besides, the provision of good quality food outlets at reasonable prices to the passengers – ‘Jan Ahaar’, may also find their place in the Railways Budget.

Latest Similar News on >> Railway Budget 2011, Industry Expectations

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

India gets ready for the English challenge

AFTER STARTING mission world cup in style by defeating Bangladesh, Team India has arrived in Bengaluru for their second match against England. The match is scheduled for February 27 at Chinnaswami stadium in Bengaluru. With a comfortable win against the co-hosts Bangladesh, Dhoni’s men will be high in confidence. The time gap between the two matches will help Indian players to rest and stay fit.

In the first match, Indian batsmen showed their power as they ruthlessly crushed the Bangladeshi bowlers. Sehwag and Kohli scored runs according to their reputation while Gambhir and Sachin looked in good touch before they got out. Although Sehwag's duration on the crease differed from that of his usual innings, his strategy of scoring singles and rotating strikes in the middle overs worked wonders for the team.

After getting the century, Sehwag again changed the gears and attacked. By this innings he proved that he can occupy the crease for a longer period of time. The best thing about a batsman like Sehwag is that as long as he is in the middle the runs keep flowing. Kohli through his hundred strengthened his position in the team which is not a good sign for Raina. Kohli’s batting was a treat to watch out for as some of his shots were outstanding. The worry India would have is that its current out of form batsman Yuvraj Singh wasn't tested.

England has a good bowling attack which will test the abilities of Indian batsman. Anderson can swing the ball and create problems for batsmen. Stuart Broad’s five wicket haul in the practice match is sufficient to speak masses about his skill. Graeme Swann has emerged as a fine spinner and will benefit from the pictches owing to the sub continent's cliamtic conditions.

A billion eyes will be closely watching Tendulkar's game. Kohli may get a lot of support at the Chinnaswami stadium as this is his second home ground. He knows the pitch better as he has the experience of playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore here. The key will be batting in the middle overs. Slower bowlers will be operating in these overs.

Although India won the match, one cannot ignore the fact that Bangladesh scored 283 runs in 50 overs. Bangladeshi batsmen highlighted the limitations of Indian bowlers. Zaheer failed to give early brake troughs but eventually bowled well.

Harbhajan was crafty and exploited the conditions well. Sreesanth was the biggest disappointment. With his skills Sreesanth should be a good option for any captain but his inability to control his bowling and his impatience makes him the weakest part of the bowling attack. If Sreesanth fails to improve then he may have sit outside. One thing which he has to understand is that temperament works more than talent in big matches.

Munaf Patel, the surprise package in the Indian squad is improving day by day as he bowled really well in the match to finish with 4 wickets. Munaf showed how to bowl on flat tracks. Speed doesn’t matter for him as he is now concerned more about his line and length. England has quality batsmen in the form of Strauss and Peterson.

Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell can change the game. Matt Prior, who has the ability of adding depth to the batting can prove to be dangerous. If Zaheer is able to get some early wickets then the middle order will be exposed. Harbhajan will have an important job as the English batsmen struggle against spin. It will be interesting to see how Kevin Pietersen handles Harbhajan. However. fielding still needs to be improved if Indians want to lift the trophy.

Pakistan to take on Kenya in ICC World Cup Group 'A' match

IN THE sixth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Wednesday, February 23 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Pakistan will take on Kenya in the group 'A' match.

The two teams have never played in any of the World Cup tournaments but Pakistan has won five ODI matches against Kenya on other occasions.

In an earlier match, New Zealand vanquished them by 10 wickets just in eight overs. After batting first, Kenya scored only 69 runs in 23.5 overs. Only three Kenyan batsmen were able to score in double figures.

Pakistan, the winner of the World Cup in 1992, prior to the start of world cup, won one warm-up match against Bangladesh while it lost the other warm-up match against England.

The Pakistani team is the most unpredictable team in the World Cup 2011. However, Pakistan's road to the quarterfinals is not very difficult because they will have to play against some weaker teams likes Kenya, Zimbabwe and Canada.

The team boasts of a number of talented youngsters as well as experienced players, who have the capacity to destroy any bowling attack as well as any batting line-up.

Given below is the probable Pakistan and Kenya squads for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.

Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, AlexObanda, David Obuya (wk), Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, TanmayMishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, NehemiahOdhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, JamesNgoche.

Railway budget 2011: A lot of expectations from Mamata

The railway budget 2011, which will be announced on February 25 comes with a lot of expectations for the common man. With expenditure being more than revenue, railway officials are expected to be inspired by Lalu Prasad Yadav.

WITH HARDLY a few days left for Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee to unveil the Railway Budget 2011, all hopes are pinned on the benefits and the sooting prospects the railway budget 2011 will bring along with it.

Although the common man got a breather with no ticket price hike in this railway budget 2011, the railway budget 2011 is expected to focus on passenger amenities, freight issues, reduced delays in investment and infrastructure work, and to think how gross profit exceeds gross expenses.

Keeping in view the railways' outstanding debts, expense controlling seems to be the highlights of the upcoming railway budget 2011. Some areas emphasised include housing facilities, utilizing earnings, and increase in number of trains. The revenues and expenditures incurred during the last financial year are as follows:

> Gross earnings during the ongoing financial year is pegged at Rs. 88,281 crores.

> Gross working expenditures incurred during the financial year amounted to Rs. 87,100 crores.

IN order to curb the growing expenses, the railways is expected to set up its own industrial hub in order to manufacture and market the different components for its rail operations. A railway official said that ancillary units will be set up at the Rail Industrial Park which would cater to the needs of railways.

Additions like green toilet manufacturing units in Nagpur and expansion of Diesel Loco Works at Varanasi are also expected to find a place for itself in the railway budget 2011, which will be announced on February 25.

Related Topics >> Common Man Expectations, New Trains

England Vs Netherlands ICC World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN A group 'B' match between England and Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur, the Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat first.
The English team has made one change in their playing XI from their last warm-up match against Pakistan. Right-arm off break bowler Graeme Swann secured his berth in playing XI in place of left-arm orthodox bowler Michael Yardy.
In the warm-up matches before the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the English team won their both matches against Canada and Pakistan, whereas Netherlands had lost one match against Sri Lanka while it won the match against Kenya.
Netherlands openers Wesley Baressi (wk) and Alexei Kervezee started their inning on a positive note at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium ground in their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
England and Netherlands playing XI in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
England playing XI:
Andrew Strauss (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson
Netherlands playing XI:
Peter Borren (Capt), Alexei Kervezee, Wesley Baressi (wk), Tom Cooper, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Tom de Grooth, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots, Berend Westdijk.

Will Mamta get away with a balancing act?

The Railway Budget to be delivered by Union Railways Minister will be interesting as Mamta Banerjee will try to balance political mileage with practical issues confronting the Railways.
Due to the many calamities and mishaps that took place in 2010 the railway department is expecting two times the budget allotted in the previous year. Currently the railway budget is in tatters and is undergoing a financial crisis. In order to be on top of things railway officials will require an increase in the budgetary support from the Finance Ministry.

On the political front, Mamta will have to deal with demands and sops from different states, including hers, West Bengal, on the other hand she will have to ensure fiscal prudence. On the national level too, she will have to be wary about increase in railwat tariffs, etc., so as not to cause any political harm.
Already, the railway department has requested Rs 39,600 crore as gross budgetary support in 2011 as compared to the Rs 15,875 crore that it received in the 2010 budget. This massive jump in budgetary support is not only for maintenance but also for the ongoing and upcoming railway projects. The railway department also aims at further expanding and modernizing the railway infrastructure of the country.
The Indian business community and the common people expect an increase in the production of wagons, coaches and locos, gauge conversion, and doubling of tracks and laying of more railway tracks. There should also be an increase in the number of trains and freight carriers.
The Railway department has ambitious plans with a target to increase the number of coaches from 3700 in the previous year to 4000 coaches in 2011-12. In the wagon manufacturing segment the department plans to manufacture 18,000 wagons, and as far as locomotives are concerned they are expected to increase by another 5000.
We should also expect the 2011 railway budget to give importance to safety and security issues such as improving the signaling system, train protection warning system and installing safety related technology like Anti-collision devices.

Also Check Out >> Industry Expectations, Railway Budget Highlights

Uttarakhand should get its share in the Rail budget

UNION RAILWAY minister Mamata Banerjee must not ignore the long pending demands of the people from Uttarakhand in Railway budget. And this not only Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal ‘Nishank's' feeling but also the people of state feel that Uttarakhand should not be ignored in the budget as the development of railways in the state would open new employment avenues for the youth. This will also help in boosting the economic growth thus making the state grow prosperous.

Several important railway projects were announced earlier by the railway ministers for Uttarakhand in which Tanakpur-Bageshwar and Haridwar-Karnaprayag were prominent besides laying of a new broad gauge line between Kiccha and Khatima, survey for a new broad gauge line between Dehradun and Chandigarh. But instead of new projects even the work on Lal Kuan-Bareilly gauge conversion, Tanakpur-Pilibhit gauge conversion, doubling of railway line between Laksar-Haridwar-Dehradun, Haridwar-Rishikesh and its electrification is also pending following crunch of financial resources.

There was proposal to convert Lal Kuan junction into a full-fledged junction with at least six platforms to operate many express and passengers trains from here as there was no space available at Kathgodam which is right now the last rail head on this route. There is also a need to electrify the rail route from Najibabad to Kotdwar. By taking up of electrification upto the last rail heads in all stations, the railways would save money on diesel besides it will also end the pollution emitting out from diesel railway engines.

The Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail link is being looked as a strategic rail route following proximity to China border and as China is building up its military might with adequate infrastructure in areas bordering India, we need to build this rail links as it will cut down travelling time too between the two places to a great extent. The rail connectivity in the remote areas of this hilly state would also help the goods getting transported in an economical manner.

Besides improvement in rail connectivity will promote tourism and help small farmers of the state for promoting their business. It will give many people a chance to get employed in their own district thus it will put a check on the migration of people too.

Well all eyes are set on Mamta Banerjee now and the people of Uttarakhand are hoping that their demands are included in the Rail budget.

Also Check Out >> Industry Expectations, Railway Budget Highlights

Indian batting on top against Bangladesh, bowlers must wake up

IN THE opening match of the ICC World Cup 2011 India defeated co-hosts Bangladesh in style. All this action took place at Mirpur’s Sher- e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday. While hosts Bangladesh wanted to win the match, India wanted to avenge their defeat in the 2007 World Cup, where they were defeated quite badly.

The early exit of Sachin Tendulkar in the match came as a blow for the team, which batted first. However,swashbuckling Indian opener, Virender Sehwag took the Bangladeshi bowlers to the cleaners and scored his 14th ODI century, off just 94 balls. His next 50 runs came off just 30 balls. Together with his teammate Virat Kohli, who completed his ton in just 83 balls, Sehwag was able to script a magnificent win for India.

On the bowling side too, there were both pros and cons. Medium pacer Munaf Patel took four wickets by giving away just 48 runs in 10 overs but pacer Sreesanth was wayward giving away 53 runs in just five overs. With Munaf’s bowling, India was taken a step closer towards a predictable yet patchy victory.

It was also a day of setting up of new records. Virender Sehwag’s 175 runs became the highest individual score for the opening match of the World Cup, beating New Zealand legend Glenn Turner’s record of 171 in 1975 opener. India’s 370 mark also became the highest score for the opening match of World Cup beating England’s 334 in the 1975 edition. Sehwag’s score of 175 is also his personal highest breaking his earlier record of 146.

He also equaled Kapil Dev’s knock of 175 not out in 1983 World Cup match against Zimbabwe. This 32 year old, Indian opener smashed 14 boundaries and hammered five sixes in his knock of 175 runs. Though he was successful in breaking many records but couldn’t break record of highest score by an Indian by Saurav Ganguly which is 183 runs and also the highest ever World Cup score of 188 by Gary Kirsten- now the Indian coach.

His teammate Virat Kohli too scored his fifth one day ton and became a part of the group of cricketers, who have scored a hundred on the World Cup debut. At a fast rate of 8.4 runs per over, he and his partner Sehwag yielded 203 runs for the third wicket partnership. The partnership was also the fifth double century partnership for India in the World Cup with Sehwag featuring in all of them.

On the other hand, Bangladesh batsman also challeneged India belligerently. By the end of the first power play they were at a score of 68 runs for the loss of one wicket, with the first 50 runs coming off just less than five overs. Imrul Kayes scored 34 runs out off 29 balls. Captain Shakib-Al-Hassan scored a magnificent 55 runs off just 50 balls and the opener, Tamim Iqbal scored 70 runs out off 86 balls.

Monday, February 21, 2011

England Vs Netherlands World Cup 2011 Group 'B' match today

THE ORANGE city of Nagpur is ready to welcome two group 'B' teams England and Netherlands for their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday, February 22 for a day-night affair. During the last encounter between these two teams in the ICC T20 World Cup at Lord's in June 2009, Netherlands had overpowered England by four wickets.

In the warm-up matches before the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the English team won their both matches against Canada and Pakistan, whereas Netherlands lost one match against Sri Lanka while it won the match against Kenya.

Team England, which lost the ODI series against Australia by 1-6 just before the World Cup, have changed their batting strategy for this elite tournament. Andrew Strauss has promoted his star batsman Kevin Pietersen to the top of the England order. Pietersen emerged as the top-scorer for his team against Pakistan in the warm-up match with useful 66 runs.

England's sensational pacer Stuart Broad is in top form and claimed a number of wickets in the warm up matches just before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Given below is the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 squad for England and Netherlands.

England World Cup Squad:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

Netherlands World Cup squad:

Peter Borren (Capt), Wesley Baressi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Adeel Raja, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Swarczynski, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent.

Railway Budget 2011-12 - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha demands New trains from Railway Minister

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has threatened to launch an agitation if their demands related to introduction of new trains alongside increasing frequencies and extension of few trains and other passenger amenities are not entertained in the Railway Budget 2011-12.

With railway minister Mamata Banerjee is set to announce the rail budget on 25th February, Bokaro residents have started raising their voice for the fulfilment of their demands.Bokaro is the highest revenue-earning station of Adra railway division, which is also hometown of JMM chief Shibu Soren.

Railway budget announced last year had shattered the hopes of residents as most of their demands were not heared. The JMM workers do want the same to be repeated this year too. And have started raising their voice by holding dharnas and demonstrations. Apart from the JMM, the Bokaro Chamber of Commerce and Industries and other local bodies are also demanding the same.

Residents have raised demand for new or extension of trains for Karnataka and Maharastra in Railway Budget 2011 as many youths of the town are studying there. They also want a train for Ahmedabad.

Other Latest News On >> Railway Budget , Railway Budget 2011

Australia Vs Zimbabwe ICC World Cup Match, live score

THE AUSTRALIA Vs Zimbabwe match has started at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera, Ahmedabad today afternoon with Australia winning the toss and electing to bat first. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin opened the inning with Zimbabwe opting to start the attack with a fast bowler and a spinner combination.

In 8.2 overs, Australia had made 25 runs with the loss of no wicket.

The match is taking place on a pitch, where chief curator Dhiraj Parsana said that ball will not do much, but added that dew could play a part in the game as it is a day and night match.

Zimbabwe has not beaten the Aussies in the World Cup since their first ever match in 1983.

Defending champion Australia has been on a roll and has remained undefeated in 29 matches in a row at the World Cup. Australian team nicknamed ‘Kangaroos’ recently won the home series against England 6-1.

In comparison, the Zimbabwean team is still struggling to come up as a unit and it will take more than an ordinary effort to face the Aussie challenge today. But in cricket one can't discount the possibility of a surprise as no match is decided till the last ball is bowled.

Team Australia: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Doug Bollinger, John Hastings, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Tim Paine, Shaun Tait, Cameron White , Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Steven Smith and Shane Watson

Team Zimbabwe : Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cricket World Cup Live: Kohli slams fifty after Sehwag's ton

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli hit his 13th half-century after Virender Sehwag's 14th century as India dominated the proceedings against Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup opener at the Shere Bangla stadium.

ICC Cricket World Cup Live Scorecard

Kohli reached the milestone off 46 deliveries with the help of five fours.

Sehwag slammed nine fours and a big six in his 94-ball century.

Bangladesh spinner Mahmudullah clean bowled Gautam Gambhir (39) in the 24th over to break the dangerous looking second wicket partnership.

Sehwag and Gambhir continued India charge after losing Sachin Tendulkar to a freak run out and added 83-run partnership for the second wicket.

Gambhir slammed three fours in his 39-ball innings in the match.

Sehwag completed his 37th one-day fifty with a big six as he raced to half-century in just 45 balls.

A horrible mix-up with Sehwag ended Tendulkar's (28) stay on crease. Sachin was run out by Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan in the eleventh over. The master blaster hit four boundaries in his 29-ball innings.

Put in to bat first, India openers added run-a-ball 69 runs partnership at Shere Bangla National stadium.

The dashing openers took India's score to 50 in just 8.5 overs, when Tendulkar slammed his fourth boundary of the innings.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to field against co-hosts India in the tournament-opener on Saturday.

Dhoni and his men are eager to settle the score after Bangladesh stunned them in 2007 and kick start their campaign on a positive note at the Shere Bangla National stadium.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have so far been content with an odd upset and have been generally looked upon as underachievers but the tigers look to shrug off that tag when they lock horns with India at home.

Though they have just five victories from 20 World Cup matches to show, Bangladesh has the distinction of beating Pakistan on debut during the 1999 edition and ousting India and defeating South Africa four years ago.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (C), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
TV umpire: Billy Doctrove (WIS)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

Pitch conditions: A hard wicket that is expected to help the slow bowlers in the later stages of the game. The team bowling second could find the ball difficult to grip if late evening dew arrives as predicted.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Confident Brett Lee defends pace-dominated Oz attack for World Cup

Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee emphases that their fast bowlers will be effective even on spin-friendly pitches of Indian Subcontinent during the cricket World Cup, beginning on Saturday in Bangladesh.

The defending champion team is stacked with fast bowlers with just only one frontline spinner in form of Jason Krejza, but Lee does not see a problem in adjusting to the alien conditions.

"I really don't see any problem with the pace attack that we have got, we are playing on these low and slow wickets, because at the end of the day its 150 km/h (kilometers per hour) through the air," said Lee after practice session in Ahmedabad.

The bowler said they were trying to create an environment, where each bowler backs each other in the team.

"Well pitches are massive part of the equation but if you are going to go like Shaun Tait bowling around 160 km/h (kilometers per hour) at the batsmen's toes it doesn't matter whether you are playing at Waca (Perth) or playing here in India," he said.

"It will still hit the batsman at his toes on full. What we are trying to do is to bowl in team environment. We have to back the other guys and with our spinners I think we have got very good attack," added Lee.

The Kangaroos are placed in Group A in the ICC World Cup with Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Canada and Kenya.

Australia begins its World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe at the Motera Stadium on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on February 21. They sweat it out at the Motera Stadium during their practice sessions.

Lee further said that he is confident that he can make the ball talk at the start and the end of the innings when Australia play their World Cup opener against Zimbabwe.

Lee also played down any concerns that the defending champions had lost their momentum after losing by 38 runs and seven wickets to India and South Africa.

"We have taken a lot out of these two practice matches which will put us in good stead for the first game on Monday," he said. (ANI)

ICC Cricket World Cup: India off to a flying start

Openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag give India a smashing start during the World Cup opener on Saturday at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Earlier, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bowl against India. For India, pacer Ashish Nehra will not play in the Group B encounter due to a back injury.

The others who have failed to make the final playing XI for India are spinners R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla and batsman Suresh Raina.

In Bangladesh team, veteran batsman Mohammad Ashraful has been left out.

The Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c&wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.

World Cup Live: India off to a brisk start

Put in to bat first, India opener Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag started aggressively against Bangladesh as they begin their 2011 cricket World Cup campaign on Saturday.

Live Scorecard

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to field against co-hosts India in the tournament-opener.

Title aspirants India will have revenge on their minds after minnows Bangladesh had ensured their early exit in the first round of the 2007 edition at the Caribbeans.

Dhoni and his men will be eager to settle the score and kick start their campaign on a positive note at the Shere Bangla National stadium.

Tipped as one of the favourites, the current world number two side, boasts off an exceptionally balanced team.

The explosive batting line-up will be marshalled by Sachin Tendulkar, who would be participating in his sixth World Cup this time around and the senior batsmen will look to give India a flying start with Virender Sehwag.

Gautam Gambhir will be next, while the middle-order also looks rock solid with Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan -- all capable of playing big-shots and also rotating the strike.

In their second and last warm-up game, India scored a mammoth 360 against New Zealand and it will give a lot of confidence to the batsmen, especially skipper Dhoni and Gambhir, who hit an unbeaten 108 and 89 respectively.

In the bowling department, Dhoni have picked three pacers and a spinner as India is going with a four-pronged attack.

Skippered by Shakib-Al-Hasan, Bangladesh have a few good batsmen in the pint-sized dynamic opener Tamim Iqbal and wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Besides, captain Shakib-Al-Hasan, himself, ranks number one in the ICC's all-rounders list and knows how to wield the willow.

Bangladesh won their first warm-up match against Canada but lost to Pakistan in the second tie. However, their openers Tamim and Imrul Kayes have got runs under their belt in the two matches.

Though their pace attack will lack the fire-power of speedster Mashrafe Mortaza, 21-year-old pacer Rubel Hossain had claimed five wickets in the warm-up matches.

Besides, Bangladesh also have some good tweakers in left-arm slow bowlers Shakib and Abdur Razzaq, who can get handy support from many other part-timers.