Research in Motion ( RIM) continuing to dodge the government

NEW RULES could be in place by the end of June 2011 for encrypted communications through BlackBerry’s Enterprise mail services, Nokia’s push mail and other similar services.

This comes in the background of the BlackBerry- maker Research in Motion ( RIM) continuing to dodge the government and refusing to offer access to corporate emails on BlackBerry devices for monitoring and interception by the security agencies.

Telecom secretary R. Chandrashekhar said the government will initiate action concerning encrypted communications on BlackBerry’s Enterprise mail services and other similar services after it receives a report from the committee looking into it.

“ We are waiting for the committee report and we will then take up the issue,” Chandrashekhar told M AIL T ODAY . However, the secretary did not provide any clear indication whether the new rules will be binding on BlackBerry- like services to share their content to the satisfaction of law enforcement agencies.

“ That will come up only after the committee gives in its report. We expect that in the next 30- 40 days,” the telecom secretary said.

In February, the telecom department had set up the committee to look into issues related to encrypted communications.

All encrypted communications will be governed by the new rules currently being framed by the committee.

Since early last year, the government of India has been in talks with Canada- based RIM to provide a solution to intercept its Enterprise mail services by security agencies. However, the government has been pushed to a tight spot as RIM has so far refused to offer access to corporate emails on BlackBerry devices for monitoring and intercepting by the security agencies.

RIM had earlier assured the government that it would provide a final solution for the lawful interception of its popular messenger and enterprise services ( corporate emails) as part of the government’s efforts to fight militancy and security threats over the Internet and through telephone communications by January 31 this year.

However, it later expressed its inability to offer access to these services. RIM had first extended the original August 31 deadline to October 31 and then to December 31.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

HIS IPL team — Royal Challengers Bangalore ( RCB) — may be winning matches on the trot, but UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya is a worried man.

For, last Sunday, miscreants vandalised his customised luxury car — Mercedes S600 — when he was busy watching Chris Gayle hitting sixers. Interestingly, he had parked his car in the heavilyguarded VVIP parking lot of the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium.

Worse, the miscreants even targeted his son Siddartha Mallya’s car — Mercedes S500 — which too was parked in the same stadium.

The miscreants used a sharp tool to scratch the gleaming body of both the cars from bumper to fender on either side.

According to sources, Mallya had purchased his gold coloured car from a Bangalore dealer two years ago. Now, the car is with the same dealer for repairs, which could run into lakhs of rupees.

“ Unlike other luxury cars, repainting a gold- coloured Mercedes is a tricky task.

Finding the right shade and ensuring that it goes well with the original colour is challenging. Besides, this car was personalised, and it makes all the more difficult,” a mechanic at Sundaram Motors, where the two cars have been sent for repairs, said.

Siddartha’s car is also under repair. As his car is black, the mechanics are not facing much problem in repairing it.

The vandalising of the two luxury cars has baffled the Bangalore police. “ Former cricketers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath had parked their cars in the same lot. It looks like the handiwork of miscreants with a grouse against the Mallyas,” Cubbon Park police, said.

The police have questioned the security guards deployed in the parking lot for details. As no official complaint has been lodged, the police have directed the Karnataka State Cricket Association to beef up security during the IPL matches.

Vijay Mallya has a penchant for luxury cars. He has a collection of rare and exotic cars. His vintage collection includes Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, and Chevrolet.

Government of India Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY )

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)

It was introduced in 2000 – 2001 with the objective of focusing on village level development in five critical areas, i.e., Primary Health, Primary Education, Housing, Rural Roads and Drinking Water and Nutrition with the overall objective of improving the quality of life of people in rural areas. Rural electrification was added as an additional component from 2001 – 2002.

It has the following components.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

It was launched on December 25, 2000 with the objective of providing road connectivity through good all weather roads to all rural habitations with a population of more than 1000 persons by the Year 2003 and those with a population of more than 500 persons by the Year 2007.

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (Gramin Awas)

Launched on April 1, 2000. Based on the pattern of Indira Awas Yojana, the scheme is being implemented in the rural areas throughout the country with the objective of sustainable habitat development.

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (Rural Drinking Water Project).

To provide clean Drinking water to rural people

Central Government Bharat Nirman Yojna

Bharat Nirman Yojana

Accepting the policy ‘a step towards village’, Union Government launched a new scheme, named ‘Bharat Nirman Yojana’ on December 16, 2005. This scheme aims at developing rural infrastructure. The duration of implementing this scheme has been determined for four Years with the expected expenditure of 1,74,000 crore. The major six sectors and their targets for next four Years are :

Irrigation: To ensure irrigation for additional one crore hectare of land by 2009.

Roads: To link all villages of 1,000 populations with roads and also to link all ST and hilly villages up to 500 populations with roads.

Housing: Construction of 60 lakh additional houses for the poor.

Water Supply: To ensure drinking water to all remaining 74,000 villages.

Electrification: To supply electricity to all remaining 1, 25,000 villages and to provide electricity connection to 2.3 crore houses.

Rural Communication: To provide telephone facility to all remaining 66,822 villages.

High Profile Guest in Tihar

Every day when Shahid Balwa comes to Patiala House from his 10 ft X 15 ft cell in Tihar Jail, he carries with him a sheaf of papers from the 80,000 page CBI chargesheet in the 2G scam. Some portions are highlighted, others underlined. The 39-year-old MD of Dynamix Balwas then discusses details of his case with lawyer Vijay Aggarwal. "We have to murmur because the constable watches us like a hawk," says Aggarwal. Balwa takes a break from the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. hearing on the CBI chargesheet only to go to the lock-up for 15 minutes and eat his lunch, which consists of snacks purchased with coupons from the Tihar canteen.

Balwa, once in Forbes' list of India's 100 richest people, is in Jail No. 1. He is not the only high-flyer adjusting to life in Tihar's 400-acre prison in Delhi. Its most famous occupant currently is former Union telecommunications minister Andimuthu Raja, 48, who seems to have settled into a groove, reading Tamil books, eating home-cooked food twice a week and watching TV in his cell, which has a WC and tap attached. His former personal secretary R.K. Chandolia and the former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura-all were arrested in February for their alleged involvement in the 2G scam-have recently been shifted to the same ward due to what the jail authorities call "security concerns where they could be exposed to hardened criminals".

The Tihar occupancy chart in Director General of Prisons Neeraj Kumar's room reads 11,832. He's expecting the 11,833rd to be former Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi, 67, who is currently in CBI custody for eight days. "We will have to look for a place for him," says Kumar. Kalmadi could join his former CWG organising committee colleagues Lalit Bhanot and V. K. Verma who are housed in Jail No. 3, the most crowded with 2,011 inmates. He will have to eat lunch at 12 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m., which is rotis or rice as well as dal and a vegetable dish. For breakfast at 8 a.m., he can have tea and two slices of bread and at 5 p.m., it's nimboo pani. If he's especially hungry, he can buy apples, samosa or bhajia from the canteen with coupons worth a maximum of Rs 3,000 a week. For entertainment, he can watch TV in his cell-Tihar has 1,000-odd sets in cells and ward common rooms-or borrow books from the library.

It helps to go in with friends though. Balwa is in the same ward as his brother Asif, who was arrested along with Rajiv Agarwal in March for their alleged involvement in transferring money to DMK's Kalaignar TV channel. All of them share food that comes from home (each prisoner is allowed home-cooked food twice a week and they take turns). Each prisoner is also allowed a visit by the lawyer every day but Balwa and DB Realty MD Vinod Goenka, 52, who Forbes said was worth over $1.18 billion in 2010, prefer to meet them in the courtroom these days.

Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra, 37, arrested on April 20 along with Goenka as well as three top officials of the Reliance ADA Group, Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara, is also adapting to life in the slow lane in Jail No. 3. The former Delhi high society staple meets his family between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day in Patiala House Court, and bides his time sleeping on a mattress and fighting mosquitoes.

Suddenly Tihar Jail seems to be on the itinerary of several topnotch CEOs and professionals in the country, which distracts from the conditions of those in the barracks, which house 30 to a room. Tihar's official capacity is 6,250, and it has almost double the inmates, a number likely to increase as CWG and 2G claim more scalps.