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The Lok Pal bill has come to the fore once again with the government declaring its intention to introduce it in the winter session of Parliament. It will be the tenth time the bill will go to Parliament and one can only hope that this time it may be passed. With corruption becoming a big issue after the Commonwealth Games it is high time that the Lok Pal comes into existence. But going by the previous experience it looks quite a Herculean task and unless there is political will, the bill may fall once again.

New Delhi, Oct 20 : The $ 100 million India-Oman Joint Investment Fund would be raised to $ 1.5 billion and would be deployed for infrastructure projects in India, according to the visiting foreign minister of Oman, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah.

Politically, things are churning up with Bihar going through the election process, pre-poll rumblings in the South, mainly in Tamil Nadu, geographical uncertainties in A P, and the sordid Assembly dramas in BJP-run Karnataka. The May 2011 elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala will provide an interlude before UP gets closer to the mother of political battles.

LUCKNOW: The massive participation of the rural people in Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing gram panchayat elections shows the success of democracy at the grass roots level and how the infusion of large funds into the rural programmes has led people of both rich and poor take interest in the election process.

New Delhi, Oct 19 : India, with a view to minimize the menace of tobacco use, is planning to persuade farmers to shift to alternative crops. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that while livelihood of tobacco growing farmers cannot be endangered, we must work towards moving famers and farm workers out of the tobacco industry.

How should the Supreme Court deal with the appeals that are certain to be filed before it against the Allahabad High Court judgment on the Babri Masjid issue? Can it help restore the faith of large numbers of citizens in the higher judiciary which has been injured, if not shaken, by the verdict? Should the Court strive to bring about reconciliation between the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Nirmohi Akhara, on the one hand, and the Sunni Central Waqf Board and All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee, on the other?

So, Haryana isn't going to be known for khap panchayats alone. The perception of the state as a bastion of medieval obscurantism has been erased, to a large extent, by the remarkable performance of its sportspersons at the CWG. By winning 15 of India's 38 gold medals, and 28 out of the country's total of 101, they have showcased their exceptional talent. What is even more heart-warming is that six of them are women.

India has signed a social security agreement (SSA) with South Korea which would enhance movement of professionals between the two countries and strengthen the trade and investment.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal's ouster from the Parkash Singh Badal ministry and suspension from the Akali Dal was neither unexpected nor was it an unusual happening. The conflict between him and Chief Minister's son Sukhbir Singh Badal who is also Deputy Chief Minister and Akali Dal President was destined to lead to parting of ways. In the succession wars, sons of Chief Ministers and not their nephews or other kin always emerge victorious. Punjab is not the only state to witness this trend. The phenomenon has also been witnessed in the families of Mahrashtra's Shiv Sena and Bihar's Lalu Yadav. The victors of the two families succession wars have been the families sons and not nephews.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Can the Left Democratic Front (LDF) repeat its spectacular show in the 2005 local body elections? This is the question agitating not only the LDF activists but also the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF).