Hyderabad, May 16: After Eamcet, it’s the turn of Integrated Common Entrance Test (Icet), in which two errors were reported during the release of “initial key”.  However, some subject experts argued that there are three other errors in question paper, apart from the two errors admitted by Icet officials. As many as 13 errors came to light in Eamcet “initial key” released last week, leading to uproar among students and teaching fraternity. Icet-2008 entrance exam for admissions into MBA and MCA courses in the state, was held on May 11 in over 367 centres. Nearly 2.02 lakh appeared for the exam.

“There was no correct option available out of four options provided for question 25 and 70 respectively in the Icet question paper.  We have referred the matter to the experts committee, which has recommended that two mark be awarded,” Mr D.N.Reddy, convenor, Icet, told Deccan Chronicle. “Though the convenor has admitted to two errors, there are three other question, which have either more than one correct options or are inconsistent. They also need to be awarded marks,” said Mr Manoj Sethi, Icet course director, TIME. He said while question No.7 in ‘Data sufficiency’ part is an inconsistent question with wrong framing, question No.38 has two correct options of 1 and 4.

We hope the officials  will examine carefully and take a positive decision in the interest of student community,” Mr Sethi said. The Icet officials have given time till May 19 to lodge objections, if any, on the initial key. “We have posted the key on www.icet2008.net.  Anyone can lodge objections on the key till May 19. We will release the final key on May 20,” Mr D.N Reddy said. Icet results will be announced only after the Eamcet results are out. “We are ready to release the results after May 23,” Mr D.N. Reddy said.

Hyderabad, May 16: There is a flourishing gold-recovery mafia in Hyderabad. This is because Mumbai-based bullion merchants have been selling gold illegally in the city and traders here have been refusing to pay after accepting the gold. This was revealed during the questioning of gangster Ayub Khan, who was arrested by task force officials from Gulbarga, Karnataka, on May 13.

Mumbai-based bullion merchants sell gold bars to  local gold traders without issuing bills. When local traders refuse to pay after accepting the gold, organised gangsters such as Ayub Khan are roped in to ‘tame’ them.  The task force deputy commissioner of police, Mr  V.B. Kamalasan Reddy said, “Ayub Khan was involved in recovery of money from gold traders. A lot of unaccounted gold is being sold in the local market from Maharashtra. When some of the traders refuse to pay the money,   Ayub Khan and his associates are called in to threaten the traders and recover the money.”

“Ayub Khan had the contract to recover the cash from all such traders in the city,” said the police inspector, Mr V. Shyam Babu.  Cops have not been able to book cases against those involved in recovery of money as the traders are reluctant to lodge complaints as they are also involved in the illegal purchase and sale of gold. “We have identified at least three traders from whom he had recovered  money for non-payment after purchasing gold. As they refused to lodge complaints we haven’t registered the cases,” a city police official told this correspondent.

Hyderabad, May 16: The results of Group-1 preliminary exam are likely to be announced on May 26. As many as 1,57,911 candidates appeared for the exam, which was held on April 20 across the state. The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) has notified 196 posts for Group-1 services.  andidates will be selected for Mains exam in the ratio of 1:50, which means 9,800 candidates will be short-listed for 196 posts purely on merit secured in prelims. No reservations whatsoever will be followed for selection in prelims. “The Mains exams would be held two months after the prelims results are out” Mr Y. Venkatrami Reddy, chairman, APPSC, told Deccan Chronicle.

Hyderabad, May 16: The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, considered to be the largest technological university in the world with more than 460 affiliated colleges under its belt, will be divided into four universities in the first week of June. However, the name of JNTU will be retained for all the four campuses. The government is considering to name the new campuses as JNTU@Anantapur, JNTU@Kakinada, and for two Hyderabad campuses as JNTU@Kukatpally and JNTU@Masab Tank.

The state government is all set to issue an Ordinance to this effect once the ‘election code’ ends on June 1 paving way for the appointment of new vice-chancellors. The vice-chancellor’s  post of present JNTU is also lying vacant since May 4, following the retirement of Mr Rajagopal.

The state government will also undertake the appointment of 12 VCs after the ‘election code’ ends. Out of them, four VCs will be appointed for the four new JNTUs, six VCs for six new universities which are coming up in Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Kurnool, Nellore, Krishna and Srikakulam from the coming academic year. It will also appoint VCs for Andhra University (AU) and Nagarjuna University (NU), which are lying vacant following the retirement of VCs recently.

Hyderabad, May 16: The reforms initiated by school education department in government schools across the state during the last academic year were fruitful as the schools recorded better performance in SSC results.

The department has introduced several reforms like introducing special classes during holidays, supply of quality study material to students, appointing faculty on temporary basis during shortage of teachers and introducing study hours after school timings. While there were 28 government schools which recorded 100 per cent results in 2007, the number has gone up to 38 this year. In the same way, the number of zilla parishad schools which achieved this feat increased from 180 to 280, municipal schools remained static at 3.

The number of AP Residential Education Institutions which secured 100 per cent results increased from 72 to 97, AP Social Welfare residential schools from 39 to 44, AP Tribal Welfare residential schools from 13 to 20. “We plan to extend mid-day meals to all classes as it has proved to be a major contributor for attaining better results,” said Mr CBS Venkatramana, principal secretary, school education.

Hyderabad, May 16: Though the campaigning for the Secunderabad Cantonment Board elections on May 18 came to a close on Friday evening, the rebels are worrying the official candidates from Congress, Telugu Desam and the BJP. Infighting in the Congress has resulted in a large number of rebels in almost every ward. Candidates have blamed the party leadership in Cantonment as the reason for more than one person from the same party being in fray in the same ward.

“As the Congress MP, Mr Sarve Satyanarayana, did not finalise the candidates until the last moment there was a showdown between the party workers,” several candidates told this correspondent on condition of anonymity. For instance, from Ward-II Mr K. Tirupati Reddy, son  of the MLC, Mr K. Janardhan Reddy, and Sada Keshav Reddy are contesting. Likewise, Telugu Desam candidate from Ward-IV Mr Venkat Rao is facing stiff competition from Mr Manohar Rao, who was a TD worker and has now joined Samajwadi Party. BJP candidate Ch. Shankar Rao from Ward-IV is against Mr S. Anand , who was suspended from

Hyderabad, May 16: The former chief minister and Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, rescheduled his tour to avoid the scorching summer heat.  This came after the TD supremo, who is currently on a 150-day rath yatra across the state, on Friday complained of dehydration and vomiting and remained indoors most part of the day. He resumed his yatra after 6 pm.

Mr Naidu will now campaign from his specially-designed airconditioned rath during the morning and evening hours.  Interacting with reporters at a private engineering college in Siddipet in Medak district, Mr Chandrababu Naidu said he had seen the backward regions very closely and learnt about their problems. He had been touring the backward regions for the last 10 days. “I have been receiving tremendous response from Telangana,” Mr Naidu said. Referring to the sub-committee set up by the TD on separate Telangana, Mr Naidu said his party was not against Telangana state. “We are for a consensus. The panel will study all representations and will come up with a report,” he said.

Hyderabad, May 16: A veterinary Special Economic Zone will be set up at the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s native Pulivendula Assembly constituency in Kadapa district. This is the first of its kind in the country.  The SEZ, which will be developed under the public-private partnership mode, will also have Icrisat and South Africa-based International Livestock Research Institute as promoters along with the state government.

“The SEZ is designed primarily to help the Indira Gandhi Centre for Advanced Research on Livestock, which was already grounded by the Chief Minister in the same area, achieve self-sustainability,” said Mr P. Ramakrishna Reddy, special secretary, animal husbandry. Of the 650 acres already acquired for the research centre, the government expressed its willingness to allot at least 200 acres for the SEZ.

Officials observed that self-sustainability of the  research centre will help it carry out its activities in the long run.  As the major research in the centre will be on vaccines for dangerous diseases like anthrax, foot and mouth disease (FMD) and blue tongue, the state wants to create the vaccine production facility in the SEZ. “The units are expected to become viable in view of severe shortage of vaccines,” Mr P. Ramakrishna Reddy pointed out.

Hyderabad, May 16: The Congress government has decided to start state-wide raids from next week in hotels and other commercial establishments that are misusing domestic LPG for commercial purposes and causing “artificial” shortage of LPG in households.  The state, to check diversion, has also decided to engrave numbers on each domestic LPG cylinder and provide the same to consumers. The state has instructed the joint collectors of all districts to invoke provisions of Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Supply of Essential Commodities Act against offenders as well as abettors.

“We will launch an offensive against erring commercial establishments. In the joint operations, officials of civil supplies department, vigilance wing, revenue, police, oil companies, transport and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and officials of other corporations and municipalities will participate,” said Ms Poonam Malakondaiah, commissioner, civil supplies department said.

An internal inquiry conducted by the civil supplies department has found that the “artificial” shortage is majorly caused by the diversion of household cylinders to the black market. The civil supplies department has booked 666 cases between January and April, of which 42 cases are from Hyderabad.  The huge difference in the price of LPG cylinders and commercial gas is the root cause for diversion of domestic gas into the black-market. While the price of domestic LPG is Rs 302, a commercial cylinder costs Rs 1100.

Hyderabad, May 16: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti is confident of winning all the seats in the May 29 bypolls to 16 Assembly and four Lok Sabha constituencies.  The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s son Mr Rama Rao said people of the region will teach a lesson to both Congress and Telugu Desam.

While participating in a meet the press programme on Friday, Mr Rama Rao said Telangana could be achieved only if the TRS would win all the seats in the byelections. He feared that the UPA government would not consider the proposal of a separate statehood if people did not vote for TRS.  “People of the region should not allow Congress and other parties to weaken the Telangana sentiment. It is the right time to send a strong message to the Centre by extending support to TRS,” said Mr Rama Rao.

Hyderabad, May 16: A 42-year-old man was held by the immigration authorities at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad late on Thursday night. He was trying to fly to Kuwait with fake visa.  M. Satyanarayana of Kesaragudempallem, East Godavari district, was apprehended by immigration officials, who during their routine check, noticed that while his passport was genuine, the name in the visa said Venkataswamy Posa.

Satyanarayana was handed over to the Shamshabad police, who registered cases under the Passport Act and under the IPC for cheating and impersonation. Satyanarayana went to Kuwait in 2001 for job. He came back to the state in February this year.  “Satyanarayana was produced before a court on Friday,” said the Shamshabad inspector, Mr Rama Chandrudu. The court remanded him to judicial custody.