19 APRIL 2014

Ø  Supreme Court Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramaniam has urged the court to order an audit of the wealth of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai. In his report, in which he has expressed deep anguish about the several serious irregularities in the management of the temple and its wealth, the Amicus Curiae has sought an injunction from the apex court restraining the present trustee and his family members from interfering either directly or indirectly with the day-to-day management of the temple. The audit, he said, should be undertaken by Mr. Rai and a team of auditors to be appointed by him. He should be assisted by a Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) who will be nominated by the RBI Governor in consultation with the Amicus Curiae. The audit should cover management of the temple, the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple Trust and allied institutions over the past 25 years. Mr. Rai should be empowered to take into custody and seal all documents of the trust properties forthwith, Mr. Subramaniam has suggested.

Ø  On World Heritage Day, India got a special gift from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation which on Friday put 15 additional sites located across the country in its tentative list of world heritage sites. India had submitted a list of 33 sites to UNESCO. UNESCO put on its website 15 more sites in its tentative list. This means, 48 sites now stand a chance of becoming world heritage sites. This gift is special for us at the ASI and it is indeed a proud day. Meanwhile, a footfall of 10,000 was recorded at the ancient Purana Quila, where the ASI had for the first time put on display 100 antiquities.

Ø  Over 41 per cent of urban households and 60 per cent of rural households with access to safe water get contaminated water, a report published in the British medical journal, The Lancet. Although 99.6 per cent of urban and over 97 per cent of rural households surveyed had access to safe water, as defined by the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target 7c indicator, water was contaminated in 41.5 per cent (284 of 685) of urban and 60 per cent (715 of 1,191) of rural households.

Ø  Sudarshan Seneviratne has been appointed Sri Lanka’s new high commissioner to India.

Ø  India’s first double-decker flyover was thrown open to the public in Mumbai on Friday. The Santa Cruz-Chembur link road connects the eastern and western suburbs of the city, reducing commuting time by up to one hour.

Ø  The library of an Islamic seminary for girls in Pakistan has been named in honour of Osama bin Laden.