March 2006 in India

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March 31, 2006

* At least 18 Indians are among the 57 people killed when a traditional wooden boat on a dinner cruise sinks off the Bahrain coast. [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr12006/index2111562006331.asp (Deccan Herald)] [http://us.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/31ferry.htm?q=np&file=.htm (rediff.com)]
* Gold shoots up by Rs. 290/10 g to end at a new historic high of Rs. 8,490/10 g. Silver also shoots up by Rs. 1,650/kg and closes at an all-time high of Rs. 17,405/kg. [http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=122346 (Financial Express)] [http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/storybusinessnew.asp?template=&whichstory=n&id=30539 (NDTVPROFIT.com)]

March 29, 2006

* The International Weightlifting Federation bans the entire Indian weightlifting team following four drugs test failures so far this year. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/weightlifting/4858742.stm (BBC)]
* Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, India's largest pharmaceutical company, buys Romania's fifth-largest pharmaceutical company, Terapia from Boston-based private equity investors Advent International for US $324 million, its third acquisition in just a few days. This acquisition makes Ranbaxy the largest generic drug manufacturer in Romania. It is the second largest acquisition by an Indian pharmaceutical company. [http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=122094 (Financial Express)] [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033007641900.htm (The Hindu)]
* A sessions court orders Best Bakery case key witness Zahira Shaikh to undergo her one-year term in a Mumbai prison. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033020431500.htm (The Hindu)] [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1470150.cms (Times of India)]

*Harbhajan Singh helps India win the opening one-day match against England [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4848900.stm (BBC)] [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1469916.cms (Times of India)]

March 25, 2006

* Power minister Sushilkumar Shinde announces that Phase II of the Dabhol project would be commissioned before May 1.

March 24, 2006

* The Finance Minister P Chidambaram says that the Centre is within "striking distance" of implementing the Tarapore committee report on full capital account convertibility. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/25/stories/2006032504951500.htm (Hindu)] [http://www.indianexpress.com/story/1080.html (Indian Express)]
* Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flags off the Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus service. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1462805.cms (Times of India)] [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060325/main2.htm (The Tribune)]

March 23, 2006

*Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi steps down from parliament in a surprise move, after allegations that she was profiting from another public post. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4836508.stm (BBC)]

March 22, 2006

* World's largest mobile tender, worth between $2.5bn to $4.5bn issued by BSNL. [http://business-standard.com/iceworld/storypage.php?hp
]
* England beat India, level the test series. [http://cricket.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/1459615.cms (Times of India)]

March 20, 2006

* Land mine blast kills two in Chhattisgarh. Authorities blame the Maoist rebels. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4823810.stm (BBC)]

March 19, 2006

* Former Union minister Madanlal Khurana is suspended from the primary membership of BJP for the second time in 6 months, barely hours after he announced a plan to join the March 21 rally of expelled leader Uma Bharati. [http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=121010 (Financial Express)] [http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1653615,0008.htm (Hindustan Times)]

March 18, 2006

* The special TADA court frames charges against extradited gangster Abu Salem and his alleged associate Riaz Siddiqui for their role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1455251.cms (Times of India)]
* The national cricket selectors announce that Rahul Dravid would remain captain of the Indian cricket team until the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. [http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=110056 (The Statesman)] [http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=6946&section_id=5 (CNN-IBN)]

March 17, 2006

* India in energy talks with Russia. Russia recently agreed to sell uranium to two Indian nuclear reactors. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4815588.stm (BBC)]
* President APJ Abdul Kalam okays Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan's disqualification from the Rajya Sabha on the ground that she held an office of profit as chairperson of the UP film development council. [http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/17jaya.htm?q=tp&file=.htm (rediff.com)]
* Four suspected terrorists, suspected to belong to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, are killed in a police encounter in Ahmedabad. According to Gujarat police, two of the terrorists were from Pakistan while the other two were from Kashmir. [http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=6895&section_id=3 (CNN-IBN)] [http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?category=National&slug=Four+militants+shot+dead+in+Ahmedabad&id=85853 (NDTV.com)]

March 16, 2006

* Kunjarani wins the first gold medal for India in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

* India begins mass poultry slaughtering as new cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain are identified in the state of Maharashtra. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4811564.stm (BBC)]

March 12, 2006

* Lashkar-e-Toiba denies involvement in the March 7 Varanasi blasts. Witnesses fail to identify suspects. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/13/stories/2006031314420100.htm (Hindu)]
* Rain affected Mohali test on its way to a draw. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/4792092.stm (BBC)]

March 11, 2006

* The nuclear cooperation deal is sent to U.S. Congress. The Bush administration has sent a proposal to Congress asking for a change in the law to allow sale of nuclear technology to India. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/11/stories/2006031114810100.htm (Hindu)]

March 9, 2006

* Terrorists behind Tuesday's blasts in Varanasi. The chief of police of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Yashpal Singh, told the BBC that investigations pointed to the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist group. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4788350.stm (BBC)]

March 8, 2006

* Cities across India have been put on high alert, a day after twin blasts rocked the Hindu holy city of Varanasi. According to state officials, 14 people have been confirmed dead and at least 105 were injured. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4784554.stm (BBC)]

March 7, 2006

* At least 15 people were killed in three explosions in the Indian piligrimage city of Varanasi. The first blast occurred at the Sankat Mochan Temple and was followed by two more at a railway station. Police also report defusing two more bombs. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4782618.stm (BBC)]
* An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the ritcher scale hits India's western state of Gujarat. It lasted about a minute. There were no immediate reports of casualties. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4784092.stm (BBC)]