India's population rises to 1.2 billion: Census of India 2011 -

India's population rose to 1.21 billion people over the last 10 years — an increase by 181 million, according to the new census released today, but significantly the growth is slower for the first time in nine decades.

The population, which accounts for world's 17.5 per cent population, comprises 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females, said a provisional 2011 Census report. China is the most populous nation acounting for 19.4 per cent of the global population.

The country's headcount is almost equal to the combined population of the United States,Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan put together, it said.

The population has increased by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-2011, the report said. The growth rate in 2011 is 17.64 per cent in comparison to 21.15 per cent in 2001.

The 2001-2011 period is the first decade — with exception of 1911-1921 — which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous decade, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner of India C Chandramauli said in presence of Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai.

Among the states and Union territories, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with 199 million people and Lakshadweep the least populated at 64,429.

The combined population of UP and Maharashtra is bigger than that of the US.

(Read: Major highlights of the Census 2011)

(Read: Literacy rises by 9.2%, now 74.04%)

The highest population density is in Delhi's north-east district (37,346 per sq km) while the lowest is in Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh (just one per sq km).

The Census indicated a continuing preference for male children over female children. The latest child sex ratio in is 914 female against 1,000 male—the lowest since Independence.

"This is a matter of grave concern," Chandramauli said.

According to the data, literates constitute 74 per cent of the total population aged seven and above and illiterates form 26 per cent.

The literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to 74.04 per cent in 2011 showing an increase of 9.21 per cent.

India vs Pak semifinal: Companies pad up to let employees enjoy - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Work will take a backseat at IndiaInc when the cricketing world's arch-rivals India and Pakistan face-off in the World Cup semi-final at Mohali on Wednesday.

While some companies are considering half- or full-day leave for employees on the day of the match, others have installed TV screens across office premises or made arrangements for special screening of the match to ensure employees get the pulse of the cricketing ties between the two nations that have fought three wars since independence.

FMCG company Dabur India is weighing an "off" on Wednesday. "The only constraint is that it is yearend closing, so work pressure is quite high at the moment," said Dabur India executive director A Sudhakar.

The company had declared a holiday on the day of the T20 final between India and Pakistan in 2007.

Food and beverages major PepsiCo India may allow half-day leave for employees if it doesn't impact the organisation's functioning, said Samik Basu, vice-president (HR) and chief people officer for India Region.

Some firms are also looking into work-from-home facility for that day. "If employees want to work from home or leave early to be able to watch the match, we are open to that," said Ashish Kumar, chief HR officer at multiplex chain operator PVR Ltd , which is screening the match at some of its multiplexes. The firm is also considering an exclusive screening for its employees.

Employees of the Future Group's Big Bazaar, the country's largest hypermarket retail chain, will be free to watch the match on large screens installed in stores, said its president, Rajan Malhotra.

"The idea is to let employees enjoy the match while at work, because they tend to take leave during such crucial matches," said S Varadarajan, executive vice-president (HR) at BPO firm Quatrro.

The company has in-house contests surrounding the World Cup to give employees a sense of involvement in the sporting event. Salil Kapoor, COO of the country's largest DTH service company Dish TV, said, "We would have special screening of the match in high definition feed for our employees in office and have also tied up with some pubs and clubs with special discounts for our employees."

India's tiger count rises to 1,706, habitat shrinking

India has 1,706 tigers in the wild, marking an increase of 295 in the big cat's numbers, says the tiger census released on Monday. But Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh called the findings a mixed bag as tiger occupancy area has shrunk by nearly 22 per cent due to poaching and development.

The Sundarbans mangrove forests have been included in the census for the first time, with 70 tigers in the area. The rest of the country now has 1,636 tigers, marking an increase of 12 percent over the 2006 figure of 1,411 tigers.

Tiger Estimate 2010, carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, along with several other government and private partners, was released by Ramesh at the March 28-30 International Tiger Conference in Vigyan Bhavan.

It says occupancy area has shrunk from 936,000 hectares to 728,000 in the last four years with a major decrease in northern Andhra Pradesh - East Godavari, Karimnagar, Vishakhapatnam -- due to poaching and development.

"We have a mixed bag as the tiger numbers have increased from 1,411 to 1,636, but the there is decrease in tiger occupancy which shows that tiger corridors are under biggest threat," Ramesh told a packed hall.

The interesting part of the census is that close to 30 per cent of estimated tiger population is outside the 39 tiger reserves and India does not have a strategy to protect the big cats in these areas, he said.

The latest census indicates that the Shivalik-Gangetic plains (Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh) have 353 tigers, central India and Eastern Ghats (Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh) have 601 tigers, Western Ghats (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka) 534, the northeast hills and Brahmaputra floodplains (Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal) 148, and the Sunderbans 70.

The last census in 2006 had shown a sharp fall in tiger numbers, at 1,411 tigers in the wild. India was home to about 3,000 tigers around two decades ago.

This time, the upper limit for the tiger numbers has been set at 1,875 and the lower limit at 1,571. The average figure comes to 1,706.

The tiger estimation this time was done using more scientific methods of camera trapping rather than usual pug mark count to get more realistic figures.

"In the former method, tigers walk across a sensor and take self-photograph and each tiger has a unique stripe pattern like finger printing which avoids duplication. The authorities have taken 615 pictures of adult tigers as the sample size, based on which the estimation of the total figure was done," said Y.V. Jhala, who headed the tiger census team.

Tiger loss has been quite significant in northern Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh while Maharashtra and the Terai regions (Himalayas) have shown a significant increase in the big cat population.

The Nagarhole-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Wayanad reserve forests that straddle three states in the Nilgiris has the single largest population of the tiger in the world while the Sunderbans have the highest tiger density in the world.

The tiger census found that the man-animal conflict has been increasing in Corbett, Ranthambore, Tadoba, Bor and Bandhavgarh national parks.

Reacting to the tiger census, Ramesh called for the need to balance development and environment.

"Many tiger reserves are under threat from coal mining, hydel power projects, irrigation projects. There is a need for nine per cent economic growth and there is no dispute in that, but we have to reconcile growth with environment," Ramesh said.

"Choices have to be made on whether we can afford nine per cent growth and end up our forest cover. We have to find a way of balancing imperative high growth with imperative preserving ecosystem," said Ramesh.

Talking on the same lines, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said: "I don't know why I am being seen as the biggest threat to environment. There is a need to balance development and environment."

Death penalty waived for 8 Indians - Hindustan Times

A Sharjah court has waived the death sentence awarded to eight Indian youths for the murder of a Pakistani national after a Dubai-based Indian hotelier paid blood money to the family of the victim on their behalf. The murder took place on July 11, 2009 following which 10 men, eight Indians -- all from Punjab and two Pakistani were arrested.

The death penalty of two Pakistanis have also been waived off after Dubai-based hotelier SP Singh Oberoi paid blood money.

"Death penalty has been waived off for all the 10 accused, eight Indians and two Pakistanis. They have to serve three years of imprisonment of which they have already completed 21 months. So they will be free in another six months and will be deported directly to their home countries," Oberoi said following the verdict on Sunday.

Several such cases involving Punjabi youths embroiled in bootlegging turf battle have come to light in recent times.

The latest case involved murder of Pakistani national Mumtaz Yousuf, who hailed from Faislabad.

The Indians who were arrested are: Kuldip Singh, Sachin Kumar Sharma, Rakesh Kumar, Sukhpal Singh, Hardev Singh, Charanjeet, Amarjeet Singh and Rashwinder Pal.

Oberoi said that on November 24, 2009 he, alongside the victim's father, appeared in court and registered a compromise statement.

"The honorable Judge accepted our request and on February 1 this year I paid the blood money to Mohd Yousuf in court in the presence of the jury. I submitted the required documents in the court on February 6 following which the case was closed and February 28 was fixed as the judgment date. However, this date was then postponed to March 27 (Sunday) when the verdict was finally delivered," he said.

The Pakistanis who will be released include Mohammed Ansar Chaudhary and Shahid Hussain Ifthreen Rana from Multan Burewal.

Oberoi said that there are several such cases pending and involves over 60 young men from Punjab.

This case is, however, different from the case involving 17 Indians who were convicted of murder and have filed an appeal.

India (Ind) vs Pakistan (Pak): Thrills and spills in India-Pakistan Cup matches

India (Ind) vs Pakistan (Pak): Thrills and spills in India-Pakistan Cup matches

NEW DELHI: Excitement and pressure will go hand in hand when Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Indians clash with Shahid Afridi's Pakistanis in Wednesday's high-voltage World Cup semifinal in Mohali.

There has never been a dull moment ever since the two countries played their first World Cup match in 1992 at Sydney.

Pakistan, playing impressive cricket in the ongoing tournament, will also be determined to overcome a jinx after having lost all of their four World Cup matches against their arch-rivals.

All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, man of the match in Pakistan's quarterfinal win over the West Indies in Dhaka on Wednesday, has said he is keenly looking forward to playing in Mohali.

"It will be really exciting to play India. The atmosphere will be really electrifying. Playing in front of an Indian crowd will be interesting," Hafeez recently told an Indian newspaper.

"I hope India and Pakistan play more matches in future."

It will be the third one-dayer between India and Pakistan in nearly three years as the cricketing ties between the two snapped following the 2008 attacks on India's financial hub Mumbai.

The World Cup matches between India and Pakistan have provided plenty of thrills.

Top Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad was a photographers' delight in 1992 when he jumped up and down, apparently in imitation of Indian wicket-keeper Kiran More who had been repeatedly appealing.

The 43-run defeat at Sydney did not affect Pakistan's chances as they rallied from the brink to win the World Cup under Imran Khan's inspirational leadership.

But the next defeat in the 1996 World Cup did.

Pakistan's 39-run defeat came in the quarterfinal at Bangalore where many believed they had lost half the battle before the first ball had been bowled.

Their captain and quality paceman, Wasim Akram, withdrew from the game due to an injury - a decision the fans found hard to swallow. He was later widely criticised for pulling out of a big match.

Pakistan lost the remaining half of the battle when well-set opener Aamer Sohail lost his cool and wicket after being involved in a verbal duel with Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad.

Chasing a 288-run target, Pakistan were 113/1 before Sohail was bowled for 55 to become one of Prasad's three victims. It was all over when veteran Miandad was run out for 38 in what turned to be his last World Cup appearance.

The third World Cup clash came at Old Trafford in England in 1999. It was again Prasad who troubled Pakistan, claiming five wickets to help India win by 47 runs in a Super Sixes fixture.

The 2003 World Cup match at Centurion in South Africa was dubbed as a duel between superstars Sachin Tendulkar of India and Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar.

Tendulkar won the fascinating battle, smashing a robust 98 before becoming the paceman's lone victim of the innings. Akhtar conceded 72 in 10 overs in his team's six-wicket defeat.

Tendulkar is now just one ton short of completing 100 international centuries while Akhtar is retiring after the World Cup.

India (Ind) vs Australia (Aus): I am playing for a very special person: Yuvraj

India (Ind) vs Australia (Aus): I am playing for a very special person: Yuvraj

AHMEDABAD: Yuvraj Singh, who has had a dream run in the World Cup, says that he is playing the tournament for a mysterious "someone special" whose name he did not disclose.

"I am playing for a very special person that comes in my mind and whenever things are not going well I think of that person and things work out," man-of-the-match Yuvraj said after India's five-wicket win over Australia in the quarterfinals in which he made an unbeaten half-century and grabbed a couple of wickets.

His dream of guiding India to a win over Australia in the World Cup realised, Yuvraj said he is now focussing on the semifinal against Pakistan, saying the much-anticipated game would be a battle of equals.

Looking ahead to the clash in Mohali on March 30, Yuvraj, who collected his fourth man of the match trophy in the ongoing World Cup, said it would be another dream game.

"The India-Pakistan game is going to be another dream game after India-Australia. It's a great victory for India today. We would be playing our best cricket against Pakistan. They know our game we know theirs both teams are equal. They have had a very good tournament and have beaten West Indies and Australia," Yuvraj told reporters here after India's five-wicket win over the defending champions.

"We don't want to think about the Pakistan game now. It has been a high-pressure game for us (against Australia) and lot of our system has been drained. We would like to relax for a couple of days and then make plans about Pakistan game," he added.

Yuvraj it was very difficult to keep his emotions in check in the high-octane quarterfinal.

"Over the last one year I have been dreaming of staying till the end and taking the team to victory against Australia in the World Cup and the moment has come. This is the moment I have lived for as a cricketer," he said.

He admitted that it was a tough situation with enormous pressure on him and any small mistake on his part could have thrown India out of the World Cup.

"It was very hard to control emotions. It was difficult to control oneself in such a situation as one mistake and you will be out of the World Cup. I tried to just watch the ball, play down the ground and not lift the ball in the air," said the left-handed batsman.

Yuvraj conceded that the dismissal of Gautam Gambhir, who was run out due to a misunderstanding with him, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in quick succession had put the team under pressure but Suresh Raina lived up to the challenge in crucial stages.

"When Gambhir got out I thought I will get a good partnership going with MS (Dhoni) but when MS got out I knew I was in trouble. When Raina came in I told him to take his time and let's get 20-30 run partnership. He has shown nerves in a crucial stage and this will boost his confidence also," he said.

He said he had already apologised to Gambhir for the mix-up that resulted in his partner getting run out today.

"I have apologies to Gautam for the miscommunication on the field. We have not played together much. I think it was probably my fault," said Yuvraj.

Though he got his fourth man-of-the-match award in the tournament, Yuvraj sounded modest and said the team effort was crucial.

"I feel good to have contributed to the team but the victory cannot be achieved by one person, it's a team effort," he said.

He said though he cherished the centuries he had scored in his career, even scores like his 52 not out last night were special as they resulted in the team winning a crucial tie.

"Though centuries are very special for a player, when you are able to contribute 20 or 30 runs which help the team win crucial matches they also become special," he said.

Looking back at the past one year which had seen him being axed from both the ODI and Test teams, Yuvraj said he was very happy that things have turned around for him.

"Last year everything I touched turned into mud. This year it has been a good year," he said.

Praising coach Gary Kirsten for the contribution he has been making, Yuvraj said that was the vital difference from 2007 when the team was knocked out in the first round of the World Cup.

"In 2003, the team was very great (when it made the final). I don't want to talk about 2007. In 2011 with Gary coming in, our confidence in each other has grown. Players confide in each other and the way Gary keeps the team like a family that shows in our performance," he pointed out.

Death toll of Myanmar's earthquake rises to 74, 111 people injured

Death toll of Myanmar's earthquake rises to 74, 111 people injured

TACHILEIK, Myanmar, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of Myanmar's Thursday earthquake has increased to 74 with the injured remaining at 111 as of Friday 2:30 p.m. local time, according to an official statement.

A total of 390 residential houses, 14 monasteries and nine government department buildings were destroyed in the mainly affected areas of Tarlay, Naryaung and Monglin. Of them, Monglin was badly ruined in terms of residential houses with 128.

Relief measures are being taken by the state's Natural Disaster Preparedness Committee and local Red Cross as rescue teams are rushing to the stricken areas.

The quake also triggered landslides and collapsed buildings in Myanmar's northeastern Tachileik and Tarpin, Shan states.

A strong earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale jolted Loimwe, 56 kilometers southeast of Kengtung in northeastern Myanmar on Thursday night at 20:29:30 hours local time (1369 GMT).

The quake's epicenter, only 10 kilometers deep, struck the hills of Myanmar bordering Thailand and Laos.

The quake was also felt in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and China.

According to reports from the Laos, the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar shook Laos' northern province of Bokeo and Luang Namtha on Thursday night, but no casualties have yet been reported.

According to a statement on Friday from Laos' Department of Meteorology and Hydrology at Water Resources and Environment Administration, people living in Bokeo and Luang Namtha provinces in the north of the country felt the quake, but no damage or injuries have been report from the sparsely populated region.

Meanwhile, the Irrigation department of Thailand on Friday confirmed that the earthquakes in Myanmar had not caused damage to any major dams in the northern region of Thailand.

"The department ordered a structural inspection of the dams in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and found that all dams were undamaged by the quake," Bangkok Post online quoted Chalit Damrongsak, the department's irector-general, as saying.

There are no cracks at all in the dams, he said.

Chalit said he had ordered irrigation officials nationwide to regularly make safety checks of dams under their supervision.

The powerful 7-magnitude earthquake on Thursday night sent shock waves that shook buildings in many parts of Thailand and rattled the nerves of highrise residents in Bangkok.

People living near the dams were worried their structural integrity might have been affected and sought reassurance, Thai media reported.

In Thailand, a 55-year-old woman was killed Thursday in the quake in northern Chiang Rai province.

Some 60 aftershocks have been recorded in northern Chiangmai province since the deadly earthquake, according to Thai Meteorological Department's Seismological Bureau.

An officer from Seismological Bureau disclosed that the quake in Myanmar was followed by 56 aftershocks below 5.0 magnitude as well as six aftershocks over 5.0 magnitude.

The aftershocks are expected to continue for a week with different magnitudes ranging from 3.0 to 5.0, but no greater than 6.0 magnitude quake is expected, the seismological bureau said.

According to Vietnam News Agency, buildings in Hanoi shook when the earthquake happened, which caused panic among residents of apartment blocks.