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Friday, April 1, 2011, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 2:30 am (IST)

India is now 1.21 billion strong The PROVISIONAL POPULATION TOTALS of census 2011 ARE out and reveal startling changes  New Delhi, March 31 India is now home to 1,210.2 million people, having added 181 million to the pool over the last 10 years. This marks a 17.64 per cent decadal growth in the population (1,028 million in 2001) since Independence, and the lowest such growth in 90 years. Nation page: Haryana & Punjab fare worst on child sex ratio Women lead on literacy path

FDI policy liberalised to boost inflows
New Delhi, March 31
The government today relaxed a major condition in foreign direct investment (FDI) norms which has been a significant cause of friction between Indian and foreign joint venture partners and at times led to major corporate battles. The government abolished the condition of prior approval for setting up of a new unit in case of existing joint ventures and technical collaborations in the ‘same field’.

SC upholds dismissal of RAW officer
New Delhi, March 31
Upholding the dismissal of a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer posted in China, the Supreme Court has ruled that officials on sensitive posts cannot demand the reasons for their removal from service. If the mandatory disciplinary inquiry could be dispensed with in some cases in order to protect state security

We should create climate of cooperation, Manmohan Singh tells Pakistan PM
Mohali, March 31
Emphasising the necessity of bridging the trust deficit between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night unfolded some interesting aspects of his mission for permanent peace with the neighbouring country. “We are neighbours, destiny requires that we should find cooperative solutions to all the problems that we face.

Web inventor wants Net access a civil right
Hyderabad, March 31
The inventor of the Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has called for declaration of the right to access the Internet as a civil right across the world. “Finland has already accepted the right to access the Internet as a human right. People across the globe have a right to access the Internet as much as any other civil right. It is being increasingly felt in all the countries,” he said.

Aseemanand now doesn’t want to turn witness
Jaipur, March 31
Hindu right-wing activist Swami Aseemanand, an accused in several terror cases, has moved a court seeking to withdraw his application to turn a witness in the Ajmer Dargah blast case even as the Rajasthan ATS today said it is planning to file a chargesheet against him on April 8. “Aseemanand has requested the court to reject his earlier application in which he had wished to become a witness in the Ajmer Dargah blast case,” according to an ATS officer.

WANKHEDE STADIUM: No tickets please, only cops and canes 
Out of 32,000, only 4,000 seats for public
Mumbai, March 31
Cricket fans who were hoping for a ticket to catch the World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium had to return disappointed as the Mumbai Cricket Association stopped sale of tickets to ordinary fans. A number of cricket fans who rushed to the stadium this morning following India's victory in the semi-finals against Pakistan were chased away by policemen. The situation got ugly as fans yelled slogans against the cricket officials and the cops had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, police said. The recently renovated Wankhede Stadium with a capacity of 32,000 has just 4,000 seats reserved for the public.