Maharashtra: Congress -NCP shake hands over deal
New Delhi: The Congress has eventually had its way and has retained the Chief Minister's post in Maharashtra. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has settled for the Deputy Chief Minister's post and has got three more Ministries as compensation for letting go its claim to the top post in `Mantralaya.' After 11 days of intense bargaining, the Congress and the NCP have said that the "1999 formula would continue."

The NCP would now get two Cabinet Ministers and one Minister of State more than its earlier share. In the previous Government, the NCP and the Congress shared the portfolios equally.

Both parties said that the Chief Minister would decide which Ministries would go to the NCP. The NCP would retain the Speaker's post as per the formula.

Leaders of both parties also announced that their legislature wings would meet in Mumbai on Friday to elect their leaders.

The Congress had been insisting since October 16, when the election results were declared, that it be allowed to lead the coalition again since it had more legislators. The Congress, which won 69 seats on its own, claimed to have 74 legislators by including those who contested from its share of the seats. The NCP staked its claim on the ground that it had emerged as the single-largest party with 71 seats.
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First test firing of Prithvi-III
Chennai: Prithvi-III, a versatile surface-to-surface missile, was successfully test-fired for the first time from the Interim-Test-Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore in Orissa.

A two-stage missile, Prithvi-III, is powered by solid propellants. It has a range of 300 km but the range is flexible. The nine-metre missile weighs about six tonnes. The missile can be canisterised, that is sealed, and launched from multiple platforms, including from a launch pad on the ground, a vehicle and a ship.

Several tests of Prithvi-I, the Army version, Prithvi-II, the Air Force version, and Dhanush, the Naval version, have already taken place. Prithvi-I has been operationalised and inducted into the Army. It has a range of 150 km and can carry a payload weighing about one tonne. The Prithvi-II is a five-tonne, single-stage missile with a range of 250 km. It can carry a payload of 500 kg.
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