New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Union Home Ministry has convened a high-level meeting here today to discuss naxal situation in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

The Directors General of Police of the four naxal-hit states have been summoned by the Ministry for a thorough review of the situation.

The meeting will also discuss the follow-up action that need to be taken on the decisions taken at the meeting of the Chief Ministers of the naxal affected states on January 
7.

The meeting will be chaired by the Special Secretary (Internal Security) Raman Srivastava in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : The high fiscal deficit will not in any way hamper the flow of foreign investments, said Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

He admitted that the fiscal deficit could rise but this should not be construed as slowdown in the economy.

Ahluwalia said high fiscal deficit due to economic down turn is a global phenomenon and India is no exception.

Replying to a question on job loses, he said when the growth rate has come down to seven percent in place of 8-9 percent, and this is quite possible.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt today said that security is getting far more comprehensive connotation than purely a military or law and order construct, and added the civil society is conceiving itself as an equal and complementing matrix of national security.

Speaking at Technical Seminar on Internal Security organised by the CII, Dutt said "Our policies and strategies need to prepare for the future and not merely address the present. From box-based planning, we need to orient to a transformational mode where activity lines and time lines are well defined."

New Delhi, Feb 4 : The Crime Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned a Supreme Court judge, three Allahabad High Court judges and a Uttarakhand High Court judge regarding the Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam here on Wednesday.

The CBI asked the judges if they had any communication with the prime accused Ashutosh Asthana. The judges however, denied any link with Asthana.

Earlier this year, the CBI had exposed the misuse of provident fund savings of up to twenty-three crore rupees of class III and IV employees of Ghaziabad courts for the personal luxuries of judges.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : Union Minister for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes said here today that the Government is planning to open 15 new medical colleges this year to improve health services in the rural areas.

Interacting with the media in the Social Sector Editors Conference, Fernandes said that medical facilities are being enhanced for the workforce particularly in the unorganised sector, which is mostly in the rural areas. This will be extended under the Employees State Insurance Corporation schemes.

"All hospitals have to acquire ISO certificate," he added.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today urged the agricultural scientists to introduce innovative technologies.

Speaking at a function on World Congress on Agriculture Conservation here, Pawar said that the slowdown in agriculture sector adversely affected the farmers in all countries, more in poverty ridden countries. However its impact in India is minimal.

He identified enhancement of agricultural production and farm income as the major global challenges in this area.