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Tanya Dhingra

22 Jun 2017,Thursday

Our bond is too personal: Anil on Sonam's rumoured boyfriend

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anil-kapoor-sonam-boyfriend-anand-ahuja/1/984551.html

Anil Kapoor, talking about his daughter Sonam's rumoured boyfriend Anand Ahuja, said that the bond he shares with him is too personal to discuss with the media. "It is not my place to speak about Anand... and I have not known her [Sonam] to speak about her personal life," added Anil. Anand is the CEO of 'bhane.', a fashion brand.

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja's relationship has been the talk of the town for a while now. It is no secret that Sonam's family is quite fond of Anand and he is often spotted on holidays with the Kapoors. Anil Kapoor recently talked about his relationship with his daughter's boyfriend in an interview with Pune Mirror.He said, "It is not my place to speak about Anand, that is entirely Sonam's prerogative and I have not known her to speak about her personal life. All I can say is that Anand and I are both private people and the bond we share is too personal for me to discuss with the media."Sonam celebrated her birthday with Anand earlier this month, and it looked like her beau made her evening very special. Their relationship came in the spotlight when they made an entry together at Akshay Kumar's Rustom success bash.However, neither of them has openly admitted to being together. When Sonam asked on Koffee with Karan about the "conjecture" that she has been dating a "business-boy from London," she laughed, "I am always dating a businessman from London." She went on to say that she likes to keep her private life private and she will never talk about it.

Chhavi Tyagi

23 Apr 2017,Sunday

Video shows IAF officer being thrashed by mob; three held

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/iaf-officer-thrashed-delhi-suspects-arrested-delhi-police/1/936015.html

A video has surfaced online wherein an Indian Air Force officer can be seen being thrashed by a mob in southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar area. Reportedly, the incident took place on April 20 when the officer's motorcycle touched the car of the accused, following which they attacked and robbed him. The Delhi police have arrested three persons in this connection.

Delhi Police have arrested three people in respect to a video going viral on social media in which an Air Force Officer can be seen getting thrashed in full public view. The officer was allegedly assaulted and robbed by a group of men after his motorcycle brushed past their car in southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar area, police said today. The officer was accosted and thrashed in the middle of the road, blocking the traffic. Sujay Kr Sikandar, a corporal posted at Tughlakabad told police that on April 20, his motorcycle had brushed past a Swift car. After that the vehicle overtook and stopped him on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road near Batra Hospital. Two persons came out of the car and started beating him and his colleague, he told police. He added that in the meantime, another car also pulled up and its driver got into a argument over the road getting blocked. The three of them then dragged him and robbed his ID card as well as the registration certificate of his motorcycle, police said.One of the accused works as a milk supplier in Malviya Nagar. The others work as a storekeeper at a hotel in Mehrauli and as a bouncer at a club in Vasant Vihar. The robbed items have been recovered and the two cars have been seized. Several Twitter users posted the video, tagged the IAF's official account, and called for strict action. One man even tweeted the clip to the accounts run by the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Friday tweeted the video to Delhi's Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik, and asked him to bring the culprits to book. He requested to ensure that the matter is investigated and the guys are booked. He even requested the general public to come forward and help with any details possible.The Air Force hasn't yet commented on the video, which has surfaced just days after CRPF jawans returning from a polling station in Srinagar's Budgam were assaulted by civilians. That attack, which failed to provoke the jawans, sparked outrage across the nation.PTI Inputs

Parmeet Kaur

12 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Abu Salem can't be kept in jail beyond 25 yrs, argues lawyer

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/1993-mumbai-blasts-case-abu-salem-can-t-be-kept-in-jail-for-more-than-25-years-says-lawyer/story-cBB9eE38njEdaZHks27AOP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The lawyer representing 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Abu Salem has argued that he cannot be sentenced to death or to jail for over 25 years under a treaty with Portugal. Salem was brought back under the treaty after he was detained in Portugal in 2002. The lawyer also said Salem's detention period should be counted as 15 years already served.

The lawyer of 1993 Mumbai serial blast convict Abu Salem on Monday began his arguments and sought lesser sentence to the extradited gangster before the special Tada court. Salem?s lawyer Sudeep Passbola told the court that some of the convicts, sentenced in the first set of trial, were awarded eight years imprisonment for the offence committed which was similar to what Salem was tried for. The lawyer said Salem has been in jail for the last 15 years, contending his detention period should be counted since the time he was detained in Portugal in 2002. Read more: 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case: Why Abu Salem is likely to escape capital punishmentThe lawyer said he was entitled to a set-off as the extradition treaty says that he cannot be kept in jail for over 25 years. The court will continue to hear the arguments today. The special court had on June 16 convicted six persons and acquitted one in the case. Read more: 1993 Mumbai blasts: Abu Salem moves EU human rights court, says trial illegal

Tarun Khanna

27 Jan 2017,Friday

Former UN chief lauds AAP govt?s Mohalla Clinics project

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/kofi-annan-lauds-aap-s-mohalla-clinics-project-suggests-reforms/story-UMTbFhQ1KY9tyaExxHS3kK.html

Former Secretary-General of United Nations Kofi Annan has praised the AAP government?s Mohalla Clinics project which is aimed at providing free primary healthcare to Delhi residents near their home. Annan wrote to CM Arvind Kejriwal, stating, "The utilisation of these clinics represents a large increase in consumption of cost-effective primary healthcare without people incurring financial costs".

Former Secretary-General of United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, has commended Delhi government?s flagship Mohalla Clinic project that is aimed at providing free primary healthcare to city residents closer home.In a letter on January 25 to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in capacity as chair of The Elders, an organisation of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, Annan also shared suggestions that could help reform the project and ?provide further important lessons for other Indian states embarking on the UHC (Universal Health Care) journeys?.Mohalla Clinics have been one of the flagship projects of the AAP government. Even as the Opposition parties accused AAP government of having ?failed? to deliver on its electoral promises, Kejriwal government has been showcasing these clinics as a unique achievement and a reflection of AAP?s model of governance.Read: Sisodia dares Modi as CBI probes Mohalla Clinic, Talk to AK projects?We are aware that your administration has implemented a series of health reforms consistent with the UHC goal. In particular, you have scaled up the provision of universal free health services, most notably in providing free primary healthcare services through your new Mohalla Clinics. We understand that this initiative is proving very successful and we commend you on this impressive achievement,? Annan said in his letter.Adding further, the former UN boss has also reflected that a bold move to advance UHC could bring tremendous health and economic benefits to the countrymen, besides making political leaders providing universal health coverage extremely popular.The UHC policy memorandum -- containing suggestions to scale up the primary healthcare services -- by The Elders, attached with the letter to Kejriwal, says that while the Delhi government has been implementing ambitious health reforms in the Capital since 2015, the ?primary healthcare reforms have been most impressive?.Read: Eight lakh treated in five months at Delhi mohalla clinicsThe memorandum underlined that the Mohalla Clinics may be a good model to scale up UHC in India.?The utilisation of Mohalla Clinics represents a large increase in consumption of cost-effective primary healthcare without people incurring financial costs. In addition, this approach, focusing on universal coverage of free publicly financed PHC services, closely matches the UHC strategy recommended by India?s high level expert group which reported to the previous federal government in 2011,? the memorandum read.The number of suggestions to further reform the health project includes undertaking a formal evaluation of the Mohalla Clinics programme, improve management information systems for maintaining patients? records and better monitoring, and lastly, scaling up preventive and community based services. The memorandum argued that the PHC is more than treating illness -- it should also involve services to prevent people falling sick.

Anmol Sharma

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Mohammed Shami trolled for daughter's b'day celebration pics

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/mohammed-shami-becomes-victim-of-social-media-trolling-once-again/story-K6UwJiafPmv202CNDQTlXO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami was trolled on social media after he posted pictures of his wife during their daughter's second birthday celebrations. The cricketer was trolled with many users commenting that his wife committed a "sin" by not wearing a hijab. Shami was subjected to similar treatment last year after he posted his wife's picture in a sleeveless dress.

Indian cricket team fast bowler Mohammed Shami has once again become a victim of social media trolling after he posted pictures of his wife during their daughter?s second birthday celebrations.The cricketer was trolled as many felt that his wife Hasin Jahan committed a ?sin? by not wearing a hijab during the birthday celebrations.?Sad to see your wife without hijab. my dear shami sir do not look at the smallness of the sin, rather look at the one whom you are disobeying,? Sharun Km from Kunnamkulam posted with a hashtag #GoToHell.READ?|?Irfan Pathan was trolled for tweeting this ?un-Islamic? photo of his wifeSyed Akhtar from Beijing wrote: ?Do you want to please right wings by not wearing hijab nd celebrating birthday.?Mohammad Tahir Faisal from Patna tweeted: ?Drown in shame... Are you Muslim, I don?t think so you?re Muslim...Islam can?t allow you to celebrate Birthday in that fashion.?However, the fast bowler?s fans came out in strong support of him.?Sad to see insects like you crawl out out of the gutter,? Prajay Basu from Mumbai posted.My princess Aairah's 2nd birthday celebration ??? pic.twitter.com/JgNtZFJVqy? Mohammed Shami (@MdShami11) July 18, 2017Bhagya Teja of Bengaluru asked: ?When will you?re petty mindset change??The trolling on social network came a day after Jadavpur police arrested three youths for allegedly attacking Shami late on July 22 when he was returning home to Katju Nagar, behind South City Mall.Police have beefed up security in the area.?Police patrol and officer of anti-rowdy section have been asked to patrol the area and the road in front of his apartment to prevent any untoward incident,? an officer at the Jadavpur Police Station told PTI.READ?|?Ravichandran Ashwin trolled by Manchester United fans ? here is whyThis was not the first time that Shami found himself at the receiving end of social media beamers for his wife?s choice of clothes. He faced similar trolling during Christmas celebrations last year.At that time, Shami uploaded some family pictures of his wife and daughter in western outfits.Another India cricketer Irfan Pathan also faced a similar social media ire after he posted an ?un-Islamic? photograph with his wife wearing nail polish.

Saloni Tandon

19 May 2017,Friday

Indian footballer sacked from day job due to poor attendance

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ck-vineeth-sacked-job-principal-accountant-general/1/957288.html

Indian footballer CK Vineeth has been sacked from his auditing job at the Principal Accountant General's office in Thiruvananthapuram reportedly due to low attendance. Vineeth had been unable to attend office regularly due to his training schedule and matches. "I got this job through football. More than the job, my game is important," said Vineeth.

Indian footballer CK Vineeth, who had been appointed as Auditor in the Principal Accountant General's office in Thiruvananthapuram, has lost his job after his service was terminated reportedly due to low attendance.Because of his busy training schedule and matches, the player had been unable to attend his office regularly due to which his probation had not been extended.According to the order issued to him, as per rules, under no circumstances Vineeth's probation could be extended beyond four years and that he had completed four years on May 6, last year.In the order issued by the AG's office it has been stated that Vineeth's services had been terminated with effect from May 7, 2016 under Rule 5 of central civil services (temporary service) rules, and consolidated instructions on probation/confirmation in central services.Since Vineeth had failed to complete his probation before the extended period of two years i.e. up to May 6, 2016, his services had been terminated, the order stated.Kerala Industries minister AC Moideen and opposition leader in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala had written to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to reconsider the decision to terminate his service, but to no avail."Any action against Vineeth will send a bad message to budding Indian young talents that government is turning hostile to promising youngsters," Moideen had stated in the letter.Reacting to his termination, Vineeth said he was yet to receive the order.

Mansha Mahajan

01 May 2017,Monday

Patanjali to finish multinationals in India in 5 yrs: Ramdev

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/patanjali-to-wipe-out-mncs-from-indian-market-in-5-yrs-ramdev/1/942360.html

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said that Patanjali Ayurved will finish the multinational firms in the Indian market in the next five years. Ramdev further said the MNCs were not working for the country's development, rather their sole objective was to "loot" India. In five years, Patanjali would educate farmers about latest techniques and also offer decent prices, he added.

Saharanpur (UP), Apr 30 (PTI) Yoga guru Ramdev said today that Patanjali Ayurveda, promoted by him, will steal the march over multinational firms manufacturing consumer products. Comparing them to the East India Company that had entered the country with a purpose to "loot", Ramdev said that he aims to make India free from the MNCs. He said that the MNCs here were not working for the countrys development, rather their sole objective was to "loot" India. "Patanjali agle panch varshon mein in videshi kampaniyon ko moksh de degi ( Patanjali will finish the MNCs up from the Indian market in next five years)," he said.

Sanira Mediratta

28 Mar 2017,Tuesday

A German man is paid to taste water

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/water-sommelier-taster-martin-riese-wine-mineral-bottled-h2o-lifefd/1/780609.html

German water expert Martin Riese works as a water sommelier and is paid to taste water for Patina Restaurant Group in California. Riese, who has been drinking water professionally since 2005, is known to be the only certified 'Water Sommelier' in America. He also organises water tastings and classes to teach people how to identify different kinds of water.

You might think you have a high-paying and relaxing job, but what you do for a living is nothing compared to what Martin Riese does. He tastes different kinds of bottled water, and gets paid s**tloads of money for it!Yes, you read that right. Riese is a German water expert, and believes that water should be treated the same way as wine. What does that mean? Well, if we can go around tasting varieties of wine, measuring and comparing the depth of their flavour, then why can't we do the same thing with bottled water?So, instead of a wine sommelier (a steward or expert trained in wine services), Riese is actually a water sommelier. What makes his taste buds tingle is nothing less than H2O, which might come in differently-shaped bottles, and look clear and pure, but it's actually nothing of the kind.Not many people know that bottled water or mineral water is actually graded according to their TDS level. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, or the mineral count in the water we drink. What this essentially means is that there is no bottled water that is pure (though it might look like it). In this day and age, water is treated, has differing mineral counts, and therefore different tastes. A water sommelier is just trained to identify these differences.Also read: Someone deep fried water successfully, just so you could have water pakorasAll you need to be good at this job is an unquenchable thirst for water. Riese is the only one who holds the title of water sommelier in the USA, where he moved from Germany in 2012. Apparently, water sommeliers are quite common in Europe, and all of them advocate water as the most precious drink in the world (now you just can't disagree with that!).Water has body, and depth--we all know this every time we drink some of it. But if the water sommeliers like Riese are to be believed, it has a lot to do with smell and sight as well as taste. Given the rising water crises we face globally, and our increasing dependence on packaged water, developing this sort of a flavour profile might just be the way to go for the future. And experts like Riese are actually doing their part in this venture.

Swarnim Bagre

10 Jul 2017,Monday

India top Asian Athletics C'ships medals tally for 1st time

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-asian-athletics/1/998213.html

India bagged a total of 29 medals including 12 golds to top the medals tally at the Asian Athletics Championships for the first time ever. China, who have dominated the event from 1983 up until the last edition, finished second with overall 20 medals including 8 golds. India's 29 medals is also their highest-ever medal haul in the event's history.

In a stunning show of dominance, India clinched five gold to top the medal tally for first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships, pushing China to second spot, in their most successful campaign in the continental flagship event here today.With today's five gold, one silver and three bronze, India ended the four-day championships on top with their highest ever medal haul of 29 medals (12 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze).India's best came way back in the 1985 Jakarta edition where they had won 22 medals (10 gold, 5 silver, 7 bronze).China ended this edition on second position with 8 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze. They won 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze today.Japan topped the medal tally in the first five editions of the Asian championships from 1973 to 1981. China's domination began from 1983 at Kuwait City and continued till the previous edition at their home venue in Wuhan two years ago.India snapped China's monopoly this time though their northern neighbours had fielded only a second string team here as their athletes are reserving their best for the upcoming World championships in London next month.The host country, however, suffered a huge setback after 800m runner Archana Yadav was disqualified, after being initially declared as the gold medal winner, for pushing Sri Lankan rival Nimali Waliwarsha Konda from behind near the finishing line. The gold medal was then awarded to Konda and India thus lost a yellow metal in dramatic circumstances.Despite this setback, the Sunday crowd at the Kalinga Stadium were on the edge of their seats as the Indians dished out a superb performance.It was heptathlete Swapna Barman who gave India the first gold of the day (as Archana was qualified) as she collected a total of 5942 points from the seven events.The 20-year-old from Bengal collapsed just after crossing the 800m race, the last of the seven events, and was taken for immediate medical attention.Japan's Meg Hemphill was second with 5883 points while another Indian Purnima Hembram was third with 5798 points.After that Lakhsmanan Govinda took the centrestage as he grabbed his second gold of the championship by winning the men's 10,000m event in 29 minute and 55.87 seconds. Another Indian Gopi Thonkanal was second in 29:58.89.World junior record holder javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra struggled in his initial attempts but got his touch in time to clinch the gold with a final throw of 85.23m. Devinder Singh, who was embroiled in a marijuana positive test case, was third by clearing a distance of 83.29m.

Dishant Sharma

19 Jun 2017,Monday

Jinder Mahal beats Randy Orton to retain WWE championship

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/wwe-money-in-the-bank-jinder-mahal-randy-orton-wwe-championship/1/982099.html

Indian wrestler Jinder Mahal defeated 14-time WWE champion Randy Orton to retain his WWE Championship at Smackdown's Money in the Bank event on Sunday. "I'm not even entering my prime and that's a scary scary thought. I'm only getting better every week," the 30-year-old wrestler said, and claimed that he is the hardest working man in the entire WWE.

India's Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to retain his WWE championship at Smackdown's exclusive pay-per-view Money in the Bank at St. Louis on Sunday.The self-proclaimed 'Modern day Maharaja' gave a 'Khallas' -- a variation of the 'Full Nelson Slam' to finish off the 14-time champion and get the three count.Orton, who was distracted by the Singh Brothers went on a rampage outside the ring as he hit them off with RKO's and made sure there's no more distraction coming his way. But, when he returned to the ring, Mahal hit his finisher to retain his championship.Talking about his victory at the Talking Smack -- a post match show -- he said that it was a great feeling. "It almost felt as good as the night I won the WWE championship"He was also quick to point out that Orton's mistake itself cost him the match."But as far as Randy (Orton), I just want to say that he is a 14-time WWE champion and he made a rookie mistake. I would expect better from him. He has someone in the ring like me...I'm a dangerous dangerous competitor and he turned his back on me and that's exactly why he lost and why I'm the champion," he said.The 30-year-old also said that his aim is to win the most number of titles in the history of the WWE."When Randy Orton was WWE champion for the first time, I was in high school. I'm not even entering my prime and that's a scary scary thought. I'm only getting better every week...every week I improve in the ring and I intend on being a long time champion.

Prashanti Moktan

08 May 2017,Monday

Ranbir's pics as Sanjay Dutt shouldn't have come out: Hirani

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ranbirs-pictures-as-dutt-shouldnt-have-come-out-hirani/1/948036.html

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has said that Ranbir Kapoor's pictures as Sanjay Dutt from his upcoming directorial shouldn't have come out. He said the pictures came out because the shoot was at a suburb in Mumbai. However, Hirani added the biopic is being made with a lot of happiness and when a film is made with happiness, it turns out good.

Ranbir Kapoor's pictures from the sets of Dutt biopic leaked online a few weeks ago, and the actor has been lauded for getting the perfect look. In fact, in most of the pictures, the Barfi! actor looks like a spitting image of Sanjay Dutt. However, director Rajkumar Hirani is unhappy that Ranbir's look got leaked. However, he is happy with the way the biopic is shaping up. "The pictures shouldn't have come out. We were shooting in Carter road (in Bandra, a suburb in Mumbai) so it came out. But I am very happy. The film is being made with a lot of happiness and when a film is made with happiness, it turns out good. Its a great story," he told PTI. If reports are to be believed, Ranbir will be seen sporting six, totally different looks in Dutt that will highlight different phases in Sanjay Dutt's life.Tentatively titled Dutt, the film will focus on Sanjay's formative years, his relation with his father Sunil Dutt, his struggles coping up with the loss of his mother, his many affairs, etc.  Hirani says that they have already shot 60 per cent of the film. However, they are yet to lock a title for the film.  ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor to sport six different looks for Sanjay Dutt biopic?  ALSO READ: 10 events from Sanjay Dutt's life that should be in his biopic 

Pragya Swastik

01 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Winds favour me and I fly: Jaitley's Budget closing remark

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/union-budget-2017-arun-jaitley-full-speech-text-aam-budget/1/871851.html

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday concluded his Budget speech using a quote, "When my aim is right, when my goal is in sight, the winds favour me and I fly". Adding that the Budget's agenda was "Transform, Energise and Clean India", Jaitley said, "There's no other day, which is more appropriate for this, than today".

Budget  2017-2018Speech  of Arun Jaitley, Minister of FinanceFebruary 1,  2017Madam Speaker, On this auspicious day of Vasant Panchami, I rise to present the Budget for 2017-18.  Spring is a season of optimism. I extend my warm greetings to everyone on this occasion. 2. Madam Speaker, our Government was elected amidst huge expectations of the people. The underlying theme of countless expectations was good governance. The expectations included burning issues like inflation and price rise, corruption in day to day transactions and crony capitalism. There was also expectation for a major change in the way the country's natural resources were allocated, processed and deployed.3. In the last two and half years, it has been our mission to bring a Transformative Shift in the way our country is governed. We have moved Inflation, which was in double digits, has been controlled; sluggish growth has been replaced by high growth; and a massive war against black money has been launched. We have worked tirelessly on all these fronts and feel encouraged by the unstinted support of the people to our initiatives.  The Government is now seen as a trusted custodian of public money.I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the people of India for their strong support.4. We shall continue to undertake many more measures to ensure that the fruits of growth reach the farmers, the workers, the poor, the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, women and other vulnerable sections of our society. Our focus will be on energising our youth to reap the benefits of growth and employment.5. Madam Speaker, I am presenting this Budget when the world economy faces considerable uncertainty, in the aftermath of major economic and political developments during the last one year.Nevertheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that world GDP will grow by 3.1% in 2016 and 3.4% in 2017. The advanced economies are expected to increase their growth from 1.6% to 1.9% and the emerging economies from 4.1% to 4.5%. As per current indications, macro-economic policy is expected to be more expansionary in certain large economies. Growth in a number of emerging economies is expected to recover in 2017, after relatively poor performance in 2016.These are positive signs and point to an optimistic outlook for the next year.Also read: Union Budget 2017-18: List of things to cost more, less6.There are, however, three major challenges for emerging economies.&First, the current monetary policy stance of the US Federal Reserve, to increase the policy rates more than once in 2017, may lead to lower capital inflows and higher outflows from the emerging economies.Second, the uncertainty around commodity prices, especially that of crude oil, has implications for the fiscal situation of emerging economies. It is however expected that increase, if any, in oil prices would get tempered by quick response from producers of shale gas and oil. This would have a sobering impact on prices of crude and petroleum. Third, in several parts of the world, there are signs of increasing retreat from globalisation of goods, services and people, as pressures for protectionism are building up.These developments have the potential to affect exports from a number of emerging markets, including India. 7. Amidst all these developments, India stands out as a bright spot in the world economic landscape. India's macro-economic stability continues to be the foundation of economic success. CPI inflation declined from 6% in July 2016 to 3.4% in December, 2016 and is expected to remain within RBI's mandated range of 2% to 6%. Favourable price developments reflect prudent macro-economic management, resulting in higher agricultural production, especially in pulses. India's Current Account Deficit declined from about 1% of GDP last year to 0.3% of GDP in the first half of 2016-17. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased from Rs1,07,000 crores in the first half of last year to Rs1,45,000 crores in the first half of 2016-17. This marks an increase by 36%, despite 5% reduction in global FDI inflows. Foreign exchange reserves have reached 361 billion US Dollars as on 20th January, 2017, which represents a comfortable cover for about 12 months of imports. 8. The Government has also continued on the steady path of fiscal consolidation, without compromising on the public investment requirements of the economy. Externally, the economy successfully weathered a number of shocks, the redemption of FCNR deposits, volatility from the US elections and the Fed rate hike. According to IMF forecast, India is expected to be one of the fastest growing major economies in 2017. 9. A number of global reports and assessments, over the last two years, have shown that India has considerably improved its policies, practices and economic profile. These are reflected in Doing Business Report of the World Bank; World Investment Report 2016 of UNCTAD; Global Competitiveness Report of 2015-16 and 2016-17 of the World Economic Forum; and several other Reports. India has become the sixth largest manufacturing country in the world, up from ninth previously. We are seen as an engine of global growth.Also read: Union Budget 2017: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gives a boost to affordable housing10. In the last one year, our country has witnessed historic and impactful economic reforms and policy making. In fact, India was one of the very few economies undertaking transformational reforms. There were two tectonic policy initiatives, namely, passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill for GST and the progress for its implementation ; and demonetisation of high denomination bank notes. The advantages of GST for our economy in terms of spurring growth, competitiveness, indirect tax simplification and greater transparency have already been extensively discussed in both Houses of Parliament. I thank all Members of both the Houses for having passed the Constitution Amendment unanimously. I also thank the State Governments for resolving all relevant issues in the GST Council.11. Demonetisation of high denomination bank notes was in continuation of a series of measures taken by our Government during the last two years. It is a bold and decisive measure. For several decades, tax evasion for many has become a way of life. This compromises the larger public interest and creates unjust enrichment in favour of the tax evader, to the detriment of the poor and deprived. This has bred a parallel economy which is unacceptable for an inclusive society. Demonetisation seeks to create a new 'normal' wherein the GDP would be bigger, cleaner and real. This exercise is part of our Government's resolve to eliminate corruption, black money, counterfeit currency and terror funding. Like all reforms, this measure is obviously disruptive, as it seeks to change the retrograde status quo. Drop in economic activity, if any, on account of the currency squeeze during the remonetisation period is expected to have only a transient impact on the economy. I am reminded here of what the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had said: "A right cause never fails". 12. Demonetisation has strong potential to generate long-term benefits in terms of reduced corruption, greater digitisation of the economy, increased flow of financial savings and greater formalisation of the economy, all of which would eventually lead to higher GDP growth and tax revenues. Demonetisation helps to transfer resources from the tax evaders to the Government, which can use these resources for the welfare of the poor and the deprived. There is early evidence of an increased capacity of Banks to lend at reduced interest rates and a huge shift towards digitisation among all sections of society. We firmly believe that demonetisation and GST which were built on the third transformational achievement of our Government, namely, the JAM vision, will have an epoch making impact on our economy and the lives of our people. 13. Madam Speaker, we are at an important turning point in the path of our growth and development. 14. The pace of remonetisation has picked up and will soon reach comfortable levels. The effects of demonetisation are not expected to spill over into the next year. Thus IMF, even while revising India's GDP forecast for 2016 downwards, has projected a GDP growth of 7.2% and 7.7% in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The World Bank, however, is more optimistic and has projected a GDP growth of 7% in 2016-17, 7.6% in 2017-18 and 7.8% in 2018-19. This pick up in our economy is premised upon our policy and determination to continue with economic reforms; increase in public investment in infrastructure and development projects; and export growth in the context of the expected rebound in world economy. The surplus liquidity in the banking system, created by demonetisation, will lower borrowing costs and increase the access to credit. This will boost economic activity, with multiplier effects. Also read: Union Budget 2017: Arun Jaitley caps cash donation to political parties at Rs 200015. The announcements made by Honourable Prime Minister on 31st December, 2016 address many of the key concerns of our economy at this juncture, such as, housing for the poor; relief to farmers; credit support to MSMEs; encouragement to digital transactions; assistance to pregnant women and senior citizens; and priority to dalits, tribals, backward classes and women under the Mudra Yojana.16. My overall approach, while preparing this Budget, has been to spend more in rural areas, infrastructure and poverty alleviation and yet maintain the best standards of fiscal prudence. I have also kept in mind the need to continue with economic reforms, promote higher investments and accelerate growth. 17. The last one year was a witness to other major reforms, namely, enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code; amendment to the RBI Act for inflation targeting; enactment of the Aadhar bill for disbursement of financial subsidies and benefits; significant reforms in FDI policy; the job creating package for textile sector; and several other measures. We will continue the process of economic reforms for the benefit of the poor and the underprivileged. 18. Madam Speaker, the Budget for 2017-18 contains three major reforms. First, the presentation of the Budget has been advanced to 1st February to enable the Parliament to avoid a Vote on Account and pass a single Appropriation Bill for 2017-18, before the close of the current financial year. This would enable the Ministries and Departments to operationalise all schemes and projects, including the new schemes, right from the commencement of the next financial year. They would be able to fully utilise the available working season before the onset of the monsoon. Second, the merger of the Railways Budget with the General Budget is a historic step. We have discontinued the colonial practice prevalent since 1924. This decision brings the Railways to the centre stage of Government's fiscal policy and would facilitate multi modal transport planning between railways, highways and inland waterways. The functional autonomy of Railways will, however, continue. Third, we have done away with the plan and non-plan classification of expenditure. This will give us a holistic view of allocations for sectors and ministries. This would facilitate optimal allocation of resources.19. Madam Speaker, we are aware that we need to do more for our people. Continuing with the task of fulfilling the people's expectations, our agenda for the next year is : "Transform, Energise and Clean India", that is, TEC India. This agenda of TEC India seeks to I propose to present my Budget proposals under ten distinct themes to foster this broad agenda. The themes are : (i) Farmers : for whom we have committed to double the income in 5 years;(ii) Rural Population : providing employment and basic infrastructure; (iii) Youth : energising them through education, skills and jobs;(iv) Poor and the Underprivileged : strengthening the systems of social security, health care and affordable housing; (v) Infrastructure: for efficiency, productivity and quality of life;(vi) Financial Sector : growth and stability through stronger institutions; (vii) Digital Economy :for speed, accountability and transparency;(viii) Public Service : effective governance and efficient service delivery through people's participation;(ix) Prudent Fiscal Management : to ensure optimal deployment of resources and preserve fiscal stability; and(x)Tax Administration : honouring the honest. I. FARMERS20. The Indian farmer has once again shown his commitment and resilience in the current year. The total area sown under kharif and rabi seasons are higher than the previous year. With a better monsoon, agriculture is expected to grow at 4.1% in the current year. 21. In last year's Budget speech, I focused on 'income security' of farmers to double their income in 5 years. I had also announced a number of measures. We have to take more steps and enable the farmers to increase their production and productivity; and to deal with post-harvest challenges. 22. For a good crop, adequate credit should be available to farmers in time.  The target for agricultural credit in 2017-18 has been fixed at a record level of Rs10 lakh crores. We will take special efforts to ensure adequate flow of credit to the under serviced areas, the Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir. The farmers will also benefit from 60 days' interest waiver announced by Honourable Prime Minister in respect of their loans from the cooperative credit structure.23. About 40% of the small and marginal farmers avail credit from the cooperative structure. The Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) act as the front end for loan disbursements. We will support NABARD for computerisation and integration of all 63,000 functional PACS with the Core Banking System of District Central Cooperative Banks. This will be done in 3 years at an estimated cost of Rs 1,900 crores, with financial participation from State Governments. This will ensure seamless flow of credit to small and marginal farmers.24. At the time of sowing, farmers should feel secure against natural calamities. The Fasal Bima Yojana launched by our Government is a major step in this direction.  The coverage of this scheme will be increased from 30% of cropped area in 2016-17 to 40% in 2017-18 and 50% in 2018-19. The Budget provision of Rs 5,500 crores for this Yojana in BE 2016-17 was increased to Rs 13,240 crores in RE 2016-17 to settle the arrear claims. For 2017-18, I have provided a sum of Rs 9,000 crores. The sum insured under this Yojana has more than doubled from Rs 69,000 crores in Kharif 2015 to Rs 1,41,625 crores in Kharif 2016.25. Issuance of Soil Health Cards has gathered momentum. The real benefit to farmers would be available only when the soil samples are tested quickly and nutrient level of the soil is known. Government will therefore set up new mini labs in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and ensure 100% coverage of all 648 KVKs in the country. In addition, 1000 mini labs will be set up by qualified local entrepreneurs. Government will provide credit linked subsidy to these entrepreneurs. 26. A Long Term Irrigation Fund has already been set up in NABARD. Honourable Prime Minister has announced an addition of Rs 20,000 crores to its corpus. This will take the total corpus of this Fund to Rs 40,000 crores.27. A dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund will be set up in NABARD to achieve the goal, 'per drop more crop'. The Fund will have an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crores.28. For the post-harvest phase, we will take steps to enable farmers to get better prices for their produce in the markets. The coverage of National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) will be expanded from the current 250 markets to 585 APMCs. Assistance up to a ceiling of Rs 75 lakhs will be provided to every e-NAM market for establishment of cleaning, grading and packaging facilities. This will lead to value addition of farmers' produce.29. Market reforms will be undertaken and the States would be urged to denotify perishables from APMC. This will give opportunity to farmers to sell their produce and get better prices.30. We also propose to integrate farmers who grow fruits and vegetables with agro processing units for better price realisation and reduction of post-harvest losses. A model law on contract farming would therefore be prepared and circulated among the States for adoption.31. Dairy is an important source of additional income for the farmers. Availability of milk processing facility and other infrastructure will benefit the farmers through value addition. A large number of milk processing units set up under the Operation Flood Programme has since become old and obsolete. A Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund would be set up in NABARD with a corpus of Rs 8,000 crores over 3 years.  Initially, the Fund will start with a corpus of Rs 2,000 crores.  II. RURAL POPULATION 32. I now turn to the Rural Sector, which was so dear to the heart of Mahatma Gandhi. 33. Over Rs 3 lakh crores are spent in rural areas every year, if we add up all the programmes meant for rural poor from the Central Budget, State Budgets, Bank linkage for self-help groups, etc. With a clear focus on improving accountability, outcomes and convergence, we will undertake a Mission Antyodaya to bring one crore households out of poverty and to make 50,000 gram panchayats poverty free by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji. We will utilise the existing resources more effectively along with annual increases. This mission will work with a focused micro plan for sustainable livelihood for every deprived household. A composite index for poverty free gram panchayats would be developed to monitor the progress from the baseline. 34. Our Government has made a conscious effort to reorient MGNREGA to support our resolve to double farmers' income. While providing at least 100 days employment to every rural household, MGNREGA should create productive assets to improve farm productivity and incomes. The target of 5 lakh farm ponds and 10 lakh compost pits announced in the last Budget from MGNREGA funds will be fully achieved. In fact, against 5 lakh farm ponds, it is expected that about 10 lakh farm ponds would be completed by March 2017. During 2017-18, another 5 lakh farm ponds will be taken up. This single measure will contribute greatly to drought proofing of gram panchayats. 35. Participation of women in MGNREGA has increased to 55% from less than 48% in the past.36. Honourable Members would be happy to note that the budget provision of Rs 38,500 crores under MGNREGA in 2016-17 has been increased to Rs 48,000 crores in 2017-18. This is the highest ever allocation for MGNREGA. The initiative to geo-tag all MGNREGA assets and putting them in public domain has established greater transparency. We are also using space technology in a big way to plan MGNREGA works. 37. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is now being implemented as never before. The pace of construction of PMGSY roads has accelerated to reach 133 km roads per day in 2016-17, as against an average of 73 km during the period 2011-2014. We have also taken up the task of connecting habitations with more than 100 persons in left wing extremism affected Blocks. We have committed to complete the current target under PMGSY by 2019. I have provided a sum of Rs 19,000 crores in 2017-18 for this scheme. Together with the contribution of States, an amount of Rs 27,000 crores will be spent on PMGSY in 2017-18.Also read: How Budget 2017 crossed four major hurdles to create history38. We propose to complete 1 crore houses by 2019 for the houseless and those living in kutcha houses. I have stepped up the allocation for Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin from Rs 15,000 crores in BE 2016-17 to Rs 23,000 crores in 2017-18. 39. We are well on our way to achieving 100% village electrification by 1st May 2018. An increased allocation of Rs 4,814 crores has been proposed under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana in 2017-18. 40. I have also proposed to increase the allocations for Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission for promotion of skill development and livelihood opportunities for people in rural areas to Rs 4,500 in 2017-18. The allocation for Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and credit support schemes has been increased more than 3 times.41. Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) has made tremendous progress in promoting safe sanitation and ending open defecation. Sanitation coverage in rural India has gone up from 42% in October 2014 to about 60%. Open Defecation Free villages are now being given priority for piped water supply. 42. We propose to provide safe drinking water to over 28,000 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations in the next four years. This will be a sub mission of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). 43. For imparting new skills to the people in the rural areas, mason training will be provided to 5 lakh persons by 2022, with an immediate target of training at least 20,000 persons by 2017-18. 44.Panchayati raj institutions still lack human resources for implementing development programmes. A programme of "human resource reforms for results" will be launched during 2017-18 for this purpose. 45. The Government will continue to work closely with the farmers and the people in the rural areas to improve their life and environment. This is a non-negotiable agenda for our Government. The total allocation for the rural, agriculture and allied sectors in 2017-18 is Rs 1,87,223 crores, which is 24% higher than the previous year.III. YOUTH 46. Let me now focus on my proposals for the youth.47. Quality education will energise our youth. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, "The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life is it worth the name?"48. We have proposed to introduce a system of measuring annual learning outcomes in our schools. Emphasis will be given on science education and flexibility in curriculum to promote creativity through local innovative content. 49. An Innovation Fund for Secondary Education will be created to encourage local innovation for ensuring universal access, gender parity and quality improvement. This will include ICT enabled learning transformation. The focus will be on 3479 educationally backward blocks.50. In higher education, we will undertake reforms in the UGC. Good quality institutions would be enabled to have greater administrative and academic autonomy. Colleges will be identified based on accreditation and ranking, and given autonomous status. A revised framework will be put in place for outcome based accreditation and credit based programmes.51. We propose to leverage information technology and launch SWAYAM platform with at least 350 online courses. This would enable students to virtually attend the courses taught by the best faculty; access high quality reading resources; participate in discussion forums; take tests and earn academic grades. Access to SWAYAM would be widened by linkage with DTH channels, dedicated to education. 52. We propose to establish a National Testing Agency as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organisation to conduct all entrance examinations for higher education institutions. This would free CBSE, AICTE and other premier institutions from these administrative responsibilities so that they can focus more on academics. 53. We have a huge demographic advantage. Skill India mission was launched in July 2015 to maximise the potential of our youth. 54. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK) have already been promoted in more than 60 districts. We now propose to extend these Kendras to more than 600 districts across the country. 100 India International Skills Centres will be established across the country. These Centres would offer advanced training and also courses in foreign languages.This will help those of our youth who seek job opportunities outside the country.55. In 2017-18, we also propose to launch the Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion programme (SANKALP) at a cost of Rs 4,000 crores. SANKALP will provide market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth.56. The next phase of Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) will also be launched in 2017-18 at a cost of Rs 2,200 crores. STRIVE will focus on improving the quality and market relevance of vocational training provided in ITIs and strengthen the apprenticeship programmes through industry cluster approach.57. A special scheme for creating employment in the textile sector has already been launched. A similar scheme will be implemented for the leather and footwear industries.58. Tourism is a big employment generator and has a multiplier impact on the economy. Five Special Tourism Zones, anchored on SPVs, will be set up in partnership with the States. Incredible India 2.0 Campaign will be launched across the world. IV. THE POOR AND THE UNDERPRIVILEGED59. Madam Speaker, I now turn to my proposals for the poor and the underprivileged. 60.Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas begins with the girl child and women. Mahila Shakti Kendra will be set up at village level with an allocation of Rs 500 crores in 14 lakh ICDS Anganwadi Centres. This will provide one stop convergent support services for empowering rural women with opportunities for skill development, employment, digital literacy, health and nutrition. A nationwide scheme for financial assistance to pregnant women has already been announced by Honourable Prime Minister on 31st December, 2016. Under this scheme, Rs 6,000 each will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women who undergo institutional delivery and vaccinate their children.61. For the welfare of Women and Children under various schemes across all Ministries, I have stepped up the allocation from Rs 1,56,528 crores in BE 2016-17 to Rs 1,84,632 crores in 2017-18.62. We propose to facilitate higher investment in affordable housing. Affordable housing will now be given infrastructure status, which will enable these projects to avail the associated benefits. 63. The National Housing Bank will refinance individual housing loans of about Rs 20,000 crore in 2017-18. Thanks to the surplus liquidity created by demonetisation, the Banks have already started reducing their lending rates, including those for housing.  In addition, interest subvention for housing loans has also been announced by the Honourable Prime Minister.64. Poverty is usually associated with poor health. It is the poor who suffer the maximum from various chronic diseases. Government has therefore prepared an action plan to eliminate Kala-Azar and Filariasis by 2017, Leprosy by 2018 and Measles by 2020. Elimination of tuberculosis by 2025 is also targeted. Similarly,action plan has been prepared to reduce IMR from 39 in 2014 to 28 by 2019 and MMR from 167 in 2011-13 to 100 by 2018-2020. 1.5 lakh Health Sub Centres will be transformed into Health and Wellness Centres.65. We need to ensure adequate availability of specialist doctors to strengthen Secondary and Tertiary levels of health care. We have therefore decided to take steps to create additional 5,000 Post Graduate seats per annum. In addition, steps will be taken to roll out DNB courses in big District Hospitals; strengthen PG teaching in select ESI and Municipal Corporation Hospitals; and encourage reputed Private Hospitals to start DNB courses. We will work with the State Governments to take these tasks forward. The Government is committed to take necessary steps for structural transformation of the Regulatory framework of Medical Education and Practice in India.Also read: Railways in Union Budget 2017: Cheaper e-tickets, bio-toilets in all coaches; what else Jaitley said66. Two new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences will be set up in the States of Jharkhand and Gujarat.67. We propose to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to ensure availability of drugs at reasonable prices and promote use of generic medicines. New rules for regulating medical devices will also be formulated.  These rules will be internationally harmonised and attract investment into this sector.  This will reduce the cost of such devices. 68. We are keen on fostering a conducive labour environment wherein labour rights are protected and harmonious labour relations lead to higher productivity. Legislative reforms will be undertaken to simplify, rationalise and amalgamate the existing labour laws into 4 Codes on (i) wages; (ii) industrial relations; (iii) social security and welfare; and (iv) safety and working conditions.  The Model Shops and Establishment Bill 2016 has been circulated to all States for consideration and adoption.  This would open up additional avenues for employment of women. The amendment made to the Payment of Wages Act, is another initiative of our Government for the benefit of the labour and ease of doing business.  69. Our Government is giving special importance to implementation of the schemes for welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities.  The allocation for the welfare of Scheduled Castes has been stepped up from `38,833 crores in BE 2016-17 to ` 52,393 crores in2017-18, representing an increase of about 35%. The allocation for Scheduled Tribes has been increased to `31,920 crores and for Minority Affairs to `4,195 crores. The Government will introduce outcome based monitoring of expenditure in these sectors by the NITI Aayog.  70. For senior citizens, Aadhar based Smart Cards containing their health details will be introduced.  A beginning will be made through a pilot in 15 districts during 2017-18.  The LIC will implement a scheme for senior citizens to provide assured pension, with a guaranteed return of 8% per annum for 10 years. V.INFRASTRUCTURE71. The fifth component of TEC India agenda is Infrastructure.  72. Railways, roads and rivers are the lifeline of our country.  I feel privileged to present the first combined Budget of independent India that includes the Railways also.  We are now in a position to synergise the investments in railways, roads, waterways and civil aviation. For 2017-18, the total capital and development expenditure of Railways has been pegged at ` 1,31,000 crores.  This includes ` 55,000 crores provided by the Government.   73.  Among other things, the Railways will focus on four major areas, namely :(i) Passenger safety; (ii) Capital and development works;(iii) Cleanliness; and(iv)Finance and accounting reforms.74. For passenger safety, a Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh will be created with a corpus of  Rs 1 lakh crores over a period of 5 years.  Besides seed capital from the Government, the Railways will arrange the balance resources from their own revenues and other sources.  Government will lay down clear cut guidelines and timeline for implementing various safety works to be funded from this Kosh. Unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge lines will be eliminated by 2020.  Expert international assistance will be harnessed to improve safety preparedness and maintenance practices.75.          In the next 3 years, the throughput is proposed to be enhanced by 10%.  This will be done through modernisation and upgradation of identified corridors.  Railway lines of 3,500 kms will be commissioned in 2017-18, as against 2,800 kms in 2016-17. Steps will be taken to launch dedicated trains for tourism and pilgrimage.  76. Railways have set up joint ventures with 9 State Governments. 70 projects have been identified for construction and development. 77. A beginning has been made with regard to station redevelopment. At least 25 stations are expected to be awarded during 2017-18 for station redevelopment.  500 stations will be made differently abled friendly by providing lifts and escalators.  78.          It is proposed to feed about 7,000 stations with solar power in the medium term.  A beginning has already been made in 300 stations.  Works will be taken up for 2,000 railway stations as part of 1000 MW solar mission.  79. Our focus is on swachh rail.  SMS based Clean My Coach Service has been started.  It is now proposed to introduce 'Coach Mitra' facility, a single window interface, to register all coach related complaints and requirements.  By 2019, all coaches of Indian Railways will be fitted with bio toilets.  Pilot plants for environment friendly disposal of solid waste and conversion of biodegradable waste to energy are being set up at New Delhi and Jaipur railway stations.  Five more such solid waste management plants are now being taken up.80. Today Indian Railways face stiff competition from other modes of transportation which are dominated by the private sector.  Transformative measures have to be undertaken to make Indian Railways competitive to retain their position of pre-eminence. The following steps will therefore be taken :(i) Railways will implement end to end integrated transport solutions for select commodities through partnership with logistics players, who would provide both front and back end connectivity.  Rolling stocks and practices will be customised to transport perishable goods, especially agricultural products.(ii)  Railways will offer competitive ticket booking facility to the public at large. Service charge on e-tickets booked through IRCTC has been withdrawn. Cashless reservations have gone up from 58% to 68%.(iii) As part of accounting reforms, accrual based financial statements will be rolled out by March 2019.  81. It will be our continuous endeavour to improve the Operating Ratio of the Railways.  The tariffs of Railways would be fixed, taking into consideration costs, quality of service, social obligations and competition from other forms of transport. 82. Metro rail is emerging as an important mode of urban transportation.  A new Metro Rail Policy will be announced with focus on innovative models of implementation and financing, as well as standardisation and indigenisation of hardware and software.  This will open up new job opportunities for our youth. 83.  A new Metro Rail Act will be enacted by rationalising the existing laws. This will facilitate greater private participation and investment in construction and operation. Also read: Budget 2017 has something for everyone: All you need to know84. In the road sector, I have stepped up the Budget allocation for highways from ` 57,976 crores in BE 2016-17 to ` 64,900 crores in 2017-18.   2,000 kms of coastal connectivity roads have been identified for construction and development. This will facilitate better connectivity with ports and remote villages.  The total length of roads, including those under PMGSY, built from 2014-15 till the current year is about 1,40,000 kms which is significantly higher than previous three years.85. An effective multi modal logistics and transport sector will make our economy more competitive.  A specific programme for development of multi-modal logistics parks, together with multi modal transport facilities, will be drawn up and implemented. 86. Select airports in Tier 2 cities will be taken up for operation and maintenance in the PPP mode.  Airport Authority of India Act will be amended to enable effective monetisation of land assets.  The resources, so raised, will be utilised for airport upgradation.87. For transportation sector as a whole, including rail, roads, shipping, I have provided ` 2,41,387  crores in 2017-18.  This magnitude of investment will spur a huge amount of economic activity across the country and create more job opportunities.88.          Telecom sector is an important component of our infrastructure eco system.  The recent spectrum auctions have removed spectrum scarcity in the country.  This will give a major fillip to mobile broadband and Digital India for the benefit of people living in rural and remote areas. 89. Under the BharatNet Project, OFC has been laid in 1,55,000 kms.  I have stepped up the allocation for BharatNet Project to ` 10,000 crores in 2017-18.  By the end of 2017-18, high speed broadband connectivity on optical fibre will be available in more than 1,50,000 gram panchayats,   with wifi hot spots and access to digital services at low tariffs. A DigiGaon initiative will be launched to provide tele-medicine, education and skills through digital technology.  90. For strengthening our Energy sector, Government has decided to set up Strategic Crude Oil Reserves.  In the first phase, 3 such Reserves facilities have been set up.  Now in the second phase, it is proposed to set up caverns at 2 more locations, namely, Chandikhole in Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan.  This will take our strategic reserve capacity to 15.33 MMT.91. In solar energy, we now propose to take up the second phase of Solar Park development for additional 20,000 MW capacity. 92. We are also creating an eco-system to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing.  Over 250 investment proposals for electronics manufacturing have been received in the last 2 years, totalling an investment of ` 1.26 lakh crores.  A number of global leaders and mobile manufacturers have set up production facilities in India.  I have therefore exponentially increased the allocation for incentive schemes like M-SIPS and EDF to Rs 745 crores in 2017-18.  This is an all-time high.93.  We have to focus on our export infrastructure in a competitive world.  A new and restructured Central scheme, namely, Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) will be launched in 2017-18. 94. The total allocation for infrastructure development in 2017-18 stands at `3,96,135 crores.VI.  FINANCIAL SECTOR 95. I now turn to the Financial Sector.  The focus of TEC India agenda in this sector is on building stable and stronger institutions.  We will continue with our reform agenda with several new measures.  96. Our Government has already undertaken substantive reforms in FDI policy in the last two years.  More than 90% of the total FDI inflows are now through the automatic route.  The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has successfully implemented e-filing and online processing of FDI applications.  We have now reached a stage where FIPB can be phased out.  We have therefore decided to abolish the FIPB in 2017-18.  A roadmap for the same will be announced in the next few months.  In the meantime, further liberalisation of FDI policy is under consideration and necessary announcements will be made in due course.97. The Commodities markets require further reforms for the benefits of farmers.  An expert committee will be constituted to study and promote creation of an operational and legal framework to integrate spot market and derivatives market for commodities trading.  e-NAM would be an integral part of such framework.  98. The draft bill to curtail the menace of illicit deposit schemes has been placed in the public domain and will be introduced shortly after its finalisation.  There is an urgent need to protect the poor and gullible investors from another set of dubious schemes, operated by unscrupulous entities who exploit the regulatory gaps in the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.  We will amend this Act in consultation with various stakeholders, as part of our 'Clean India' agenda.99. The bill relating to resolution of financial firms will be introduced in the current Budget Session of Parliament.  This will contribute to stability and resilience of our financial system.  It will also protect the consumers of various financial institutions.  Together with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, a resolution mechanism for financial firms will ensure comprehensiveness of the resolution system in our country.100. I had stated in my last Budget speech that a Bill will be introduced to streamline institutional arrangements for resolution of disputes in infrastructure related construction contracts, PPP and public utility contracts.  After extensive stakeholders' consultations, we have decided that the required mechanism would be instituted as part of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996.  An amendment Bill will be introduced in this regard.Also read: Mamata Banerjee tears into Arun Jaitley's budget, call it clueless, useless101. Cyber security is critical for safeguarding the integrity and stability of our financial sector.  A Computer Emergency Response Team for our Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) will be established.  This entity will work in close coordination with all financial sector regulators and other stakeholders.102. I have also proposed several other measures in the financial sector which are listed in Annex I.103. Listing of Public Sector enterprises will foster greater public accountability and unlock the true value of these companies.  The Government will put in place a revised mechanism and procedure to ensure time bound listing of identified CPSEs on stock exchanges. The disinvestment policy announced by me in the last budget will continue.104. The shares of Railway PSEs like IRCTC, IRFC and IRCON will be listed in stock exchanges.105. We see opportunities to strengthen our CPSEs through consolidation, mergers and acquisitions.  By these methods, the CPSEs can be integrated across the value chain of an industry.  It will give them capacity to bear higher risks, avail economies of scale, take higher investment decisions and create more value for the stakeholders. Possibilities of such restructuring are visible in the oil and gas sector.  We propose to create an integrated public sector 'oil major' which will be able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies.106. Our ETF, comprising shares of ten CPSEs, has received overwhelming response in the recent Further Fund Offering (FFO).  We will continue to use ETF as a vehicle for further disinvestment of shares.  Accordingly, a new ETF with diversified CPSE stocks and other Government holdings will be launched in 2017-18.107. The focus on resolution of stressed legacy accounts of Banks continues.  The legal framework has been strengthened to facilitate resolution, through the enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the amendments to the SARFAESI and Debt Recovery Tribunal Acts.  In line with the 'Indradhanush' roadmap, I have provided Rs 10,000 crores for recapitalisation of Banks in 2017-18.  Additional allocation will be provided, as may be required.108. Listing and trading of Security Receipts issued by a securitization company or a reconstruction company under the SARFAESI Act will be permitted in SEBI registered stock exchanges. This will enhance capital flows into the securitization industry and will particularly be helpful to deal with bank NPAs.109. The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has contributed significantly to funding the unfunded and the underfunded.  Last year, the target of ` 1.22 lakh crores was exceeded.  For 2017-18, I propose to double the lending target of 2015-16 and set it at ` 2.44 lakh crores.   Priority will be given to Dalits, Tribals, Backward Classes, Minorities and Women. 110. The Stand Up India scheme was launched by our Government in April 2016 to support Dalit, Tribal and Women entrepreneurs to set up greenfield enterprises and become job creators.  Over 16,000 new enterprises have come up through this scheme in activities, as diverse as food processing, garments, diagnostic centres, etc.VII.         DIGITAL ECONOMY111. Promotion of a digital economy is an integral part of Government's strategy to clean the system and weed out corruption and black money.  It has a transformative impact in terms of greater formalisation of the economy and mainstreaming of financial savings into the banking system.  This, in turn, is expected to energise private investment in the country through lower cost of credit.  India is now on the cusp of a massive digital revolution.  112.        A shift to digital payments has huge benefits for the common man.  The earlier initiative of our Government to promote financial inclusion and the JAM trinity were important precursors to our current push for digital transactions.113.        Already there is evidence of increased digital transactions.  The BHIM app has been launched. It will unleash the power of mobile phones for digital payments and financial inclusion.  125 lakh people have adopted the BHIM app so far. The Government will launch two new schemes to promote the usage of BHIM; these are, Referral Bonus Scheme for individuals and a Cashback Scheme for merchants.  114.        Aadhar Pay, a merchant version of Aadhar Enabled Payment System, will be launched shortly.  This will be specifically beneficial for those who do not have debit cards, mobile wallets and mobile phones.   A Mission will be set up with a target of 2,500 crore digital transactions for 2017-18 through UPI, USSD, Aadhar Pay, IMPS and debit cards. Banks have targeted to introduce additional 10 lakh new PoS terminals by March 2017.  They will be encouraged to introduce 20 lakh Aadhar based PoS by September 2017.   115.        Increased digital transactions will enable small and micro enterprises to access formal credit.  Government will encourage SIDBI to refinance credit institutions which provide unsecured loans, at reasonable interest rates, to borrowers based on their transaction history.116.        The digital payment infrastructure and grievance handling mechanisms shall be strengthened.  The focus would be on rural and semi urban areas through Post Offices, Fair Price Shops and Banking Correspondents.  Steps would be taken to promote and possibly mandate petrol pumps, fertilizer depots, municipalities, Block offices, road transport offices, universities, colleges, hospitals and other institutions to have facilities for digital payments, including BHIM App.  A proposal to mandate all Government receipts through digital means, beyond a prescribed limit, is under consideration.  117. Government will strengthen the Financial Inclusion Fund to augment resources for taking up these initiatives.118. Government will consider and work with various stakeholders for early implementation of the interim recommendations of the Committee of Chief Ministers on digital transactions.  119. The Committee on Digital Payments constituted by Department of Economic Affairs has recommended structural reforms in the payment eco system, including amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.  Government will undertake a comprehensive review of this Act and bring about appropriate amendments.  To begin with, it is proposed to create a Payments Regulatory Board in the Reserve Bank of India by replacing the existing Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems.  Necessary amendments are proposed to this effect in the Finance Bill 2017. 120.  As we move faster on the path of digital transactions and cheque payments, we need to ensure that the payees of dishonoured cheques are able to realise the payments. Government is therefore considering the option of amending the Negotiable Instruments Act suitably.Also read: Union Budget 2017: Rahul Gandhi calls it a damp squib, says it lacks visionVIII.  PUBLIC SERVICE121. I now turn to Public Service.  Our focus here is on effective government and efficient service delivery. 122. We have made a strong beginning with regard to Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to LPG and kerosene consumers.  Chandigarh and eight districts of Haryana have become kerosene free.  84 Government schemes have also boarded on the DBT platform.  123. The Government e-market place which is now functional for procurement of goods and services, has been selected as one of the winners of the South Asia Procurement Innovation Awards of the World Bank.124. Our citizens in far flung regions of the country find it difficult to obtain passports and redress passport related grievances.  We have decided to utilise the Head Post Offices as front offices for rendering passport services. 125. Our defence forces keep the country safe from both external and internal threats.  A Centralised Defence Travel System has now been developed through which travel tickets can be booked online by our soldiers and officers.  They do not have to face the hassle of standing in queues with railway warrants.126. A comprehensive web based interactive Pension Disbursement System for Defence Pensioners will be established.  This system will receive pension proposals and make payments centrally.   This will reduce the grievances of defence pensioners.127. At present our citizens, especially those belonging to the poor and unprivileged sections, go through cumbersome procedures of Government recruitment.  There are multiplicity of agencies and examinations.  We propose to introduce a system of single registration and two tier system of examination. 128. Over the years, the number of tribunals have multiplied with overlapping functions.  We propose to rationalise the number of tribunals and merge tribunals wherever appropriate.129. In the recent past, there have been instances of big time offenders, including economic offenders, fleeing the country to escape the reach of law. We have to ensure that the law is allowed to take its own course. Government is therefore considering introduction of legislative changes, or even a new law, to confiscate the assets of such persons located within the country, till they submit to the jurisdiction of the appropriate legal forum. Needless to say that all necessary constitutional safeguards will be followed in such cases.130. Our Government will continue to remain committed to improve the standards of public service and transparent governance.  Service to the people was the life-long commitment of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.  As we approach, the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Mahatma, we will take all steps to celebrate it in a befitting manner.  A High Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Honourable Prime Minister is proposed to be set up for the same. We will also commemorate the centenary year of Champaran Satyagrah this year. Government of India will support Government of Gujarat to commemorate 100 years of Sabarmati Ashram in 2017, in a befitting manner. 200 years ago in 1817, a valiant uprising of soldiers led by Buxi Jagabandhu took place in Khordha  of Odisha.  We will commemorate the same appropriately.Also read: Budget 2017: 10 things to expect from Finance Minister Arun JaitleyIX.  PRUDENT FISCAL MANAGEMENT131. I now turn to the fiscal situation in the context of the Budget for 2017-18.  132. The total expenditure in Budget for 2017-18 has been placed at Rs 21.47 lakh crores. With the abolition of Plan-Non Plan classification of expenditure, the focus is now on Revenue and Capital expenditure.  I have stepped up the allocation for Capital expenditure by 25.4% over the previous year. This will have multiplier effects and lead to higher growth.  The total resources being transferred to the States and the Union Territories with Legislatures is Rs 4.11 lakh crores, against ` 3.60 lakh crores in BE 2016-17. Details of allocations for important sectors and schemes and transfer of resources to States are given in Annex II of my Speech.133. I have made a provision of ` 3,000 crores under the Department of Economic Affairs to implement various Budget announcements and other new schemes in 2017-18.  For Defence expenditure excluding pensions, I have provided a sum of ` 2,74,114 crores including ` 86,488  crores for Defence capital. I have increased the allocation for Scientific Ministries to` 37,435 crore in 2017-18.134. For the first time, a consolidated Outcome Budget, covering all Ministries and Departments, is being laid along with the other Budget documents. This will improve accountability of Government expenditure.135. The FRBM Review Committee has given its report recently.  The Committee has done an elaborate exercise and has recommended that a sustainable debt path must be the principal macro-economic anchor of our fiscal policy.  The Committee has favoured Debt to GDP of 60% for the General Government by 2023, consisting of 40% for Central Government and 20% for State Governments.  Within this framework, the Committee has derived and recommended 3% fiscal deficit for the next three years.  The Committee has also provided for 'Escape Clauses', for deviations upto 0.5% of GDP, from the stipulated fiscal deficit target.  Among the triggers for taking recourse to these Escape Clauses, the Committee has included "far-reaching structural reforms in the economy with unanticipated fiscal implications" as one of the factors.  Although there is a strong case now to invoke this Escape Clause, I am refraining from doing so.  The Report of the Committee will be carefully examined and appropriate decisions taken in due course.  136. Nevertheless, I take note of the fiscal deficit roadmap of 3% recommended by the Committee for the next three years.  I have taken into consideration the need for higher public expenditure in the context of sluggish private sector investment and slow global growth.  I have kept in mind the recommendation of the Committee that a sustainable debt should be the underlying basis of prudent fiscal management.  Considering all these aspects, I have pegged the fiscal deficit for 2017-18 at 3.2% of GDP and remain committed to achieve 3% in the following year.  With this gradual approach, I have ensured adherence to fiscal consolidation, without compromising the requirements of public investment. 137. I have taken due care to limit the net market borrowing of Government to ` 3.48 lakh crores after buyback, much lower than ` 4.25 lakh crores of the previous year.  More importantly, the Revenue Deficit of 2.3% in BE 2016-17 stands reduced to 2.1% in the Revised Estimates.  The Revenue Deficit for next year is pegged at 1.9% , against 2% mandated by the FRBM Act.138. It will be our endeavour to improve upon these fiscal numbers, especially the fiscal deficit, in the next year, through greater focus on quality of expenditure and higher tax realisation from the huge cash deposits in Banks, triggered by demonetisation.  PART  BMadam Speaker,139. I shall now present my tax proposals:140. India's tax to GDP ratio is very low, and the proportion of direct tax to indirect tax is not optimal from the view point of social justice. I place before you certain data to indicate that our direct tax collection is not commensurate with the income and consumption pattern of Indian economy.  As against estimated 4.2 crore persons engaged in organised sector employment, the number of individuals filing return for salary income are only 1.74 crore.  As against 5.6 crore informal sector individual enterprises and firms doing small business in India, the number of returns filed by this category are only 1.81 crore.  Out of the 13.94 lakh companies registered in India upto 31st March, 2014, 5.97 lakh companies have filed their returns for Assessment Year 2016-17. Of the 5.97 lakh companies which have filed their returns for Assessment Year 2016-17 so far, as many as 2.76 lakh companies have shown losses or zero income.  2.85 lakh companies have shown profit before tax of less than Rs1 crore.  28,667 companies have shown profit between Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore, and only 7781 companies have profit before tax of more than Rs10 crores.141. Among the 3.7 crore individuals who filed the tax returns in 2015-16, 99 lakh show income below the exemption limit of  Rs 2.5 lakh p.a., 1.95 crore show income between Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh, 52 lakh show income between Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakhs and only 24 lakh people show income above Rs 10 lakhs.  Of the 76 lakh individual assesses who declare income above Rs 5 lakh, 56 lakh are in the salaried class. The number of people showing income more than Rs 50 lakh in the entire country is only 1.72 lakh.  We can contrast this with the fact that in the last five years, more than 1.25 crore cars have been sold, and number of Indian citizens who flew abroad, either for business or tourism, is 2 crore in the year 2015.  From all these figures we can conclude that we are largely a tax non-compliant society.  The predominance of cash in the economy makes it possible for the people to evade their taxes.  When too many people evade taxes, the burden of their share falls on those who are honest and compliant.142. After the demonetisation, the preliminary analysis of data received in respect of deposits made by people in old currency presents a revealing picture.  During the period 8th November to 30th December 2016, deposits between Rs2 lakh and Rs 80 lakh were made in about 1.09 crore accounts with an average deposit size of Rs 5.03 lakh.  Deposits of more than 80 lakh were made in 1.48 lakh accounts with average deposit size of ` 3.31 crores.  This data mining will help us immensely in expanding the tax net as well as increasing the revenues, which was one of the objectives of demonetisation. 143. Madam Speaker, one of the main priorities of our Government is to eliminate the black money component from the economy.  We are committed to make our taxation rates more reasonable, our tax administration more fair and expand the tax base in the country.  This approach will change the colour of money. 144. The net tax revenue of 2013-14 was Rs 11.38 lakh crores.  This grew by 9.4% in 2014-15 and 17% in 2015-16.  As per the RE of 2016-17, we will end the year with a high growth rate of 17% for the second year in a row.  Because of the serious efforts made by the Government, the rate of growth of advance tax in personal income tax in the first three quarters of the current financial is 34.8%. 145. Madam Speaker, the thrust of my tax proposals in this Budget is stimulating growth, relief to middle class, affordable housing, curbing black money, promoting digital economy, transparency of political funding and simplification of tax administration.Measures for Promoting Affordable Housing and Real Estate Sector 146. In my budget proposals last year, I had announced a scheme for profit-linked income tax exemption for promoters of affordable housing scheme which has received a very good response.  However, in order to make this scheme more attractive, I propose certain changes in the scheme.  First of all, instead of built up area of 30 and 60 sq.mtr., the carpet area of 30 and 60 sq.mtr. will be counted.  Also the 30 sq.mtr. limit will apply only in case of municipal limits of 4 metropolitan cities while for the rest of the country including in the peripheral areas of metros, limit of 60 sq.mtr. will apply.  In order to be eligible, the scheme was to be completed in 3 years after commencement.  I propose to extend this period to 5 years. 147. At present, the houses which are unoccupied after getting completion certificates are subjected to tax on notional rental income.  For builders for whom constructed buildings are stock-in-trade, I propose to apply this rule only after one year of the end of the year in which completion certificate is received so that they get some breathing time for liquidating their inventory.148. We also propose to make a number of changes in the capital gain taxation provisions in respect of land and building. The holding period for considering gain from immovable property to be long term is 3 years now.  This is proposed to be reduced to 2 years.  Also, the base year for indexation is proposed to be shifted from 1.4.1981 to 1.4.2001 for all classes of assets including immovable property.  This move will significantly reduce the capital gain tax liability while encouraging the mobility of assets. We also plan to extend the basket of financial instruments in which the capital gains can be invested without payment of tax. 149. For Joint Development Agreement signed for development of property, the liability to pay capital gain tax will arise in the year the project is completed. 150. The new capital for State of Andhra Pradesh is being constructed by innovative land-pooling mechanism without use of the Land Acquisition Act. I propose to exempt from capital gain tax, persons holding land on 2.6.2014, the date on which the State of Andhra Pradesh was reorganised, and whose land is being pooled for creation of capital city under the Government scheme. Measures for Stimulating Growth Also read: Union Budget 2017: Arun Jaitley announces Rs 2,74,114 crore for defence151.   A concessional with-holding rate of 5% is being charged on interest earned by foreign entities in external commercial borrowings or in bonds and Government securities.  This concession is available till 30.6.2017.  I propose to extend it to 30.6.2020.  This benefit is also extended to Rupee Denominated (Masala) Bonds. 152. The Government gave income tax exemptions to start-ups with certain conditions last year. For the purpose of carry forward of losses in respect of such start-ups, the condition of continuous holding of 51% of voting rights has been relaxed subject to the condition that the holding of the original promoter/promoters continues.  Also the profit linked deduction available to the start-ups for 3 years out of 5 years is being changed to 3 years out of 7 years.153.  Minimum Alternate Tax is at present levied as an advance tax.  There is a strong demand for abolition of MAT.  Although the plan for phasing out of exemptions will kick in from 1.4.2017, the full benefit of revenue out of phase-out will be available to Government only after 7 to 10 years when all those who are already availing exemptions at present complete their period of availment.  Therefore, it is not practical to remove or reduce MAT at present.  However, in order to allow companies to use MAT credit in future years, I propose to allow carry forward of MAT upto a period of 15 years instead of 10 years at present. 154.  In my Budget proposals in 2015, I had announced that I would be bringing the corporate income tax rate down to 25% gradually.  In 2016 Budget, I had announced a reduction by 1% in case of those companies whose turnover is less than Rs 5 crore.  In the same Budget, I had also announced that new manufacturing companies who do not avail of any exemption would be charged only 25% income tax. 155. Medium and Small Enterprises occupy bulk of economic activities and are also instrumental in providing maximum employment to people.  However, since they do not get many exemptions, they end up paying more taxes as compared to large companies.  As per data of financial year 2015-16, 2.85 lakh companies making profit of less than Rs 1 crore pay effective tax rate of 30.26% while 298 companies making profit above Rs 500 crores pay effective tax rate of 25.90%.156.  In order to make MSME companies more viable and also to encourage firms to migrate to company format, I propose to reduce the income tax for smaller companies with annual turnover upto Rs 50 crore to 25%.  As per data of Assessment Year 2015-16, there are 6.94 lakh companies filing returns of which 6.67 lakh companies fall in this category and, therefore, percentage-wise 96% of companies will get this benefit of lower taxation. This will make our MSME sector more competitive as compared to large companies.  The revenue forgone estimate for this measure is expected to be Rs 7,200 crore per annum.157. In order to give a boost to banking sector, I propose to increase allowable provision for Non-Performing Asset from 7.5% to 8.5%.  This will reduce the tax liability of banks.  I also propose to tax interest receivable on actual receipt instead of accrual basis in respect of NPA accounts of all non-scheduled cooperative banks also at par with scheduled banks. This will remove hardship of having to pay tax even when interest income is not realised.158.  Considering the wide range of use of LNG as fuel as well as feed stock for petro-chemicals sector, I propose to reduce the basic customs duty on LNG from 5% to 2.5%.159. In order to incentivise domestic value addition and to promote Make in India, I propose to make changes in Customs & Central Excise duties in respect of certain items which are given in the Annex III of this speech.  Some of these proposals are also for addressing duty inversion.Promoting Digital Economy 160.  There is a scheme of presumptive income tax for small and medium tax payers whose turnover is upto Rs 2 crores.  At present, 8% of their turnover is counted as presumptive income.  I propose to make this 6% in respect of turnover which is received by non-cash means. This benefit will be applicable for transactions undertaken in the current year also.161. I propose to limit the cash expenditure allowable as deduction, both for revenue as well as capital expenditure, to Rs 10,000.  Similarly, the limit of cash donation which can be received by a charitable trust is being reduced from Rs 10,000/- to ` 2000/-.162. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Government for black money has suggested that no transaction above Rs 3 lakh should be permitted in cash.  The Government has decided to accept this proposal.  Suitable amendment to the Income-tax Act is proposed in the Finance Bill for enforcing this decision.163. To promote cashless transactions, I propose to exempt BCD, Excise/CV duty and SAD on miniaturised POS card reader for m-POS, micro ATM standards version 1.5.1, Finger Print Readers/Scanners and Iris Scanners. Simultaneously, I also propose to exempt parts and components for manufacture of such devices, so as to encourage domestic manufacturing of these devices.Transparency in Electoral Funding 164. India is the world's largest democracy.  Political parties are an essential ingredient of a multi-party Parliamentary democracy.  Even 70 years after Independence, the country has not been able to evolve a transparent method of funding political parties which is vital to the system of free and fair elections. An attempt was made in the past by amending the provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act, the Companies Act and the Income Tax Act to incentivise donations by individuals, partnership firms, HUFs and companies to political parties.  Both the donor and the donee were granted exemption from payment of tax if the accounts were transparently maintained and returns were filed with the competent authorities.  Additionally, a list of donors who contributed more than `20,000/- to any party in cash or cheque is required to be maintained.  The situation has only marginally improved since these provisions were brought into force.  Political parties continue to receive most of their funds through anonymous donations which are shown in cash.165.  An effort, therefore, requires to be made to cleanse the system of political funding in India.  Donors have also expressed reluctance in donating by cheque or other transparent methods as it would disclose their identity and entail adverse consequences.  I, therefore, propose the following scheme as an effort to cleanse the system of funding of political parties:a)            In accordance with the suggestion made by the Election Commission, the maximum amount of cash donation that a political party can receive will be `2000/- from one person.b)   Political parties will be entitled to receive donations by cheque or digital mode from their donors.c)            As an additional step, an amendment is being proposed to the Reserve Bank of India Act to enable the issuance of electoral bonds in accordance with a scheme that the Government of India would frame in this regard.  Under this scheme, a donor could purchase bonds from authorised banks against cheque and digital payments only.  They shall be redeemable only in the designated account of a registered political party.  These bonds will be redeemable within the prescribed time limit from issuance of bond. d) Every political party would have to file its return within the time prescribed in accordance with the provision of the Income-tax Act.  Needless to say that the existing exemption to the political parties from payment of income-tax would be available only subject to the fulfilment of these conditions.  This reform will bring about greater transparency and accountability in political funding, while preventing future generation of black money.Ease of Doing Business 166. As an anti-avoidance measure, the provision of domestic transfer pricing in respect of related entities was brought in the Finance Act of 2012.  Since then the number of entities being covered under domestic pricing has gone up substantially necessitating a longer scrutiny, which causes hardship to domestic companies.  In order to reduce the compliance burden due to domestic transfer pricing provisions, I propose to restrict the scope of domestic transfer pricing only if one of the entities involved in related party transaction enjoys specified profit-linked deduction.  167. I propose to increase the threshold limit for audit of business entities who opt for presumptive income scheme from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crores.  Similarly, the threshold for maintenance of books for individuals and HUF is being increased from turnover of  Rs10 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs or income from Rs 1.2 lakhs to Rs 2.5 lakhs.168. In 2012, Income-tax Act was amended to provide for taxation of those transactions of transfer of shares or interest in a foreign entity deriving its value substantially from Indian assets.  Apprehensions have been raised about some difficulties which arise because of this provision in case of transfer of stake of investors of India-based funds located abroad but investing in India-based companies. 169. In order to remove this difficulty, I propose to exempt Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) Category I & II from indirect transfer provision. I also propose to issue a clarification that indirect transfer provision shall not apply in case of redemption of shares or interests outside India as a result of or arising out of redemption or sale of investment in India which is chargeable to tax in India. 170. As on today, a TDS of 5% is being deducted from commission payable to individual insurance agents even if the income of some of them may be below taxable limit.  I propose to exempt them from the requirement of TDS subject to their filing a self-declaration that their income is below taxable limit. 171. Last year, I had announced a new scheme for presumptive taxation for professionals with receipt upto Rs 50 lakhs p.a.  In respect of such assesses, they are being given further benefit in terms of paying advance tax in one instalment instead of four. 172. In order to allow the people to claim the refund expeditiously, the time period for revising a tax return is being reduced to 12 months from completion of financial year, at par with the time period for filing of return.  Also the time for completion of scrutiny assessments is being compressed further from 21 months to 18 months for Assessment Year 2018-19 and further to 12 months for Assessment Year 2019-20 and thereafter.Personal Income-Tax 173. While the Government is trying to bring within tax-net more people who are evading taxes, the present burden of taxation is mainly on honest tax payers and salaried employees who are showing their income correctly.  Therefore, post-demonetisation, there is a legitimate expectation of this class of people to reduce their burden of taxation.  Also an argument is made that if a nominal rate of taxation is kept for lower slab, many more people will prefer to come within the tax net. 174.  I, therefore, propose to reduce the existing rate of taxation for individual assesses between income of Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs to 5% from the present rate of 10%.  This would reduce the tax liability of all persons below Rs 5 lakh income either to zero (with rebate) or 50% of their existing liability.  In order not to have duplication of benefit, the existing benefit of rebate available to the same group of beneficiaries is being reduced to Rs 2500 available only to assesses upto income of Rs 3.5 lakhs.  The combined effect of both these measures will mean that there would be zero tax liability for people getting income upto Rs 3 lakhs p.a. and the tax liability will only be Rs 2,500 for people with income between Rs 3 and Rs 3.5 lakhs.  If the limit of  Rs1.5 lakh under Section 80C for investment is used fully the tax would be zero for people with income of Rs 4.5 lakhs.  While the taxation liability of people with income upto Rs 5 lakhs is being reduced to half, all the other categories of tax payers in the subsequent slabs will also get a uniform benefit of Rs 12,500/- per person. The total amount of tax foregone on account of this measure is Rs15,500 crores.175. In order to make good some of this revenue loss on account of this relief, I propose to levy a surcharge of 10% of tax payable on categories of individuals whose annual taxable income is between Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 1 crore.  The existing surcharge of 15% of Tax on people earning more than Rs 1 crore will continue.  This is likely to give additional revenue of Rs 2,700 crores. 176.  In order to expand tax net, I also plan to have a simple one-page form to be filed as Income Tax Return for the category of individuals having taxable income upto Rs 5 lakhs other than business income.  Also a person of this category who files income tax return for the first time would not be subjected to any scrutiny in the first year unless there is specific information available with the Department regarding his high value transaction.  I appeal to all citizens of India to contribute to Nation Building by making a small payment of 5% tax if their income is falling in the lowest slab of Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs.177.  Some other important proposals for amendment in Tax Laws which are not covered by me in my speech are given in Annex III of this speech.  Goods and Services Tax178.  There has been substantial progress towards ushering in GST, by far, the biggest tax reform since independence. Since the enactment of the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016, the preparatory work for this path-breaking reform has been a top priority for the Government. In this context, several teams of officers both from the States and Central Board of Excise and Customs have been working tirelessly to give finishing touch to the Model GST law and rules and other details. Government on its part has promptly given effect to various provisions of the Constitutional Amendment Act, including constitution of the GST Council. Since then, the GST Council held 9 meetings to discuss various issues relating to GST, including broad contours of the GST rate structure, threshold exemption and parameters for composition scheme, details for compensation to States due to implementation of GST, examination of draft model GST law, draft IGST law and the Compensation Law and administrative mechanism for GST. It is my privilege to inform this august house that the GST Council has finalised its recommendations on almost all the issues based on consensus and after spirited debate and discussions. The preparation of IT system for GST is also on schedule.  The extensive reach-out efforts to trade and industry for GST will start from 1st April, 2017 to make them aware of the new taxation system.179. Centre, through the Central Board of Excise & Customs, shall continue to strive to achieve the goal of implementation of GST as per schedule without compromising the spirit of co-operative federalism.  Implementation of GST is likely to bring more taxes both to Central and State Governments because of widening of tax net.  I have preferred not to make many changes in current regime of Excise & Service Tax because the same are to be replaced by GST soon.

Arshiya Chopra

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Telangana plans to rent jails to states with crowded prisons

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/to-let-telangana-to-rent-out-jails-for-states-with-overcrowded-prisons/story-jrOGLX8Tb5iZpFAVV73hhM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Telangana prisons department, citing Norway's example, has proposed to accommodate prisoners from overcrowded prisons in India at a rent of ?10,000 a month per prisoner. An official said that they are looking to accommodate convicts facing jail time for non-serious crimes. They are looking to start the scheme next year after making space for around 2,000 renter-prisoners, the official added.

States with overcrowded prisons may contact India?s youngest state that plans to rent out next year its jail cells at Rs 10,000 a month for each prisoner.The offer is not for everyone. The jail-share scheme is restricted to convicts of ?non-grievous and non-serious? offences. Tenants cannot be undertrials and hardcore criminals.?Norway, where the crime rate has gone down considerably, started this practice of letting its prisons to neighbouring countries facing space shortage for prisoners. We want to adopt this,? director general of prisons VK Singh said on Thursday.Read more: Tales from former inmates: What life is like in a women?s jail in IndiaTelangana?s 50 jails can accommodate 6,848 prisoners. At present, there are 6,063 on the prison rolls. So, there?s lodging space for around 800 more.Singh said the scheme could begin next year after making space for at least 2,000 renter-prisoners.?We aren?t in a hurry. First we want to stabilise our prisoner strength.?Jails in bigger states are struggling with chronic overcrowding ? the result of a slow-moving justice system and years of failure to build new prisons by governments trying to rein in expenses.States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh could be potential clients for Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in June 2014.?We plan to charge Rs 10,000 a prisoner a month for their boarding and lodging, security, mulakat (meeting visitors) and training in various job skills,? Singh said.Read more: Byculla jail riot: A reminder that jails in India are hellholesThe prisons department estimates earnings of roughly Rs 25 crore a year from the rental if the government clears the plan.?The money would contribute to making our jails self-reliant,? the prisons chief said.In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh jails, the average daily expenditure on a prisoner is Rs 120, which comes to Rs 43,800 a year. On food alone, the states spend Rs 80 a day on each prisoner every weekday and Rs 100 on Sundays and holidays, when a non-vegetarian fare is served.A number of reform-oriented programmes such as Maha Parivarthan, Vidya Danam and Unnati brought down the number of jailbirds or repeat-offenders in the past three years, Singh said.

Sumedha Sehra

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

What initiatives were taken by outgoing President Mukherjee?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/president-pranab-mukherjee-initiatives-parliament-rashtrapati-bhavan/1/1009956.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

President Pranab Mukherjee launched Rashtrapati Bhavan's Twitter account to connect directly with people. It currently has over 32 lakh followers. Interestingly, during the last two years of his tenure, he used to teach class 11 and 12 students in the school inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises. A 'speaking museum' was developed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to narrate the building's story.

President Pranab Mukherjee will demit office on Tuesday, making way for Ram Nath Kovind as the 14th incumbent on the top constitutional post. Though Mukherjee would exit Rashtrapati Bhavan, his contributions as president would be remembered for a long time to come.Pranab Mukherjee did not just confine himself to being a copy president. He took several initiatives in several spheres of life which would go a long way to inspire several generations to come.1. DEMOCRATISATION OF PRESIDENCYThe Rashtrapati Bhavan, on the first anniversary of Pranab Mukherjee's term, made a number of announcements in a bid to democratise the institution of presidency. It did away with the honorific 'His Excellency' used to address the president. Governors of states were also encouraged to follow the practice.The protocol and security restrictions on guests invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan were relaxed to the maximum extent possible.Pranab Mukherjee's predecessors would take part in several activities in different parts of the capital. But these would inconvenience the common man. To avoid this, a decision was taken to have as many functions as possible within the Rashtrapati Bhavan itself in order to avoid disruption of traffic and any inconvenience to public.2. ORDINANCES AND MERCY PETITIONSPranab Mukherjee promulgated or re-promulgated 26 ordinances during his tenure. In the fifth year, he promulgated five ordinances.In the same period, he commuted four mercy petitions and rejected 30, second only to R Venkatraman, who rejected 45 mercy pleas.KR Narayanan and his successor Abdul Kalam came to be known for sitting on mercy petitions. Narayanan, in fact, did not act upon a single mercy petition sent to him. Kalam cleared two petitions during his tenure, commuting one and rejecting the other.On the other hand, President Pranab Mukherjee's immediate predecessor Pratibha Patil earned the reputation of being one of India's most lenient heads of state. She commuted saw 34 pleas and rejected five.3. TEACHER PRANAB MUKHERJEEPresident Pranab Mukherjee also created a record of sorts by becoming the first head of state to teach school children. During the last two years of his presidency, he did what he used to do over 50 years ago - teach. He held classes at a school within the premises of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mukherjee, a Master's degree holder in history, political science and law, taught about 80 students of classes 11 and 12 at the Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in the President's Estate. He imparted lesson to students on the history of Indian politics. He also spoke about the rising menace of terrorism in the country and outside.4. RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN ON TWITTERThe Rashtrapati Bhavan's Twitter account was launched on July 1, 2014 to connect directly with the public and disseminate information on the President's activities. The account gained about 102,000 followers in 20 days. As President Pranab Mukherjee demits office, Rashtrapati Bhavan has 3,297,391 followers on Twitter.5. MUSEUMA new museum in a heritage building - the Carriage Halls and the Stables - earlier used for horses and to house buggies, has been converted into a state-of-the-art museum. It highlights landmark events starting from Delhi Durbar of 1911 to the oath taking by first President Rajendra Prasad. The museum also displays a part of the collection of arms, some furniture fashioned by Lutyens, activities of the President's Body Guard and a rich collection of gifts offered to the President by Indian and foreign dignitaries. Another 10,000 square meter museum has been developed underground to portray the history of Rashtrapati Bhavan in a high-tech story-telling format. This is the 'speaking museum' where the Rashtrapati Bhavan narrates its story. The exhibits are supported by modern conservation laboratory, resource centre for visitors' activities and a cyber-library with information bank.6. SMARTGRAM INITIATIVEPresident Pranab Mukherjee launched 'Smartgram' initiative on July 2, 2016 with an aim to develop villages into Humane, Happy and Hi-Tech townships. Under this initiative, five villages in the districts of Gurugram and Mewat in Haryana were selected to implement various programmes based on a convergence model with the support of the Centre, Haryana government, public and private sector organisations, NGOs and individuals. A large number of programmes in the field of education, skill development, infrastructure development, agriculture, health and clean energy were implemented.7. MODERNISING PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT AT DEHRADUN'Rashtrapati Ashiana', the presidential retreat in Dehradun, was lying in a decrepit state. The heritage building was restored, retrofitted and renovated during President Pranab Mukherjee's tenure. Ashiana, earlier known as Commandant's Bungalow and encompassing 217.14 acres, was taken on lease by the then Viceroy's Bodyguard in 1836. In 1975, it was re-designated as Rashtrapati Ashiana. The main restored and renovated building of Ashiana was inaugurated by the President on September 27, 2016. Twelve low cost, technology demonstrative units at Ashiana have been constructed to accommodate the officers and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan during the presidential visits to Ashiana. The Ashiana Annexe was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 10, 2017.8. PUBLIC ACCESS TO RASHTRAPATI BHAVANIn order to project Rashtrapati Bhavan as a premier tourist destination in India, three tourist circuits - Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mughal Gardens and Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum - were opened on July, 25 2016. Over 94,360 people visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the fifth year of the presidency. A record number of more than 6.95 lakh people visited 'Udyanotsav 2017' - the annual opening of Mughal Garden between February 5 and March 12, 2017. Over 77,323 persons visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan and more than 30,866 persons visited using the online booking system during the fifth year of the presidency.9. WELFARE ACTIVITIESPresident Pranab Mukherjee launched '4S' initiatives. 'Sanskriti' is aimed at the children of the President's Estate in the age group of 7 to 15 years and their wholesome development through organising of painting, yoga, storytelling, clay modelling and singing classes at the Pranab Mukherjee Public Library. 'Samagam', a community initiative for senior citizens residing in the President's Estate, offers an opportunity for them to get together every afternoon from Monday to Friday. Facilities like yoga classes, community singing, counselling services, free health check-ups and board games have been made available. Under 'Sparsh', an initiative for special children, a respite centre has been opened. 'Sanskar' aims at meeting the nutritional requirements of children at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Play School.10. COMMISSIONING OF ROOFTOP SOLAR POWER PANELSVarious initiatives were taken to make the President's Estate more energy efficient. During the fifth year, rooftop solar power panels with a capacity of approximately 508 KW were installed in association with Rural Electrification Corporation Limited and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. With a view to having a proper transport system in place within the Estate and also to enhance connectivity between the important gates of the Estate and the nearby Metro stations and bus terminals, e-rickshaws have started plying. Their number would be augmented in a phased manner.11. IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMMESPresident Pranab Mukherjee opened up the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the people in a big way. One of the landmark initiatives for achieving this was the In-Residence Programme. This programme was envisaged to encourage the creative and innovative potential of the people and opening up Rashtrapati Bhavan for greater participation and involvement of citizens in its activities. The programme gathered further momentum in the fifth year with ten innovation scholars, two writers and two artists staying at Rashtrapati Bhavan from March 4 and 18 this year. So far, 161 people have participated in such programmes. Those who stayed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan under the programmes include writer Paresh Maity and his wife, artist Jayasri Burman, well known artist and freedom fighter Shahabuddin Ahmed of Bangladesh.12. E-GOVERNANCEPresident Pranab Mukherjee took several initiatives to adopt new technologies and solutions. The 'E-Pustakalaya' project for bar coding and cataloguing of books took place. Using e-Granthalaya software, relating to Automated Library of President's Secretariat (ALPS), around 8310 e-books have been uploaded and over 34,117 books have been e-catalogued. These books are available under e-office platform.Through Digital Photo Library (DPL), implemented in August, 2015, approximately 3.75 lakh negatives have been scanned. Approximately 92,105 digitised photographs from December, 1996 have been uploaded onto the DPL server. The DPL provides access to rare and historical photographs and facilitates archiving through digitisation of photographs.Under E-Management of Visitors System (E-MVS), online monitoring of the system is done on a regular basis to ensure smooth and effective management of online requests in a time bound manner. Around 3.75 lakh visitors have visited Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex using the online system. The E-MVS has been adopted by Raj Bhavans of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu.Bar-coded invitations through E-Invitations Management System (EIMS) are being extensively used for various functions such as cultural programmes, state banquets, At-Home receptions, swearing-in ceremonies, civil investiture ceremonies, Defence investiture ceremonies, visitor's awards and the likes. So far, more than one lakh e-invitations have been sent through this system for over 425 functions. This bar-coded invitation system has also been adopted by other organisations such as Indian Council of World Affairs, National Innovation Foundation, Uttarakhand Raj Bhavan, NITI AYOG and Consumer Affairs Ministry.13. BUGGYHighlighting the role of Rashtrapati Bhavan as a witness to modern Indian history and its unique feature as a heritage building, President Pranab Mukherjee revived the tradition of using the State Landau or Buggy. It was used for the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29,  2014 for the first time after a gap of almost 30 years.14. PRANAB MUKHERJEE PUBLIC LIBRARYA dilapidated building due for demolition located in Schedule 'B' of the President's Estate was restored and converted into the Pranab Mukherjee Public Library for the welfare of the residents of the Estate. The restoration work was completed in a record time of five months and was inaugurated on July 25, 2013.15. IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESIDENT'S ESTATEPresident Pranab Mukherjee made efforts to comply the green building parameters laid down by the Urban Development ministry. The Narmada Residential Complex quarters for the staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan have special features. They include rain water harvesting, use of energy efficient LED lights, recycling of waste water, use of fly ash bricks in partitioning walls and solar water heating. An underground sump provides for utilisation of sewage treated water in parks and flushing system of water closets. The facade of quarters is as per Rashtrapati Bhavan architectural features like cornice, columns and chhajjas.ALSO READConstitution my holy book, Parliament my temple: President Pranab Mukherjee in last address to nation

Rini Sinha

20 Jun 2017,Tuesday

I'd be happier to see Jhanvi get married than act: Sridevi

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sridevi-daughter-jhanvi-kapoor-bollywood-debut-marriage/1/982815.html

Actress Sridevi has said that she would be happier if her elder daughter Jhanvi Kapoor gets married rather than act in films. Sridevi added that initially, she wasn't in favour of Jhanvi working in films. "But her happiness matters more, and if she does well as an actress, I will be a proud mother," said Sridevi.

Sridevi's elder daughter Jhanvi Kapoor may be getting ready to make her Bollywood debut, but the actor, like every desi parent, will be happier to see her daughter get married. In an interview with Mid-Day, Sridevi opened up about her daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi, and how they make her feel proud as a mother.Talking about Jhanvi's Bollywood debut, Student Of The Year 2, Sridevi said, "She wanted to do the film and initially, I wasn't in favour. I don't think it's a bad industry. I am a creation of this world. But, as a parent, it would give me greater joy to see her married. But her happiness matters more, and if she does well as an actress, I will be a proud mother."Sridevi has gone on record several times to say that her daughters are her priority. She reiterated, "We are like friends. We spend a lot of time together. Our routine is always centered around each other. I have been coming home late these days because I'm busy dubbing and promoting the film. But no matter how late I get, Khushi, always welcomes me with a smile. She comes to my room as soon as I get back and we snuggle up in a quilt to watch a film together."Given their close bond, it is natural for the actor to take her children with her, wherever she goes. But this has often been misunderstood, she rued. "Earlier, I would take them to social gatherings and premieres that I attended. But they (people) thought I was promoting Jhanvi. Walking with my girls made me feel like a proud mother. But to the world, it became a reason to misunderstand me," Sridevi said.Talking about how Jhanvi and Khushi have changed over the years, Sridevi said that she was glad that they have a mind of their own. "For me, they will always be kids. But they seem to have taken less after me and more after my bold screen image. Last year, when Khushi wrote a post about body shaming on Instagram, I was pleasantly surprised to see my kid turn into a strong, opinionated and sharp young woman," she said.On the work front, Sridevi is gearing up for the release of her film, Mom, which will hit theatres on July 7.

Sumedha Sehra

03 Jul 2017,Monday

'Chant Jai Shri Ram or we'll set car on fire', Muslim told

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/muslim-reporter-forced-to-chant-jai-shri-ram/1/992481.html

A Muslim reporter claimed that he was stopped by Bajrang Dal activists on a highway in Bihar, who asked him to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' or they'll set his car on fire. Munne Bharti wrote in a Facebook post that the men made him chant when they saw his wife wearing a nikab and his father sporting a beard.

For Munne Bharti, June 28 was supposed to be an uneventful day. Along with his parents and wife, Bharti, a reporter and social worker, was driving down to visit a sick relative in his native village in Bihar. The drive, however, turned out to be one filled with horror and one that made Bharti fear for his and his family's life after a large group of people he identified as Bajrang Dal activists accosted them and made Bharti chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. That would not have happened if his wife wasn't wearing a nikab and if his father had shaved that day, Bharti indicated in a Facebook post recounting the incident. On June 28, Bharti and his family were on their way to Rahimbad, a village in Bihar's Samastipur district located around 75 kilometers north east of capital Patna. As the family neared their destination, they got caught in a traffic jam at Margan Chowk on National Highway 28. Bharti says he and family joined the line of trucks that had been halted by people who seemed to Bajrang Dal activists. They were sporting saffron scarves around their necks and were chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans, Bharti recounts. "As they neared my car, I asked them what the commotion was about," Bharti says. In response, Bharti says, a few of the alleged Bajrang Dal men looked inside his car and noticed his father, who had a beard, and his wife, who was wearing a nikab. "On seeing this, their sloganeering intensified, and before I could understand what was going on, two people shoved their heads into the car through the windows and said, 'Chant Jai Shri Ram or we will set your car on fire', sending me in shock," Bharti recounts in his Facebook post. Fearing for his and his family's life, Bharti goes on to describe how he immediately did what he was asked to, and chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' so that he and his family could escape from the spot alive. 'RESPECT RAM'"I respect all religions and respect Ram from the bottom of my heart," Bharti says in his Facebook post. "I do not have a problem with chanting Jai Shri Ram, but the fear-filled manner in which I was made to do that [on that day] was not nice," Bharti says. Having followed the men's commands, Bharti and his family quickly escape from the location, taking another route to Rahimbad. After driving for a few minutes, Bharti stopped and tweeted to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recounting his ordeal in a short sentence. He also called up Janata Dal (United)'s Neeraj Kumar and Samastipur MLA Akhtarul Islam Sahin, informing them about the episode and requesting that police be sent to the location to prevent any untoward incidents. @NitishKumar समसतà¥?पà¥?र à¤?à¥? मारà¤?न à¤?à¥?à¤? पर बà¤?रà¤?à¤? दल नà¥? नà¥?शनल हाà¤?वà¥? à¤?à¥? रà¥?à¤?ा, मà¥?रà¥? à¤?ार à¤?à¥? रà¥?à¤? à¤?र à¤?हा à¤?य शà¥?रà¥?राम वरना à¤?ार फà¥?à¤?à¤? दà¥?à¤?à¤?à¥?,à¤?ान बà¤?ाà¤?र वापस pic.twitter.com/lXrBH7FIYOAfter reaching Ramhimbad, Bharti postponed his departure for Delhi, saying in another Facebook post that a day after the incident, he was still fearful for his life. "I was too afraid to drive back on the same route," he said. The episode left Bharti filled with fear but it did not affect his reverence for Ram.  "Even after my experience, my faith in God Ram hasn't decreased one bit," Bharti ended his original Facebook post.

Saloni Tandon

17 May 2017,Wednesday

Japanese tennis player gets life ban for match fixing

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tennis-junn-mitsuhashi-japan/1/955486.html

Japanese tennis player Junn Mitsuhashi has been banned from tennis for life after being found guilty of match fixing. The 27-year-old, who was also fined ?32 lakh ($50,000), had asked players to underperform at international tournaments in South Africa and Nigeria in 2015. Mitsuhashi had also broken gambling rules by placing 76 bets on matches between October and November 2015.

Japanese tennis player Junn Mitsuhashi has been banned for life and fined 50,000 US dollars after being found guilty of match-fixing and betting offences, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said on Tuesday.Mitsuhashi, who peaked at 295 in the singles rankings in 2009, was accused of asking Joshua Chetty, a player he had coached, to approach a competitor during an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event in South Africa in November 2015.Using Chetty as an intermediary, Mitsuhashi offered the player 2,000 US dollars to underperform in a singles match and 600 US dollars in a doubles match, the TIU said.The player rejected the offer and reported the approach to the TIU. Under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, money or other benefit does not have to change hands to constitute a serious corruption offence, the TIU told Reuters in an email.Chetty was banned for life last September following a separate TIU investigation.

Akshita Jain

28 Jan 2017,Saturday

Imposters arrested for extorting money from politicians

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-impostors-held-for-cheating-extorting-money-from-vips-lawmakers/story-CqnQAWZvrCQsSHB6VXEsVL.html

Delhi Police on Friday busted a gang of imposters, who extorted money from politicians and bureaucrats by pretending to be politicians of the Congress or BJP. They allegedly used to demand money for party funds for the upcoming state elections. The imposters would also promise the victims a bigger role in the party or an election ticket.

A gang that extorted money from politicians, ministers and bureaucrats by impersonating as top ranked political leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was busted by the Delhi police on Friday. The racket?s kingpin Sanjay Tiwari, a 40-year-old man who claimed to be a journalist, and his associate, Gaurav Sharma, 23, were arrested on Wednesday from near ITO in Delhi following investigation into a similar case. Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime) said that posing as Ram Madhav, BJP?s national general secretary, Tiwari allegedly tried to extort ?10 lakh from Amar Kumar Bauri, minister of revenue, registration and land in the Jharkhand government. Police said the two were allegedly demanding money for party funds for the upcoming elections in Punjab, Goa and Uttar Pradesh. ?The unknown caller made eight to 10 calls to me and my PA. I personally spoke to Shri Ram Madhav and he confirmed that no such calls were made by him or from his office,? Bauri told HT over phone.Read: Romancing at Talkatora: Delhi?s Chashme Baddoor garden will be lovable againAccording to Yadav, Tiwari was previously involved in 17 cases of cheating, blackmailing and extortion registered in Delhi and other states since 2005. He was arrested twice in the past, last time in October 2016 when he and his accomplices allegedly tried to extort money from former BJP?s South Delhi MLA Anil Sharma by falsely claiming to be organising a ?hawan? on behalf of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Sanjay Tiwari, who says he is a journalist.?Tiwari was bailed out in November 2016 and since then he disclosed to have cheated at least 10 high-profile politicians, including former deputy chief minister of Manipur Achoba Singh, on one pretext or the other. He took R50,000 from Pramila Rani of BJP from Assam by impersonating as PA to the minister of development of north-eastern region (DONER),? said Yadav adding none of the matter was reported to the police. Madhur Verma, DCP (crime), said that on Tuesday, Bauri?s personal secretary Shushant Mukherjee filed a case and claimed that an unknown caller posing as Ram Madhav was calling the MLA for the past three days and asking him to contribute funds for elections. On verification from the office of Madhav, Verma said, it was learnt that no such communication was ever made. Read: Mohalla Clinics: Kofi Annan praise fine, but will Delhi govt fix these 4 issues?Sources in BJP said that Madhav?s office was alerted by the Jharkhand MLA, following which they complained to the cops. ?The extortionist had made similar phone calls to some leaders in the North East, pretending to be Madhav. He allegedly had earlier masqueraded as Sonia Gandhi?s PA Madhavan,? said a source. ?A case was registered and we took up the investigation,? said Verma adding their probe pointed the needle of suspicion on Sanjay Tiwari and his aides, as they were booked in the past in similar crimes. Tiwari and his aide Gaurav Sharma were arrested when they arrived near ITO to allegedly collect the extortion money. Two mobile phones that were used for making extortion calls were seized from them. Tiwari?s interrogation revealed that he had a long criminal history and operated very meticulously, said police.Tiwari allegedly used to make a thorough research about his targets, mostly politicians and government officials who had high aspirations, and then lured them with temptations of giving election tickets, a bigger role in party or other favours. He posed as a person of great clout of any national political party or some ministries and convinced the victims that he will arrange their ascendance in the party ranks or get their files and proposals cleared. ?Such was the confidence and attitude of Tiwari that his targets would actually forward him their credentials and resumes to lobby for them. They believed him, got entrapped and on enticement, paid him huge amounts in the garb of party donations or election funds,? Verma said adding Tiwari also blackmailed some politicians in the past through sting operations. Read: Pink, blue, yellow, all taken: Delhi Metro running out of colours for new lines?Tiwari has claimed that he earlier worked with former Tehelka magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal and as an associate of famous film director Tanuja Chandra in Mumbai for some months. While working as PA to an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, he hit upon this modus operandi,? Yadav added. Tiwari never collected money in person and instead engaged his chain of staff on payroll for money collection. The staff so hired were also unaware of Tiwari?s intentions. This way, identity of Tiwari was never disclosed to the victims. People recently cheated by Tiwari (Based on his disclosures before police)*R50,000 from Pramila Rani Brahma of BJP from Assam impersonating as PA of Minister in the ministry of development of north eastern region.*R50,000 from Bhika Sole, BJP?s Nagaland state president, by posing as PA to national general secretary of BJP in the name party funds.*R10,000 from HR Joshan, ex- Congress MLA from Punjab by impersonating as Madhavan, PA to Congress president Sonia Gandhi by promising him ticket in the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections.*R10,000 from Achoba Singh, ex-deputy CM of Manipur as contribution in constructing a new building by posing as Bhaiyyaji Joshi of RSS.*R10,000 from P Tusiang Sang, parliament secretary, Meghalaya, Congress, impersonating as PA in the ministry of Doner.*R5,000 from Nilo Rangma, former Congress MLA from Nagaland, by posing as Sonai Gandhi?s PA*R2,000 from KS Thanga, minister in Mizoram Congress, by impersonating as PA in Doner ministry.

Radhika Chugh

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

6 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/six-congress-mps-suspended-from-lok-sabha-for-unbecoming-conduct/story-BZ3lwlTuktLR9jQHs2tPTO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspended six Congress MPs for five days over their "highly unbecoming" conduct. The Congress MPs reportedly tore official papers and threw the shreds towards the chair four times during a parliamentary discussion on mob lynching and cow vigilantism. The House was adjourned and the MPs were declared suspended after the adjournment.

The Lok Sabha Speaker suspended six Congress parliamentarians on Monday for unruly behaviour during opposition protests in the House over growing cow vigilantism and alleged targeting of minorities and Dalits in the country.Parliament?s monsoon session proceedings after the weekend break were marred by disruptions as opposition lawmakers protested in the well of the Lower House and threw shredded papers at Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and the secretary general?s tables.The House was adjourned thereafter and when it resumed at 2pm, Mahajan announced that Congress lawmakers Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, Adhiranjan Chowdhary, Ranjeet Ranjan, Sushmita Dev and MK Raghavan were suspended for five days.She said the members had ?persistently and wilfully? disrupted the House by tearing and throwing papers towards the chair, causing grave disorder.Chaos began minutes after the House met in the morning as opposition members demanded a discussion on a string of lynching by self-styled cow protection groups.Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge moved an adjournment motion to discuss the attacks. But Mahajan declined to suspend the question hour.At this, Congress and Trinamool Congress lawmakers rushed to the well and shouted slogans against the government.The Speaker warned the MPs repeatedly to maintain decorum, but the protests grew as Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) members joined the protesters.?Minorities, Dalits and women are being targeted in the name of cow slaughter. The government has failed to control these barbaric events,? Kharge said.He said the matter needs to be discussed in the House urgently and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh should be present.The Congress leader also recalled Modi?s warnings to cow vigilantes.?The PM has said thrice that gaurakshaks are goondas (thugs) and his government will take action. But no action has been taken,? Kharge said.Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar tried to pacify the opposition leaders, saying the government ?could discuss the issue in the coming days? if the business advisory committee decides.But the protesters didn?t relent, prompting Kumar to ask the Speaker to take strong action.Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said he had given three notices for a discussion on the topic, but those were not accepted.The din escalated as ruling BJP members tried to outshout the Congress MPs.The BJP?s Meenakshi Lekhi and Nishikant Dubey attempted to corner the Congress over the Bofors kickback scandal, demanding reinvestigation into the Swedish artillery gun deal when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was in power.

Chhavi Tyagi

18 May 2017,Thursday

Swaraj hails ICJ ruling, vows to do anything to save Jadhav

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kulbhushan-jadhav-international-court-of-justice-sushma-swaraj-pakistan-india/1/957025.html

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday hailed the International Court of Justice's interim ruling of staying Kulbhushan Jadhav's execution and said that India would leave no stone unturned to save him. "The ICJ order has come as a great relief... We are grateful to Harish Salve for presenting India's case so effectively before the ICJ," she added.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has hailed the International Court of Justice's verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav, and said that India would leave no stone unturned to save him."I assure the nation that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will leave no stone unturned to save Kulbhushan Jadhav," Sushma Swaraj tweeted, minutes after the ICJ passed a favourable verdict on Jadhav."The ICJ order has come as a great relief to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav and the people of India," she said."We are grateful to Harish Salve for presenting India's case so effectively before the ICJ."The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday asked Pakistan not to execute alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav pending its final decision and inform it of the steps being taken to implement the order.Also read | ICJ tells Pakistan to ensure Kulbhushan Jadhav is not executed before final verdict, big victory for India

Manaya Bagga

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

In govt interest to protect jobs at Air India: FM Jaitley

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/it-is-in-govts-interest-to-protect-jobs-at-air-india-jaitley/1/1016498.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that a "proper decision" would be taken on Air India's future and it would be in government's interest to protect jobs at the airline. Noting that the airline has debt of over ?50,000 crore, he said it is "not small" and "now we have to decide what has to be done with Air India".

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said a "proper decision" would be taken on Air Indias future in a competitive market and that it would be in the governments interest to protect jobs at the airline. His remarks come at a time when a group of ministers headed by him is working on the modalities for the divestment of loss-making Air India. In a competitive market, challenges are different and a "proper decision" would be taken on what Air India has to do in such a market, Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha. "Is mein karmchariyon ke services bachee rahen, is mein hamara bhi swarth hai (It will be in the interest of the government to protect the jobs at Air India)," he said while replying to a discussion on Supplementary Demands for Grants. Noting that the airline has a debt of Rs 50,0000-55,000 crore which is "not small", he said, "now we have to decide what has to be done with the Air India". He also wondered for how long can tax collected from the public be given to the public sector airline. The previous UPA government had extended bailout package worth little over Rs 30,000 crore to the national carrier for a 10-year period starting from 2012.

Mansha Mahajan

29 Jun 2017,Thursday

Indian money in Swiss banks hits record low of ?4,500 crore

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indians-money-in-swiss-banks-hit-record-low-of-676-mn-francs/1/990488.html

Money held by Indians in Switzerland banks fell to a record low of 676 million Swiss francs (?4,500 crore) in 2016. Marking the third straight year of decline, this is the lowest Indians held in Swiss banks since Switzerland began making the data public in 1987. Total money held by Indians fell 45%, marking the biggest-ever yearly decline.

After a sustained campaign against black money stashed abroad, the Indian government's efforts seemed to have bore fruits as the money parked by Indians in Switzerland's banks is now down by nearly half.According to the latest data published today by Switzerland's central banking authority SNB (Swiss National Bank), deposit by Indians is down to 676 Swiss francs, which comes to about Rs 4,500 crore in 2016.This is a record low for filthy rich Indians who have been accused of keeping black money stashed behind Swiss bank's famed secret walls.The issue of black money has been a matter of big debate in India and Switzerland has been long perceived as one of the safest havens for the illicit wealth allegedly stashed abroad by Indians.(PTI inputs)Also read:

Abhishek Bansal

28 Apr 2017,Friday

Pak man claims to be ISI agent at Delhi airport

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pak-man-flies-in-tells-igi-airport-officials-he-is-from-isi/1/940882.html

A Pakistani passport holder flew in from Dubai to the New Delhi's IGI Airport and claimed to be associated with the country's intelligence agency ISI on Friday. Muhammad Rafiq, who was to fly to Kathmandu next, was detained by security officials. During questioning, the 38-year-old said he had decided to leave the agency and stay in India.

New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) Hello, I am an ISI agent. But I dont wish to continue any further and want to remain in India, said a passenger after he got off an Air India flight from Dubai at the IGI Airport here today. Muhammad Ahmad Sheikh Muhammad Rafiq, a Pakistani passport holder, approached a help desk at the airport and conveyed to a lady at the counter that he wanted to share information about Pakistans snooping agency, ISI. Taken aback by his statement, the lady quickly informed security officials who detained him immediately and informed the central intelligence agencies.

Mansha Mahajan

30 Mar 2017,Thursday

No sympathy for charitable bodies violating tax laws: FM

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/there-should-be-no-sympathy-for-charitable-institutions/1/915974.html

Income Tax authorities are entitled to conduct surveys on charitable institutions found violating laws and there should be no sympathy for them, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. He cited examples of hospitals and religious institutions, which got tax exemptions and later became commercial entities. "If somebody is violating the law, let him be surveyed, why should we sympathise?" Jaitley said.

Chhavi Tyagi

26 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Nitish Kumar did not ask for Tejashwi's resignation: Lalu

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tejashwi-nitish-kumar-lalu-yadav-mahagathbandhan-jdu-rjd/1/1011250.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not asked for his son Tejashwi Yadav's resignation after the CBI raided him over corruption allegations. "We will not tolerate any disrespect towards him (Nitish Kumar). We have formed the grand alliance, made Nitish CM. Why will we break the alliance," Lalu said.

As Nitish Kumar meets his party - Janata Dal United - MLAs later in the evening today in Patna, senior alliance partner Lalu Prasad today reiterated that his son Tejashwi Yadav won't resign. Deputy CM Tejashwi is facing corruption allegations after the CBI filed a case against him."Tejashwi will not resign. Nitish Kumar is leader of the alliance but he has not asked for his resignation," Lalu told reporters after a separate meeting of RJD MLAs.  "Nitish Kumar is leader of grand alliance. We will not tolerate any disrespect towards him. We have formed the grand alliance, made Nitish CM. Why will we break the alliance," Lalu said. "We have spoken to Nitish Kumar and he said he is not asking for Tejaswi's resignation. BJP is trying to frame us but are we are not afraid of their tactic," former CM Rabri Devi added.  The fate of Bihar's Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance (RJD, JD-U and Congress) is likely to be decided today or by tomorrow as the JD-U is firm on Tejashwi's resignation.Nitish Kumar is expected to make some tough decision before the start of Bihar Asssembly's Monsoon Session (July 28) which the BJP has threatened to disrupt demanding the CM to take a call on his deputy.Tejashwi and his party RJD, which has most number of MLAs  of the three alliance partners, have repeatedly described the corruption charges as a conspiracy by Opposition BJP. Earlier this month, Tejashwi and Nitish had a closed door meeting during which the deputy CM tabled his stance and claimed that he was being framed. Insiders said Nitish was not convinced with Tejashwi's explanation.It is believed that Nitish is miffed with Tejashwi as he has failed to present solid evidence in support of his 'not guilty' claim despite being given ample time.Congress President Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul Gandhi have also tried to bridge the ever-widening gap between the JD-U and RJD but in vain.The JD-U has made abundantly clear that Nitish Kumar's taintless image is more important to the party than sticking with power. "Nitish is the leader of Mahagathbandhan, no one else. Those who are threatening of having 80 MLAs with them should not be in any kind of confusion. It will not take us even 5 minutes to quit government, power," JD-U spokesperson Ajay Alok had told India Today.The Janata Dal (United) has 71 MLAs, while Lalu's RJD has 80 seats  in the 243-seat Bihar Assembly.  ALSO READ:Nitish Kumar calls meeting of JD-U MLAs, pressure mounts further on Tejashwi YadavRevealed: What Tejashwi Yadav told Nitish Kumar in their 45-minute meeting behind closed doors

Abhishek Bansal

18 Feb 2017,Saturday

Aussie players sledged me during warm-up game: Shreyas Iyer

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shreyas-iyer-david-warner-matthew-wade-india-a-vs-australia/1/886144.html

India A batsman Shreyas Iyer has said he was sledged by Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and David Warner on the second day of the ongoing practice match. "They started to sledge and said 'this guy does not have defence, he can play only attacking shots'," said Iyer. "I am used to this type of sledging," the batsman added.

Attacking young batsman from Mumbai, Shreyas Iyer, said he was sledged by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and David Warner during the course of the day two of the ongoing three-day practice match between India A and Australia.Iyer slammed an unbeaten 85 off 93 balls against Australia to power India A to 176/4 in reply to the visitors' 469/7 declared.Iyer revealed that he was sledged by Wade and vice captain Warner when he was going great guns but it did not affect him as he was used to it following tours to Australia with the India A team in the past."They started to sledge and said 'this guy does not have defense, he can play only attacking shots'. It was first Wade and then Warner too joined in. But I am used to this type of sledging, having toured Australia with India A teams in the past," Iyer said.Iyer also said he was confident that one day he will definitely get to play for India."I don't think much on that, I try to play and score as many runs as possible. The side is packed at present, but I know I will get a chance definitely to play for the country," said the 22-year-old. Iyer has had a phenomenal run at the domestic level in his first two seasons before his form took a slight dip in the current season. Today, Iyer started in brilliant fashion by hitting Australia's leading off-spinner Nathan Lyon for a first-ball six over long on.Later Iyer often stepped out to Lyon and left-arm spinner Stephen O'Keefe to hit them for a total of five sixes over long-on in an impressive display of attacking batting and was the biggest contributor to India A's first innings score.Iyer said the lofted shots he played against Lyon and O'Keefe were not predetermined."I am happy they were not predetermined shots. It was important to take charge early on and spread out the field. It worked out well," Iyer said.

Tarun Khanna

24 Feb 2017,Friday

BMC Mayor will be from Shiv Sena: Uddhav Thackeray

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shiv-sena-will-retain-mayors-post-uddhav/1/890219.html

After emerging as the single largest party in the recently concluded BMC election, Shiv Sena supremo on Thursday said the Mayor will be from his party. He further went on to say that not only the Mayor but the next CM of Maharashtra will also be from Shiv Sena. Thackeray, however, refused to comment on any possibility of an alliance.

As uncertainty loomed large in the BMC polls due to a hung House, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today exuded confidence that the party will retain the coveted Mayors post, even as he hesitated to give a definitive answer on whether there would be an alliance.As the results of the civic polls trickled in, Sena was at the top after winning 84 seats in the 227-member BMC, while its estranged ally BJP was close behind at 82.Also read: Maharashtra civic polls in nutshell: BJP second best to Shiv Sena in Mumbai but top across stateBMC election result 2017: Shiv Sena should align with us again, says BJP

Manaya Bagga

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

Firm loses ?1,690cr in value as boss fired over 'misconduct'

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/01/aa-shares-plunge-as-boss-is-fired-for-gross-misconduct?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

UK roadside repair firm AA on Tuesday lost over £200 million (nearly ?1,690 crore) or nearly a fifth of its value. This came after shares fell as much as 18% during the day after it fired its Executive Chairman Bob Mackenzie with immediate effect for 'gross misconduct'. However, his son said he resigned over an 'extremely distressing mental health issue'.

The AA has fired its boss, Bob Mackenzie, for ?gross misconduct?, with immediate effect, wiping nearly a fifth off the value of the company and making it the biggest faller in the FTSE 250.?Bob Mackenzie has been removed by the board from his role as executive chairman, from his other roles and as a director and as an employee of the company, for gross misconduct,? the AA said.A spokesperson for the roadside repair company said the sacking was a ?personal conduct related matter?, but gave no further details. It is not believed to involve fraud.However, a statement attributed by the Times to Mackenzie?s son, Peter Mackenzie, said his father had a serious health issue and had resigned. The statement said his father had tendered his resignation and resigned his directorships due to acute ill health. ?He is very unwell and has been admitted to hospital,? it said. ?The family trusts that all parties will act responsibly towards a loyal servant of the company in a manner which reflects the stress he has been suffering.?The company declined to comment beyond its initial statement.The shock announcement sent shares down as much as 18% at one point. The shares closed down 14%, wiping about £200m off the value of the company.Mackenzie, 65, has been executive chairman of the AA since 2014, when he was instrumental in a stock market flotation of the company. His previous roles include chairman and chief executive of National Car Parks and its subsidiary Green Flag, a rival car breakdown business.The AA said Mackenzie?s responsibilities would be split, with Simon Breakwell, a non-executive director since 2014 and a founder of the travel company Expedia, appointed as acting chief executive. John Leach, who was senior independent director, has been appointed as chairman.The company had already announced plans to split the combined roles of executive chairman, with the aim of appointing a chief executive.In a trading update published alongside the announcement of Mackenzie?s departure, the AA said it was confident about the company?s long-term prospects but its financial performance in the first half of 2017 had been hit by a number of factors.?The financial performance in the first six months has been negatively impacted by the effect of erratic work load patterns on an inherently fixed cost base. This was especially true in June and July which saw significant spikes in demand.?We now expect the full-year performance to be broadly in line with that of the last financial year.?The AA said paid members totalled 3.33 million in the first six months of the year, an increase of 6,000 compared with the same period a year earlier. The company would publish first-half results on 26 September. ?At that stage, Simon Breakwell will be in a position to provide an update on our plans,? the company said.Analysts at Liberum noted their surprise at Mackenzie?s departure, adding that they ?do not believe that it is fraud-related?.They revised down their expectations for full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation by 3% to £403m, but said the company had made progress in some areas. ?After the accelerated [stock market listing] in July 2014, management had acquired a strategic asset akin to a desirable residence in Mayfair, where the plumbing and electrics were in need of investment,? the Liberum analysts said. ?We now believe that the face-lift is largely complete.?Some of the key metrics are generally encouraging, although that may be lost today. The transformation may have taken longer but there is tangible evidence of improvement.?The AA said that existing board member Andrew Blowers would replace John Leach as senior independent director, while Martin Clarke continues as finance director.

Prashanti Moktan

29 Jan 2017,Sunday

Inn bando mein dum hai: Ranbir on SRK, Big B, Aamir, Salman

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ranbir-kapoor-shah-rukh-salman-aamir-khan-jagga-jasoos/1/869264.html

Actor Ranbir Kapoor, while talking about Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, said, "Inn bando mein dum hai" (These guys have the spunk). "Earlier, I could brashly and immaturely say that I'm going to be better than them. But it's not easy to be better than them... I bow down to them," added Ranbir.

When Ranbir Kapoor entered Bollywood, he was touted to be the next superstar who could give competition to the Khans. However, while Ranbir has carved a position for himself in the industry and made his way to the 100-crore club with films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan continue to rule the roost.ALSO READ | Salman's Tiger Zinda Hai to clash with Ranbir's Sanjay Dutt biopicOPINION | The young ones Khan't: Why Ranbir-Ranveer-Shahid can never achieve superstardom like the Khans OPINION | Ranbir Kapoor at 34: A legend in the making?

Radhika Chugh

31 Jul 2017,Monday

Delhi government to fix rules for road dust disposal

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/govt-to-fix-rules-for-disposing-of-road-dust-to-curb-air-pollution-in-delhi/story-Hhx6LtS0zOuMslDwlOlQDM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi's Department of Environment is reportedly drawing a standard operating procedure to dispose the road dust collected by more than a dozen mechanical sweepers in order to control the air pollution level in the city. Additionally, the Public Works Department has floated a tender to procure six more sweeping machines this year.

The state environment department is drawing up a plan to properly dispose of tonnes of road dust that is collected by mechanical sweepers every day.The city has more than a dozen mechanical sweepers which keeps the road free of dust. More such vehicles are being procured by both the civic bodies and the PWD.?There is, however, no proper mechanism or standard operating procedure on how to dump the dust collected so that they don?t return to the city after disposal,? said a senior official of the state public works department.Road dust is one of the major contributors to the particulate pollutants in Delhi?s air. The mechanical sweepers were introduced as manual sweeping by brooms blow more dust particles in air than it cleans off the ground. Data from Central Pollution Control Board shows that after a lull of five years post 2010, the level of particulate matter in Delhi?s air has shot up. Microscopic particles, PM10 and PM2.5, are responsible for dangerous pulmonary and cardiac problems.At present the dust collected is mostly taken to the landfill sites and dumped. When the wind blows these particles return to the city rendering the entire sweeping process ineffective.?Even a light wind would be able to raise a dust storm if the dumped dust is not dampened with water or have a green cover over it. The plan that is being formulated have taken into consideration all these factors,? said an official of the state environment department. Earlier in June, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, during a meeting to review the status of measures taken by various agencies to combat air pollution in Delhi had directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to come up with a standard operating procedure to come up with a disposal plan.?We have already drawn up a draft plan for the proper disposal of the road dust that is collected by the mechanical sweepers. The plan has been sent to the civic bodies and PWD for suggestions. Once we receive the suggestions we would finalise the plan,? said a senior officer of the state environment department.While the New Delhi Municipal Council has five machines which are functional and are capable of cleaning major avenue roads of NDMC areas, the PWD has six machines. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has recently procured six machines.More such sweepers are expected to join the fleet as the PWD has floated a tender to purchase six more machines which are expected to be delivered by September, 2017. The two other MCDs also expect to get the first lost of mechanical sweepers very soon.

Shubhodeep Datta

28 Apr 2017,Friday

EC demands 74,000 jawans for J&K's Anantnag by-polls

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ec-seeks-74000-paramilitary-personnel-for-anantnag-ls-bypoll/1/940122.html

The Election Commission has sought an unprecedented deployment of 74,000 paramilitary personnel from the Centre during the by-polls for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency on May 25. The Anantnag by-poll was earlier scheduled to be held on April 12 but was postponed amid widespread violence during the April 9 Srinagar by-polls, which left at least eight dead.

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The Election Commission has sought an unprecedented 74,000 paramilitary personnel from the Centre for deployment during the bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency on May 25. The EC has conveyed to the Home Ministry that 740 companies of paramilitary forces should be put at its disposal by May 12, official sources said. A company comprises around 100 paramilitary personnel. The demand seemed unprecedented as the poll body had sought 70,000 paramilitary forces for deployment in the recently concluded Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh which has 403 Assembly constituencies and 80 Lok Sabha seats. Earlier, the EC had sought 30,000 paramilitary personnel for the bypoll to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats. While polling in Srinagar was held on April 9 amidst massive violence, polling for Anantnag, which was scheduled for April 12, was postponed till May 25. Official sources said that in normal circumstances around 10 companies (1,000 personnel) are deployed in a parliamentary seat during polling. The Home Ministry is likely to tell the EC that it would be difficult to arrange such a large number of security personnel in a short span of time and it may seek more time.

Sumedha Sehra

20 Jun 2017,Tuesday

'I felt I fell from the sky': Mamata on NDA's prez candidate

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ram-nath-kovind-bjp-presidential-pick-mamata-surprised/1/982653.html

Expressing surprise at the NDA's decision to nominate Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I felt I fell from the sky". Adding that she is not questioning his credibility, Mamata said, "In order to support someone, we must know the person. I have not heard of him. I don't know him".

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed her surprise at the BJP's decision to announce Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind's name as the NDA presidential candidate.In her very first reaction, Mamata said, " I felt I fell from the sky"."In order to support someone, we must know the person. I have not heard of him. I don't know him," she said in her statement. "Candidate should be someone who will be beneficial for the country," Mamata said on her way to Netherlands for a three-day official trip, adding that she will attend the meeting of opposition political parties on June 22 after which any decision could be announced. "It is not that I am questioning his credentials or credibility. I love everyone but we have to know the background, the person and then only can we support the candidature," she said while justifying her position.The Trinamool Congress supremo said she had spoken to a few opposition leaders who were equally surprised by the BJP's announcement. "There are other big Dalit leaders in the country. Just because he was the leader of Dalit Morcha of BJP they have made him the candidate," Mamata alleged. Stating, that the office of the president was a key post, Mamata said, someone of the stature of Pranab Mukherjee or even external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj or BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani may have been a good candidate.Mamata Banerjee in on her way to Holland to receive the prestigious UN Public Service award on UN Public Service Day on June 23.Also read:Ram Nath Kovind as presidential candidate: How BJP continues to aggressively woo Dalits Ram Nath Kovind is BJP nominee for President: 5 other times Amit Shah-led party surprised us TRS, TDP extend support to NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind

Chhavi Tyagi

19 Jan 2017,Thursday

Baap baap hota hai, beta beta hota hai: Navjot Singh Sidhu

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/punjab-assembly-election-navjot-sidhu-amarinder-singh-amritsar-ptm/1/861069.html

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who recently joined the Congress, held a joint press conference with Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday and said, "Baap baap hota hai, beta beta hota hai." Dismissing rumours that Sidhu is not on agreeable terms with Amarinder Singh, the Captain said, "I am his wicketkeeper. I will catch him in the slips."

Setting aside all talks of alleged cold war, Captain Amarinder Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who recently joined the Congress, held a joint press conference in Amritsar today."A son is a son and a father is a father," Sidhu said, dismissing rumours of him not being on agreeable terms with Amarinder Singh. To this Captain said, "I am his wicketkeeper. I will catch him in the slips."The Congress is set for a tight contest with the Aam Aadmi Party and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab, which goes to polls on February 4.ALSO READ: Navjot Singh Sidhu day after joining Congress: It's my ghar wapasi, I am a born CongressmanALSO READ:Sonia will decide Congress CM candidate in Punjab, says Amarinder

Arshiya Chopra

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Two other Gujarat MLAs quit Congress to join BJP

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gujarat-mlas-congress-bjp/1/1013091.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Gujarat MLAs Mansingh Chouhan and Chhanabhai Chaudhary have quit Congress to join BJP on Friday, a day after three other MLAs had quit the party and joined BJP. The resignations come days after senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela was sacked from the party. Notably, Gujarat Assembly elections for the 182-member House will be held by the end of this year.

A day after three Congress MLAs resigned from the party and joined the BJP in a huff in poll-bound Gujarat, two more legislators switched sides and joined the saffron party today. Vasda MLA Chhana Chaudhry and Balasinor's Mansinh Chauhan are the latest Congress leaders to join BJP. They have submitted their resignations to Speaker Ramanlal Vora. Chaudhary and Chauhan are believed to be close to rebel leader and former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, who quit as Leader of Opposition on his birthday on July 21, alleging that there was an intra-party conspiracy to oust him from the Congress.On Thursday, Balwantsinh Rajput, MLA from Siddhpur and Chief Whip of the Congress, Tejashree Patel from Viramgam, and Vijapur legislator PI Patel had submitted their resignations to the Speaker and later went to the BJP headquarters, Kamalam, to join the party. Within minutes of joining the BJP, Balwantsinh Rajput was named the third Rajya Sabha candidate of the BJP, besides national president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani. Rajput was already rumoured to be planning to contest the Rajya Sabha election against official party nominee Ahmed Patel, the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Balwantsinh Rajput's daughter is married to Vaghela's son Mahendrasinh, also an MLA.Tejashree Patel and PI Patel asserted that the Congress had failed to take a position on the demand of the Patidars (Patels) for reservation to the community in government jobs and educational institutions. "I have resigned from the Congress with a very heavy heart. I have worked for the party for 25 long years," Tejashree Patel, a firebrand woman leader and one of the most active legislators of the Congress in the state Assembly, bemoaned. "From top to bottom, there is intra-party politicking in the Congress. The party never took a clear position on the aspirations of the Patidars," she said. "I have joined Narendra Modi's journey of development," she added. Similarly, PI Patel also said, "The Congress has done injustice to the Patels." Balwantsinh Rajput echoed Tejashree Patel and said, "Modi is Vikas Purush." Rajput and PI Patel are from the North Gujarat constituency of Vijapur. Vaghela hails from North Gujarat too.

Saloni Tandon

11 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Announce India coach: SC-appointed panel tells BCCI

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sourav-ganguly-virat-kohli-cricket-advisory-committee-bcci-india-head-coach/1/999211.html

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators has reportedly told BCCI to announce the name of the head coach of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday itself. BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, had interviewed five candidates on Monday, and said the new coach would be announced after discussions with Virat Kohli.

In a dramatic twist since last night the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) management to close out the selection process for Team India's head coach today.CLICK TO WATCH FULL VIDEOSources confirmed to India Today that the coach selection process should get done by this evening. CoA chief Vinod Rai is in Singapore at the moment and has spoken to the BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and CEO Rahul Johri regarding this matter.Earlier, on Monday, the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman besides Ganguly, had put the appointment of next India coach on hold despite completion of the interview process.Ganguly had said CAC would want to speak with Kohli once he returned from USA and explain to him the way the coach aspirants wanted to work. ALSO WATCHGanguly said the CAC was in no rush to appoint the next coach and it was important for everyone to be in sync with what Indian cricket needed.

Sumedha Sehra

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

Kejriwal fined ?10,000 for not replying in Jaitley case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/arvind-kejriwal-delhi-high-court-arun-jaitley-defamation-suit/1/1011981.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi High Court imposed a fine of ?10,000 on CM Arvind Kejriwal for not filing a response in the new ?10-crore defamation suit filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley had filed a case after Kejriwal's lawyer Ram Jethmalani called him a 'crook' in court, during the previous case's hearing.

In a major set back for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court has imposed on him a fine of  Rs 10,000 for not filing a response on the fresh Rs 10 crore defamation suit against him by Union minister Arun Jaitley. The joint registrar Pankaj Gupta directed Kejriwal to deposit the cost while granting him two more weeks to file his response. The high court had on May 23 sought the response of Kejriwal on why defamation proceedings should not be initiated against him. OBJECTIONABLE TERMDuring the cross-examination of Jaitley on May 17, Arvind Kejriwal's former counsel Ram Jethmalani had allegedly used a term Jaitley had found objectionable. A day after, another high court judge, who was hearing a connected matter, had termed as scandalous the remarks made by Jethmalani against Jaitley.Terming the word as not only false, baseless, malicious and abusive, but per se defamatory, Jaitley had told the court he was subjected to numerous questions, terminologies/statements that are ex-facie abusive, malicious, offensive, irrelevant and slanderous. At the same time, while hearing Jaitley's another application to expedite the proceedings of the defamation suit, the court directed Kejriwal not to put "scandalous" questions to Jaitley. Holding that the remarks by Jethmalani, who has now quit as Kejriwal's counsel, were indecent, the court sought undertakings from Kejriwal's new counsel, who would cross-examine Jaitley. "I have never seen such scandalous words being used in any suit and it is uncalled for. This is not the way to conduct the cross-examination, they have to control themselves. You have used some words. Do these fall under free speech? Are you aware that these are unparliamentary words?" the judge said. Justice Manmohan said the chief minister should conduct cross-examination of the senior BJP leader in a dignified manner and in accordance with law. The court added that liberty of free expression could not be confused with the license to make unfounded, unwarranted and irresponsible aspersions. Observing that such words were prohibited under the Evidence Act, the court said if there was even an iota of scandalous questions in future cross-examination, it would transfer the case from the joint registrar to a bench of the high court. DEFAMATION SUITThe AAP leaders had accused the BJP leader of corruption as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), a post he had held from 2000 to 2013. Jaitley, who had rejected all allegations levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, filed a civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages from Kejriwal and five other others, claiming they made false and defamatory statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation. The AAP leaders had allegedly attacked Jaitley and some of his family members on social media platforms, over alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA.

Chhavi Tyagi

20 Mar 2017,Monday

Jaipur hotel sealed after complain of beef being served

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jaipur-hotel-sealed-after-cow-vigilantes-complain-of-beef-being-served/1/908164.html

Hotel Hayat Rabbani in Jaipur has been sealed after nearly 100 cow vigilantes protested outside the hotel on Sunday night alleging that beef was served inside. It was also alleged that the hotel staff threw the remnants of the non-vegetarian food in the nearby park. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation claims to have sealed the hotel for not discarding garbage properly.

Over 100 cow vigilantes protested outside Hotel Hayat Rabbani in Jaipur on Sunday night alleging beef was cooked and served there.Komal Didi, a cow vigilante from the Gaurakasha Dal, led the demonstration and had a heated argument with the hotel staff claiming that they are serving beef. It was also alleged that the hotel staff threw the remnants of the non-vegetarian food in the nearby park.Hotel owner Naeem was not traceable after the ruckus began. Police was called in late on Sunday night, which arrested two hotel employees - Ashfaq and Wasim on charges of disturbing peace and creating nuisance. However, no one from the demonstrating cow vigilante brigade was taken into custody. Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has sealed the hotel on the charge of not discarding garbage properly.

Krishna Veera Vanamali

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

British American Tobacco under probe over bribery claims

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/01/serious-office-opens-formal-investigation-into-bat-bribery-claims?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

UK tobacco company British American Tobacco (BAT) is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over allegations about involvement in bribery and corruption in Africa. BAT has denied allegations of a whistleblower who handed over multiple documents to SFO. However, BAT has said it is cooperating with UK authorities as campaigners are now urging US government to act.

Allegations that British American Tobacco was involved in bribery and corruption in Africa are being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, despite the cigarette company?s attempts to downplay the significance of a whistleblower who handed over a dossier of evidence.BAT, now the largest tobacco company in the world after the recent merger with Reynolds, has consistently denied the allegations of Paul Hopkins, whom it employed in Africa for 13 years. When Hopkins handed over a large number of documents to the SFO in December 2015, BAT dismissed him as ?a rogue former employee?.The company later toned down its criticism, stating that it had appointed a team of external legal advisers to investigate the charges.The SFO?s inquiries have now become a formal investigation. In a statement it said it was ?investigating suspicions of corruption in the conduct of business by BAT, its subsidiaries and associated persons?. It invited members of the public to come forward with any evidence they might have.The news follows a major Guardian investigation revealing that BAT and other multinationals have used threats against at least eight African nations, demanding they axe or dilute the kind of tobacco control measures that have saved millions of lives in the west.BAT said it continued to conduct its own inquiries into Hopkins? charges. ?We have been cooperating with the Serious Fraud Office and British American Tobacco has been informed that the SFO has now opened a formal investigation. BAT intends to cooperate with that investigation,? it said.The company would not confirm whether the investigation concerned the allegations made by Hopkins.He has claimed he paid bribes on the company?s behalf to the Kenya Revenue Authority for access to information that BAT could use against its Kenyan competitor Mastermind. Hopkins also claimed that BAT Kenya had paid bribes to government officials in Burundi, Rwanda and Comoros to undermine tobacco control regulations.BAT hired the law firm Linklaters in February 2016 to conduct a ?full investigation? into the claims made by Hopkins. BAT later dropped Linklaters and appointed Slaughter and May as sole adviser on the case.Louis Charalambous, Hopkins? solicitor, said BAT had changed its tone. ?We note, with interest, that BAT have abandoned their earlier PR strategy of trying to shoot the messenger,? he said in a statement.?Paul Hopkins blew the whistle during his time at BAT and their internal team ignored him. Previously BAT tried to wriggle out by saying that Mr Hopkins had left their employ in acrimonious circumstances when, in fact, that was untrue. They also wrongly suggested that he had acted on his own, and portrayed themselves as the victims.?Now their new external law firm and revised PR strategy are silent about Mr Hopkins. They need to go further and set the record straight. The company cannot rewrite this history, and we look forward to seeing them answer these allegations in due course.?Hopkins said he had turned whistleblower at a cost to himself. ?I rejected an enhanced redundancy package designed to force me to sign a global confidentially agreement and just took statutory redundancy instead,? he said.Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of the campaigning charity Ash, said: ?At the time the allegations of fraud in Africa were first made against BAT the company accused the whistle blower of having a vendetta against the company and peddling falsehoods.?Eighteen months later and BAT is having to admit it?s under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. The SFO must leave no stone unturned.?Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called on the US government to also investigate BAT. ?The allegations against British American Tobacco are serious and should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,? he said.?As British American Tobacco now operates the largest publicly traded tobacco company within the United States, we urge the US Department of Justice to also investigate the company?s alleged misconduct.?The BAT chief executive, Nicandro Durante, told the Financial Times in March that the firm would ?act in a very strong way? if wrongdoing was found to have taken place. He said: ?We are in 200 countries, so I cannot give a 100% guarantee that everything?s going to go by the book.?The SFO investigation is another blow to the company, after the US health watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration, announced tighter regulations on the tobacco industry, which hit shares in tobacco firms.

Niharika Prabhakar

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Video: VHP activists show weapons in Amarnath attack protest

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/agra-bajrang-dal-vishva-hindu-parishad-weapons-protest-amarnath-terror-attack/1/1000604.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) members on Wednesday brandished weapons like pistols and swords while protesting against the Amarnath terror attack. "If Centre does not avenge Amarnath terror attack within 15 days, Bajrang Dal will have to take law in their hands to protect pilgrims," a Bajrang Dal leader said. They also raised anti-Pakistan slogans and burnt effigies.

The terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims has pushed the nation into grief. While many condemned decorously, various Indian political organisations have taken the mourning to the next level.In Agra, Uttar Pradesh today, Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) held a protest against Amarnath terror attack brandishing weapons like pistol, rifle and swords.Agra (UP): Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) protest against #AmarnathTerrorAttack brandishing weapons (pistol, rifle and swords) pic.twitter.com/fYst21eAJcBajrang Dal leader Govind Parashar said that 'if Centre does not avenge Amarnath terror attack within 15 days, Bajrang Dal will have to take law in their hands to protect pilgrims.' #WATCH: Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad protest against #AmarnathTerrorAttack in Agra brandishing weapons (pistol, rifle and swords) pic.twitter.com/FMj4zC0MMpIncidentally, in another show of protest, Bajrang Dal activist Digvijayanath Tiwari recently made a statement opposing Haj yatra.  According to a Patrika report, Tiwari said that the Centre should take direct action against terrorism and failing to do so will result in Bajrang Dal and Hindu Vishva Parishad considering to oppose Haj yatra.

Mansha Mahajan

06 Mar 2017,Monday

People introduced me as SBI Chairperson: Ex-SEBI Chairman

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/when-people-introduced-u-k-sinha-as-sbi-chief/1/897254.html

The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) former Chairman UK Sinha said that at the start of his tenure, people would introduce him as the chairperson of SBI (State Bank of India). However, "Today, you go to a small village in India and they know SEBI," he stated. Sinha's six-year tenure as SEBI Chairman ended last week.

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Capital markets watchdog SEBI may be among Indias most powerful regulators today but there was a time when people used to introduce its former chief U K Sinha as Chairman of SBI -- a similar sounding acronym but of State Bank of India.     "At the start of my tenure at SEBI, people would introduce me as the chairperson of SBI, the State Bank of India (the country?s largest bank with a far flung branch network). Today, you go to a small village in India and they know SEBI," says Sinha, who retired as SEBI Chairman last week after a six-year tenure -- the second largest in nearly three decades of existence of the regulatory body.      Sinhas remarks are part of a detailed case study on the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) done by Professor Suraj Srinivasan of the Harvard Business School.   The study titled Securities Exchange Board of India: Developing and Regulating India?s Capital Markets has been done by Suraj along with research associate Radhika Kak. According to the study, Sinha was reflecting on his past five years as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) when he made these remarks.     "It was February 2016 and he had just been appointed by the Government of India to a second term as the Chairman of SEBI," it noted. While SEBI as a regulator has made significant strides over the past decade, it was during Sinhas tenure that its powers increased manifold including for bringing to book entities guilty of insider trading and fraudulent investment activities such as illicit collective investment schemes. SEBIs tough actions against several large corporates even prompted some in recent years to call the regulator a dragon and of acting like an activist.

Krishna Veera Vanamali

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Firm recalls flip-flops on fears of cancer-causing chemical

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/17/primark-recalls-mens-flip-flops-after-carcinogenic-chemical-discovery?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Irish company Primark has recalled thousands of pairs of men's flip-flops after discovering they contain a cancer-causing chemical. This is the third product recall Primark has issued this year and a full refund is being offered to all customers. However, a Primark spokesperson said, "At the levels found in the flip-flop...health and safety risk to customers is minimal."

Primark has recalled thousands of pairs of flip-flops after discovering they contain a chemical that can cause cancer.The high street chain is recalling three colours ? black, blue and khaki ? from its men?s Cedar Wood State flip-flop range and offering customers a full refund.A statement on the company?s website said: ?It has come to our attention that the footwear product detailed above does not meet the Primark usual high standards for chemical compliance.?We have found levels of a restricted substance in the product in excess of the 1.0 mg/kg requirement.? A Primark spokesman told the Guardian the chemical in question was chrysene, which is a regulated chemical commonly used in dark coloured dyes. Chrysene has been found to have a carcinogenic risk to humans and can cause cancer, reports Science Direct.However, a Primark spokesman said: ?At the levels found in the flip-flop, we believe the health and safety risk to customers is minimal.?The shoes were taken off the shelves on 2 June after being on sale since January.The problem was discovered by Primark when it followed up an inquiry by a third party, it has been reported. The company has suspended any outstanding orders from the factory which makes the flip-flops and an investigation has been launched. The spokesman said: ?We take the safety of our customers, and the quality of our products, very seriously, which is why we have chosen to recall three men?s flip-flops from our Cedar Wood State range. ?All new orders with this factory have been suspended while we carry out a thorough investigation. A full refund is being offered to all customers.?It is the third product recall Primark has issued this year. Earlier this year, Primark had to recall pairs of children?s leggings emblazoned with cats after it was discovered that small pink bows on the knees posed a potential choking hazard.In February, the company pulled a range of The Walking Dead T-shirts from its stores after complaints of racism from customers. The serial numbers of affected flip-flops are: Customers do not need to provide proof of purchase to get a refund.

Anmol Sharma

05 Jan 2017,Thursday

Dhoni is the greatest ever one-day captain: Nasser Hussain

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mahendra-singh-dhoni-india-vs-england/1/849922.html

Following Mahendra Singh Dhoni's resignation as limited-overs captain, former England captain Nasser Hussain stated that according to him, Dhoni is the greatest ever one-day captain. MS Dhoni led the Indian cricket team to 110 victories in 199 One Day Internationals and 41 wins in 72 T20Is. Dhoni is the only captain to have won all the three ICC tournaments.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as India's limited-overs captain but not before leaving behind a rich legacy. (MS Dhoni steps down as India's limited-overs captain)The dashing wicketkeeper-batsman from Jharkhand had announced himself with a bang in international cricket. A few years down the line after India's shocking exit from the 2007 World Cup, Dhoni took over the reins of the ODI team from Rahul Dravid. (MS Dhoni led India in 199 ODIs, 72 T20Is: Stats)In his first assignment as India captain, Dhoni gave a glimpse of what was to come for the next decade. With his long mane and aggressive intent, Dhoni carved a niche for himself and led a young team to glory in the 2007 World T20. (Dhoni made the right decision by stepping down as limited-overs captain: Ganguly to India Today)WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HEREAgainst the visiting Australian later that year, Dhoni got the chance to acquaint himself with the pressures ODI captaincy brings. But by the time India toured Australia and the CB Series got underway, Dhoni knew what to expect.Dhoni's Devils shocked the Aussies and the rest of the world by winning the first two finals of the CB Series. He was now the toast of the nation and almost spoken of as reverentially as Sachin Tendulkar. (Dhoni good enough to continue as a player till 2019 World Cup: Kapil Dev)Three years later came Dhoni's crowning glory. Leading India in the World Cup would have been a dream for him but Dhoni has never been the kind to discuss his own fantasies on the field. In fact he insulated his players from the media hype and intense pressure and delivered the World Cup for the second time in history with a classic knock at the Wankhede Stadium. (MS Dhoni's highs and lows as limited overs captain)The two years that follows the glorious summer evening in Mumbai was nightmarish. Under Dhoni, India lost overseas across all formats. There was even a Test series defeat to England at home. But in 2013, Dhoni defied all odds and lifted the Champions Trophy I'm England, becoming the only captain to have won all three ICC events.

Radhika Chugh

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Speeding major cause of accidents in Gurugram: Police

http://www.hindustantimes.com/gurgaon/cops-find-speeding-wrong-lane-driving-main-causes-of-road-accidents-in-gurgaon/story-0PgO6dHWwdc2C19SU5r0gO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An analysis by the Gurugram Police revealed that speeding, driving in the wrong lane, and pedestrians suddenly crossing the road are the three major causes of road accidents in Gurugram. Around 70 of the 199 accidents analysed were caused due to speeding. The data also revealed that 572 accidents with 213 casualties have happened so far this year.

Speeding, driving in the wrong lane, and suddenly crossing the road, often by pedestrians, have emerged as three major reasons for road mishaps in Gurgaon, according to an analysis of around 200 accidents by the city police.A comparison of accident figures in the first half of 2016 and 2017 also revealed a slight dip in the number of accidents in 2017.In the first half of 2016, there had been 605 accidents and 218 deaths on Gurgaon?s roads.?For the corresponding period in 2017, there have been 572 accidents with 213 casualties. The number of people seriously injured in accidents during this period stood at 627 last year and is 585 this year.Gurgaon police commissioner, Sandeep Khirwar, said managing traffic and preventing accidents were two key challenges for his department.?New experiments and changes in traffic movement are being carried out to find a viable solution to these problems. Several drives against speeding, unauthorised parking and drink driving have helped in improving the situation,? he said.Of the 199 accidents analysed by the Gurgaon police, 70 were caused due to speeding.Driving on the wrong lane of the road, in opposite direction of traffic, is often seen on city roads, including the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which is an access-controlled road. According to the data, 22 accidents were caused by driving in the wrong lane and 28 because someone suddenly rushed on to the road.Further, in the sample studied, being negligent or drowsy while driving was found to be the cause of 17 accidents. Fourteen were due to overtaking a vehicle from the left and 10 each due to the vehicle in front applying brakes suddenly and due to vehicles taking a sudden U-turn.Transport experts, however, termed these incidents as crashes and not accidents and held bad road engineering and poor planning responsible for these road mishaps, which they said were preventable.?Most of the roads in Gurgaon are designed for high-speed movement of vehicles at 70 to 80 km per hour. There is also a tendency among planners to not create U-turns while building roads, leading to people driving on the wrong side to reach their destination instead of driving an extra distance to take a turn,? said Amit Bhatt, a transport expert, adding that lack of enforcement of rules was also responsible.According to experts, planning and execution of roads has to be done as per the specific requirements of the city instead of building highways that they said are unnecessary.

Rini Sinha

27 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Director apologises to Tamannaah for his sexist comments

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/director-suraaj-apologises-to-tamannaah-for-his-sexist-comments/1/843300.html

Tamil filmmaker G Suraj has apologised to Tamannaah and all industry heroines for his alleged sexist remarks. "If we're paying good money to watch a film, we... expect Tamannaah to be completely glamorous," Suraj had said. He added he'd instruct his costume designer to shorten the heroine's clothes. Actresses Tamannaah and Nayanthara had slammed the director for his comments.nnnn

In a recent interview to an independent YouTube channel, Suraaj went on the record saying that heroines are bound to act in glamorous roles as they receive 'remuneration' for that. Adding fuel to the fire, Suraaj also said, heroines have to 'satisfy' the B and C centres by wearing short clothes.SEE PIC- Kajal Aggarwal wishes fans on Christmas with this cute photoALSO READ: Allu Arjun's daughter's name is Allu ArhaALSO READ: Kaththi Sandai review- 2016's worst filmNow, the Kaththi Sandai director issued an official statement apologising to Tamannaah and other heroines in the industry. Actor Nayanthara too slammed the director for his sexist comments. She was quoted by Sify as saying, "How can a responsible person from film industry make such a crass and cheap comment? Who is Suraj to say such a derogatory statement against heroines? Does he think that heroines are strippers who will come and shed their clothes just because they are paid money? Will he dare to speak such things about working women in his family?"Tamannaah took to Twitter and lashed out at Suraaj. pic.twitter.com/OEn8OfgZ0Z

Parmeet Kaur

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

Woman set on fire by ex-husband 3 days after triple talaq

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/noida-woman-set-on-fire-by-ex-husband-three-days-after-triple-talaq/story-SczevM2EOfbWJT6Nqfng3H.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A Muslim woman was allegedly raped and set on fire by her ex-husband on Wednesday morning in Noida, three days after she was given triple talaq. The victim was married to the man since 2008 and had two children with him. The police have registered a case against the woman's husband and her in-laws.

A Muslim woman who was given triple talaq three days ago was allegedly raped and set on fire by her ex-husband on Wednesday morning in Dadri. The woman was admitted to a hospital in Greater Noida with severe burn injuries.In her statement to the police, the victim said her ex-husband who had given her triple talaq three days ago entered her room on Wednesday morning, raped her and forced her into unnatural sex.?Then, she claimed that kerosene was poured on her and she was set afire. She received burn injuries on her lower limbs,? said Ramsen Singh, station house officer of Dadri police station.Read | UP?woman given triple talaq for giving a ?namkeen? packet to her parentsThe victim was married to the man since 2008 and had two children with him. Three days ago, the man gave her triple talaq but she continued to stay in a separate room in the same residence with her children, Singh said.The victim?s father said, ?Two months ago, her husband and her in-laws demanded money from her. They had also beaten her up, sent her back to her maternal house and kept the two children with them.?The victim?s father said that his daughter would often cry as she was worried about her children. ?Last week, she couldn?t stop herself and went back to her husband?s place in Dadri and stayed there in a separate room with her children,? her father said.Read | Given ?triple talaq? over phone and fax, sisters seek Yogi Adityanath?s helpHer in-laws also supported the man in inflicting harm on the woman, the police said.?Based on the victims? statement, we have registered a case under sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC against her ex-husband and booked her in-laws under Section 498a (relative of husband subjecting woman to cruelty) of the IPC,? the police officer said.

Chhavi Tyagi

09 Jan 2017,Monday

Nigerian with fake Indian visas detained at Mumbai airport

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nigerian-national-mumbai-airport-fake-passports-visas-bureau-of-immigration-addis-ababa/1/852830.html

A Nigerian national, identified as Fasasi Toheeb Olyaniyi, carrying fake Indian visas has been detained by Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers at the Mumbai airport. Olyaniyi was intercepted when he arrived on Monday morning from Addis Ababa via Ethiopian Airlines when AIU officers seized 10 Nigerian passports and 14 Indian visas from his baggage.

A Nigerian national carrying fake Indian visas has been detained by Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers at the Mumbai airport.The Nigerian, identified as Fasasi Toheeb Olyaniyi, was intercepted when he arrived early this morning from Addis Ababa via Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 640. When his baggage was examined at the time of check-in, the officers seized 10 Nigerian passports and 14 Indian visas, which were found concealed in a set of artificial hair. Also read | Absconding Nigerian national convicted in drug case arrested by Mumbai police

Aarushi Maheshwari

09 Jul 2017,Sunday

Krishna Land theme park proposed in UP, Yogi shows interest

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/agra-fort-taj-mahal-krishna-land-disney-land-yogi-adityanath/1/997534.html

A 'Krishna Land' theme park on the lines of Disneyland and a walkalator between Agra Fort and Taj Mahal were among the projects proposed during a recent Lucknow meeting. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has reportedly shown interest in Krishna Land, asking for a proposal soon. Other proposals included a 'hop on - hop off' bus service in Agra.

In the interest of increasing tourist footfalls in the Braj region UP's Yogi government will soon be taking a few new steps in this direction, which will enable tourists to stay at least 2-3 days in the region.A senior administrative officer told India Today that a 'Krishna Land' theme park on the lines of 'Disney Land' has been proposed in Mathura and a detailed proposal will soon be submitted to the government. Similarly, a 'Walktalator' has been proposed between Agra Fort and Taj Mahal. The tourists coming to Agra will be given the facility of a 'hop on - hop off' bus service on which the tourists will be able to visit all the monuments of Agra on just one bus ticket. Apart from Agra, Garhmukteshwar will also be developed as a tourist spot.All these decisions were taken in a meeting held in Lucknow recently, where it was decided that the Braj region shall be given the shape of a 'tourist hub'.Another senior official told India Today that the Goverdhan Parikrama in Vrindavan will be developed as per the interest shown by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself, while the Sanjhi art-form of Braj will be preserved and developed with the help of the World Bank. The Chief Minister himself is showing interest in the 'Krishna Land' project and has asked for a proposal as soon as possible. A 'Ghat' project is also being prepared in which the Yamuna's water will be brought back to the ancient ghats of the river through channels. These ghats form a part of the 'Chaurasi Kos Parikrama' of the Braj.

Tarun Khanna

13 Jan 2017,Friday

Original manuscript of Constitution had Hindu gods pics: Min

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ravi-shankar-prasad-manuscript-of-constitution-images-hindu-gods/1/856386.html

BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that original manuscript of the Indian Constitution had images of Hindu gods and ideals like Ram, Krishna, Arjun, Nataraja, Vivekananda and Guru Gobind Singh. "If the constitution was framed today and the constituent assembly resolves that we will have such pictures what will happen?" he asked.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday invoked Hindu gods and gurus featuring in the original manuscript of Indian Constitution to suggest the extent of 'minority appeasement' and 'pseudo secularism' prevalent in the country. Addressing a seminar at the India International Centre where former chief justices, ex-diplomats, constitutional experts and lawyers were part of the panel, he said original manuscript of the Indian constitution had pictures of several Hindu gods and idols like Ram, Krishna, Arjun Nataraja, Vivekananda and Guru Gobind Singh. He said if the constitution was drafted today, one wondered the pictures would have been allowed on its pages. "Where has this country gone? We will have to reflect. I am only trying to provoke a debate", he said."Today is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. I would request all of them sitting here to have a look at the original constitution. When the constitution was being conceived, a debate arose if it should be plain or there should be more in it to show the world that India has arrived and Nandlal Bose was commissioned by drafting committee members Nehru, Mauilana Azad and Ambedkar to beautify and decorate it", he said.Also read: Some amazing facts about the Constitution of India"Atop the page on fundamental rights we have a visual of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returning to Ayodhya after the victory in Lankaâ?¦the page on directive principles of state policy had another of Krishna propounding the Gita to Arjuna at the Kurukshetra. There are also scenes from the courts of Ashoka and Vikramaditya," he said. "This question troubles me sir and I am asking if the constitution was framed today and the constituent assembly resolves that we will have such pictures what will happen? We will have to reflect where we have come along. India is a democracy not because democracy is a form mentioned in the constitution but because the cultural and civilization heritage also sanctioned democracy," he said.'WILL WORK WITH CJI TO ADDRESS JUDICIARY'S CONCERNS'On the burning issue of justice delivery getting effected due to shortage of judges, Prasad hoped the concerns regarding appointments and infrastructure would be addressed expeditiously", adding, "I can tell you now that with the leadership of Justice Khehar as the new Chief Justice, we will be able to work together in a very meaningful way to address the concerns in judiciary, to expedite appointments, to ensure people of merit are appointed and also overall reinforce infrastructure needed for justice delivery".

Daisy Mowke

19 Apr 2017,Wednesday

Salman, Aamir will run after 21-year-old heroines: Raveena

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/raveena-tandon-salman-aamir-khan-andaz-apna-apna-sequel/1/932588.html

Raveena Tandon, when asked if she would like to be a part of 'Andaz Apna Apna' sequel, jokingly said the film's actors Salman Khan and Aamir Khan will instead prefer 21-year-old heroines. "They will be garlanding [photographs of] me and Karisma Kapoor and... then they will be running after 21-year-old heroines... That's how the sequel is gonna start," she added.

Every 90s kid has grown up watching and loving the cult classic Andaz Apna Apna, which never fails to evoke laughs, even over two decades since it released. When BollywoodLife asked Raveena Tandon if she would want to be a part of the sequel to her popular film, her response was hilarious. She took a friendly jibe at her co-stars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, and their tendency to work with younger actresses.Tongue in cheek, Raveena said, "I would love to be game for it, but I know that my photograph is going to be hanging there. Aamir and Salman will be garlanding me and Lolo (Karisma Kapoor) and saying 'hamaari biwiyaan mar gayi, ab kya karein?' And then they will be running after 21-year-old heroines. So that's how the sequel is gonna start (sic)."

Ankur Vyas

07 May 2017,Sunday

15-yr-old Delhi girl found locked inside house for 2 yrs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-domestic-violence-girl-locked-in-room-krishna-nagar/1/947811.html

A 15-year-old girl was locked inside a house in east Delhi's Krishna Nagar locality for two years by her mother. The matter came to light after a neighbour informed the Delhi police, who raided the house and rescued the girl. The girl's mother reportedly used to visit the house only in the evening to bring food for the girl.

In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old girl was locked inside a house in east Delhi's Krishna Nagar for two years by her mother.The matter came to light after a neighbour, who suspected that something was not right, informed the Delhi Police, who raided the house and rescued the girl.The room in which the girl was kept was found to be full of garbage.Locals told the police that the woman, Krishna Ghosh, who is the mother of the victim, would visit the house in the evening only to bring food for the girl.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

28 Jul 2017,Friday

New JNU hostel to reserve 75% seats for northeast students

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/new-jnu-hostel-to-allot-75-pc-rooms-to-ne-students/1/1009774.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University and announced that 75% seats in the hostel will be reserved for students from the northeast. The five-floor hostel, which has been pending for three years, will accommodate 400 students and is expected to be completed within twenty months.

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) A new hostel is going to come up on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus here, where 75 per cent of the rooms will be allotted to the students from the north-east, Union minister Jitendra Singh said today. Laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Barak hostel, named after the Barak river in the north-east, he said it was expected to be operational after 20 months. To be built at an estimated cost of Rs 29 crore, 75 per cent of the rooms in the new hostel would be allotted to the students from the north-east, said Singh, the Union minister of state for development of north eastern region (DoNER). The hostel will have five floors, accommodating 400 students (both boys and girls). The construction of the hostel had been pending for almost three years.

Ankur Vyas

10 Jan 2017,Tuesday

Andhra capital will be bigger, better than Hyderabad: CM

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/andhra-capital-amaravati-will-be-bigger-better-than-hyderabad-chandrababu-naidu-at-india-today-conclave/1/853699.html

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said he will build a "bigger, better city" in Amaravati, the Andhra capital, than Hyderabad when the latter becomes the capital of Telangana in 2024. "People should remember me forever. I will make an Andhra Pradesh model," he added. Notably, Hyderabad will be the shared capital between the two states till 2024.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today said he will build a "bigger, better city" in Amaravati than Hyderabad when the latter becomes the capital of Telangana in 2024. "I will build a bigger, better city than Hyderabad. Amaravati, the Andhra capital, will be the best city in India," Naidu told Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai at the India Today South Conclave in Chennai. When Telangana was formed in 2014, it was decided that Hyderabad will remain the shared capital between the two states till 2024. "A water grid, world class capital city Amaravati and human resource development are the three top priorities of my government. Rest all will fall in place," he said. "People should remember me forever. I will make an Andhra Pradesh model," the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief said at the session titled 'The Great Digital Leap'.ON DEMONETISATIONMaking a U-turn, Naidu today said demonetisation was good for the country. The BJP ally at the Centre had earlier questioned the move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, saying he did not know if there is a solution to the cash crisis.

Sumedha Sehra

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

WiFi at Indian railway stations better than London's: Google

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/our-wi-fi-at-indian-railway-stations-is-better-than-san-francisco-london-wi-fi-google/1/1015791.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Google's head of connectivity in India recently talked about the Google RailTel, which has started providing free WiFi at 140 railway stations in India. "If you compare this with Wi-Fi in London and San Francisco, you will find that the Wi-Fi is better in both coverage and capacity", he said. The initiative aims to cover 400 stations across the country.

As a part of Prime Minister Modi's Digital India initiative, the Indian Railways have partnered with Google to provide Wi-Fi broadband facility to passengers at major railway stations across the country. This Google RailTel initiative was launched in January 2016 and till date has reached 140 stations across India. Their lofty aim is to reach 400 stations by 2018.Under this initiative, RailTel, a subsidiary of the government of India provides the high speed network via Fiber while Google sets up the wireless infrastructure and provides tech support. The speeds on offer range from 20-40Mbps for 30 minutes after which they are gradually reduced in order to manage bandwidth.The India Today Tech had the opportunity to experience Google's RailTel initiative first hand at Nizamuddin Railway station. We also interviewed Gulzar Azad  -- head of connectivity, Google India -- who spoke about the partnership with RailTel, the challenges faced in bringing high-speed Wi-Fi to 140 of India's major railway stations, what Google and RailTel have learnt along the way and the road ahead for this ambitious initiative.Q: This initiative started before Jio revolutionised the telecom sector with its disruptive plans and brought 4G to the masses. Have you seen a dip in the daily usage since Jio entered the marketplace? Has the widespread and cheap availability of 4G data since the entry of Jio affected Google's RailTel strategy in any way?This is a great question. Very relevant in today's time. What we have seen is that as 4G has emerged, we have seen no dip in the Wi-Fi usage. If you talk about the time when 'free' 4G started emerging, we were at about 5 million (50 lakh) monthly active users, today we are at 6.5 million (65 lakh) monthly active users. So the RailTel initiative has only grown since then.The railway station is a great point of convergence. At this point of convergence, there is the need for multiple networks and multiple systems to satisfy the user demand. Before the advent of 'free' 4G, people were not even thinking of consuming 1GB data a month, let alone 1GB data a day.The mark of telecommunication development of any country is how close the Fiber is to the user. In effect, you must see that the Wi-Fi that we are implementing is an attempt to bring Fiber close to the user. And that is working pretty well for us.Q: During my interactions with passengers and workers at the Nizzamudin railway station, I found out that many of them feel that during peak hours the speed slows down quite a bit. Is that something you are looking into?I feel that is also a very interesting, emerging phenomenon. If you see when we started the project, even at peak hours the speed we were giving the users was very satisfactory and now people want more. This is exactly what we were expecting. Once people start experiencing high-speed internet, the user behavior changes - the expectation now is higher. There is more demand for less and less latency in the network.The good news for us is that across the last twelve months, we have not seen a dip in monthly active users. The average usage still remains 350MB per user per session which shows we have augmented the network and capacity while adding more users.As 4G has emerged, we have seen no dip in the Wi-Fi usage. If you talk about the time when 'free' 4G started emerging, we were at about 5 million monthly active users, today we are at 6.5 million monthly active usersMr Gulzar Azad then spoke about how Google is taking steps to make the RailTel initiative financially viableSince April, we have made the login process Ad supported and that is helping RailTel from an ISP perspective. The revenue is majorly meant for RailTel. We have a revenue share mechanism which is expected as we are a contributor to the project itself - Google helps build the wireless (infrastructure) and RailTel brings in the Fibre and the connectivity.Q:The RailTel initiative was in the news a couple of months ago as it was found that it was being used for watching porn in many railway stations. Were any measures put into place after that?The idea of the internet here from an experience point of view is to make it the same internet that you and I have and for that internet to be available to everyone. That is the singular goal of our vision - for a billion people to experience the internet you and I experience in our homes, in our offices.  And when we do that, we are following the regulations set by the country.The ISP (RailTel) follows the regulations from the government in terms of what's allowed on the internet and what's not. This internet is not different from every other internet across the country.Q: If we talk about the speed, I was told that 1Mbps is the minimum speed even when the 30 limit high speed cap is crossed. Is that a realistic claim?The way the network has been set up there is actually no speed limit before or after. The design of the network is such that in the first 30 minute time limit, we allow the user to get unfettered access - the idea is to get all users to a point where they could access high quality HD video streams.After the time limit is crossed, we make sure that everybody does still have internet and the net is still low latency. We are adjusting the network dynamically so that people can still access the internet but in the first half an hour they can access HD quality video streams.Q: But what is the minimum speed? - I spoke to many people and got a lot of varying replies. Some people said it is as bad as 128kbps but others said they can stream video for 24 hours.The quality of your internet is not just measured by the speed. It is also measured by the latency of the network. We have designed the network in a way that even when the network is at low speed, it is still a low latency network. The internet is dynamically configured in such a way that you will still be able perform certain use cases (like opening a search page, running apps like WhatsApp and Messenger) after the high-speed cap gets over after 30 minutes.This is a great advancement. If you compare this with Wi-Fi in London and San Francisco, you will find that the Wi-Fi is better in both coverage and capacityNote: The network is dynamically adjusted in such a way that priority is given to those who are logging in for the first time. This is why the 30 minute high-speed cap exists. During our time at the Nizamuddin railway station we got average speeds of 17-18mpbs (download) during the 30 minute unfettered limit. Also, we found out that all access points are already dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz capable) in order to cope with future demand.Q: What is the business model that Google and RailTel are following? How is Google benefiting from this project?For Google, this is an ecosystem project. Our idea with this is to make sure there is more and more broadband adoption. The more the adoption, the more people come online, and the greater the economic impact.When there is economic impact on digitisation, we get directly impacted because we are a stakeholder in the digitisation of the country. Also, the more people use internet, the more they use e-commerce, social networks, news websites and eventually Google services.Q: At the Nizamuddin railway station and the New Delhi railway station, which I visited a few weeks ago, the advertising is quite minimal. Also a lot of people, even in tier 1 cities like Delhi and Mumbai are unaware of this initiative. So what is Google and RailTel's future plans regarding awareness?Addressing awareness of Wi-Fi is certainly an important issue and we need the help of the Indian railways and the government to do that more and more. As you can see, the Wi-Fi is already free, so there is not much space for businesses to market on it. But the Indian Railways who host this, they should be partnering with us to make more and more awareness happen.There are various channels of awareness. We have tried audio announcements and visuals. We have also tried having agents at the station. I think to raise awareness in a sustainable way we need help from the government.

Ankur Vyas

25 Mar 2017,Saturday

EC transfers Chennai commissioner ahead of RK Nagar by-polls

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tamil-nadu-rk-nagar-constituency-eci-transfers-chennai-police-commissioner-ahead-of-polls/1/912542.html

The Election Commission has transferred Chennai Police Commissioner Sebastian George out of the city ahead of the by-polls in former CM Jayalalithaa's constituency RK Nagar. This comes after the opposition DMK told the poll panel that George might act in a way that favoured the ruling party. The RK Nagar by-polls are scheduled for April 12.

Chennai Police Commissioner Sebastian George has been transferred out of the city ahead of by-polls in former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's constituency, Tamil media reports said on Saturday.This development comes after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the leading Opposition party in the the Tamil Nadu Assembly, told the Election Commission that the police commissioner might act in a way that favoured the ruling party - the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - and asked that he be transferred, Puthiya Thalaimurai (PT) reported.The poll panel has said a new commissioner of police will be appointed soon, the news channel tweeted.RK NAGAR TO GO ON POLLS ON APRIL 12Jayalalithaa's constituency, Chennai's Dr Radhakrishnan (RK) Nagar, will elect a new MLA on April 12.With the polls just around the corner, as many as 127 nominations were filed on Friday, Thanthi TV reported.82 of those nominations, including those of DMK candidatate Maruthu Ganesh, and rival AIADMK candidates E Madhusudhanan and TTV Dinakaran, were accepted, the channel said.Madhusudhanan, a former Presidium Chairman, represents a faction of the AIADMK represented by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. TTV Dinakaran, the AIADMK's Deputy General Secretary, represents the faction led by party chief VK Sasikala.TWIN LEAF VERDICTThe Election Commission on Wednesday said neither camp could use the AIADMK's name or its symbol, the iconic 'Rettai Ilai' or 'twin leaf.'So the Panneerselvam and Sasikala camps will contest under the names 'AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma' and 'AIADMK Amma,' respectively.WHO IS GEORGE?Sebastian George is a 1984 batch officer who began his career in Tamil Nadu police force in 1987. George's way of handling protests and curbing unruly crowd, especially the way he handled the agitation against Kudankulam Nuclear PowerPoint and Mullaiperuyar issue, caught Jayalalithaa's attention.It is expected that ADGP (CB-CID) will be the new commissioner of Chennai. With inputs from Pramod Madhav

Dishant Sharma

18 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Kvitova to be in French Open 4 months after knife attack

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/petra-kvitova-french-open-roland-garros-tennis/1/931620.html

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who suffered a hand injury in a knife attack during a burglary at her home almost four months back, has entered the draw for the upcoming French Open. Kvitova, however, said, "this, unfortunately, does not necessarily mean that I will be ready to play in Paris." The former world number two is currently ranked 14.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has entered the draw for next month's French Open four months after suffering a serious hand injury, she said on Monday. (Germany's Angelique Kerber retains top spot in WTA rankings)The 27-year-old was stabbed by a knife-wielding intruder in her home in the Czech Republic in December."My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros tomorrow because I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favourite events," Kvitova said on Instagram on Monday.

Saloni Tandon

15 Jan 2017,Sunday

Yuvraj was picked to ease burden on MS Dhoni: Virat Kohli

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yuvraj-singh-ms-dhoni-virat-kohli-india-vs-england/1/857341.html

India captain Virat Kohli has said Yuvraj Singh was selected in the limited-overs squad to ease the middle-order burden on MS Dhoni. "We cannot leave so much burden on MS alone in the middle order...There needs to be one more guy with Dhoni down the order in case the top order doesn't fire," said Kohli.

The seasoned Yuvraj Singh was recalled to India's limited-overs teams to lend solidity to an inexperience middle-order and ease the burden on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain Virat Kohli said here on Saturday. (Captaincy not a burden, it will make me better: Virat Kohli)Yuvraj's last ODI was against South Africa at Centurion in December 2013. He though played his last T20I versus Australia in Mohali last March during the ICC World Twenty20."Yes, that (experience) is something we have discussed before picking Yuvi because we cannot leave so much burden on MS (Dhoni) alone in the middle order. I am willing to take up responsibility up the order, but there needs to be one more guy with him (Dhoni) down the order in case the top order doesn't fire," Kohli said on the eve of the first of three One-Day Internationals against England. (India seek fresh start under Virat Kohli in first ODI vs England)'JADHAV, PANDYA CAN LEARN A LOT FROM YUVRAJ, DHONI'Kohli said the team's think-tank needed to get its combination right quickly as these were the only games it had in its hands before the Champions Trophy in June. (Kohli lauds Dhoni's smart decision-making)"If the top order doesn't fire you are left with MS alone and he is guiding the youngsters more often than not. Which is fine, if you have 15-20 games till a big tournament (begins).But when you have only three games to prepare for a big tournament, I think you need to get all your resources in place."You need to make sure the guys who have been picked are in good form," said Kohli who added that Ambati Rayudu had also been considered to do this specific job but was injured for a long time. (Virat Kohli's Team India will rewrite history, says MS Dhoni)"So, right now we don't have the time to nurture the one spot as much because we have a big tournament coming up straightaway, that's why Yuvi was brought into the team. We had discussed Rayudu as well, but he has been injured for a long time and didn't have game-time behind him. Yuvi has had a very good first-class season, so obviously he was into the team before anyone else."So, I think this just gives the team much more balance in the middle and lower-middle order with MS and Yuvi. They can really guide Kedar (Jadhav) and Hardik (Pandya) still with them, but to have two experienced guys compared to one is a massive difference. I am sure Hardik and Kedar can learn a lot from them, batting along with them." (Kohli already has a formidable record as ODI captain)ON CHAMPIONS TROPHY

Anmol Sharma

26 May 2017,Friday

Sunil Narine bowled T20 cricket's only maiden Super Over

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sunil-narine-super-over-maiden-over-west-indies-spinner-t20-cricket-cpl/1/372999.html

West Indies' Sunil Narine became the first and the only player to bowl a maiden Super Over in T20s, while playing in a Caribbean Premier League match in 2014. Representing Guyana Amazon Warriors, Narine defended 12 runs in the deciding over against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel. Narine, who turned 29 on Friday, also picked a wicket in the over.

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine became the first bowler in T20 cricket history to bowl a maiden in a super over.The game was Red Steel versus Guyana Amazon Warriors of the Caribbean Premier League at Providence on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the Dwayne Bravo-led Red Steel franchise removed the words 'Trinidad & Tobago' from their name on a minister's request. But the name change did not prove lucky for the team. The scores were tied after the stipulated 20 overs a side, with Red Steel 118/8 and Guyana Amazon Warriors at 118/9. And then, the Steels came up against the wily spin of Sunil Narine.The Warriors batted first in the one-over eliminator and set a target of 12 runs to win in sex balls for the Steels. And then, this is what happened:

Gaurav Shroff

11 Mar 2017,Saturday

World's oldest known crocodile eggs discovered in Portugal

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/worlds-oldest-crocodile-eggs-discovered/1/901348.html

World's oldest known crocodile eggs laid some 15.2 crore years ago have been discovered in Portugal. The crocodile ancestor from the late Jurassic era is believed to be two metres long based on the size of the eggs. The eggs found during excavations of a dinosaur nest near Lisbon extends knowledge of eggs by four crore years, said a palaeontologist.

London, Mar 10 (PTI) The worlds oldest known crocodile eggs laid some 152 million years ago have been discovered in the cliffs of Portugal. The remarkably well preserved eggs give an insight into the "mother croc" that laid them, researchers said. They are similar to the eggs of modern crocodiles, suggesting crocodile eggs have changed little in shape in the last 150 million years. Palaeontologists say the prehistoric crocodile ancestor would have spanned two metres, based on the size of the larger eggs. "The fact that they are from the Late Jurassic makes these eggs the oldest crocodilian eggs known so far," said Joao Russo of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal. "This new discovery from Portugal extends the knowledge of this type of egg by approximately 40 million years," said Russo. Crocodilians arose some 200 million years ago, when they prowled the land with early dinosaurs.

Parmeet Kaur

24 Jul 2017,Monday

Maharashtra approves bank guarantees for 4 Metro projects

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-approves-bank-guarantees-loan-sanctions-for-four-metro-projects/story-xvgsWOOTF4U0M1ot4KTOUO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Maharashtra government on Sunday approved bank guarantees and loan-related sanctions for four Mumbai Metro projects. They approved bank guarantee for Metro 4 and issued Debt Sustainability Certificate (DSC) for Metro 2A, Metro 2B and Metro 7 projects. This will help formalise the loan agreements with Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which are funding the projects.

In a boost to the Mumbai Metro, the Maharashtra government on Sunday approved bank guarantees and loan-related sanctions for four projects ? Metro 2A ( Dahisar to DN Nagar), Metro 2B ( DN Nagar-Bandra-Mankhurd), Metro 4 (Wadala Ghatkopar Mulund Kasaravadavali) and Metro 7 covering (Dahisar East-Andheri East). The cabinet also allowed the use of a plot reserved for playground to build an underground station for Metro 3. These decisions were cleared in the cabinet meeting held on Sunday, on the eve of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature.The state cabinet approved bank guarantee for Metro 4 being funded by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It has further decided to provide a debt sustainability certificate (DSC) to three other Metro projects ? Metro 2A, 2B and 7 being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The cost of Metro 4 is Rs14,549 crore, while the cost of the rest of the three projects is Rs6,410 crore, Rs10,986 crore and Rs6,208 crore respectively. The DSC is mandatory to sanction externally aided projects that are to get funding from multilateral agencies like the ADB and World Bank. The bank guarantees and the debt sustainability certificates from the state government to the Metro projects will help formalise loan agreements for four of the Metro corridors with international funding agencies. Only after the loan agreements are inked, one can say the financing of these projects is complete. This will also ensure that work on the Metro projects is not held up for want of money.?We plan to complete Metro 7 and Metro 2A by the 2019 Assembly elections. While civil work is being funded by the MMRDA, financing for the rolling stock, signaling systems etc is possible only through the loan. So formalising these loan agreements is important for us,?? said a senior state government official. For the fully underground Metro 3 project, a 554-sqm plot located at Tardeo currently reserved as a playground was required to develop an underground ?Grant Road? station. As the plot was reserved for a playground, it required the government?s approval to build an underground station. The cabinet approved the proposal speeding up work on the Metro 3 corridor as well. This corridor is likely to be completed by 2020-21. Metro-3 is a 33.5-km underground corridor that will link Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ in Andheri (East). The length of the corridor is marked with 27 key stations and except one all its stations will be underground. The cost of the project is Rs23,136 crore.ReadMumbai metro-3: Shiv Sena rejects BJP?s proposal to give 4,000 sqm plot at Andheri

Parmeet Kaur

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

One arrested for attack on former int'l athlete in Delhi

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/powerlifter-anil-sharma-delhi-assault/1/1013846.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi police today arrested a 34-year-old man who was accused of beating former international powerlifter Anil Sharma in Delhi last week. The accused, identified as Ashwini Naath alias Aashu, told the police that he and the other accused had a heated argument with Sharma after which they attacked him. He confessed that he was unaware of intensity of Sharma's injuries.

A day after former international powerlifter Anil Sharma was attacked by a group of men, Delhi Police arrested the main accused and have also identified his other accomplices. The main accused has been identified as Ashu, who has a criminal background. He was arrested from his friend's house and has confessed his involvement in the crime. He told police that last Friday, Sharma called him him and asked him to meet. According to police, after Sharma along with his two friends returned from a hotel, they went to Paharganj area near Ashu's residence where Ashu reached with his friends. When Ashu met him, an argument took place that soon became heated followed by a scuffle. SHARMA FIGHTING FOR LIFESharma is battling for his life at BL Kapoor Hospital where doctors have removed one of his kidneys, pancreas and some parts of the intestine as they were completely damaged during the attack. The attackers smashed him with bricks and rods. Meanwhile, Ashu claimed it was an unplanned attack that occurred due to sudden provocation. He admitted he was unaware about the intensity of the injuries, police said quoting his confessional statement. The police team has identified the remaining accused and raids are on to nab them.

Dishant Sharma

06 Apr 2017,Thursday

Viv Richards blames 'arrogant' West Indies board for decline

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/viv-richards-west-indies-champions-trophy-2107-world-cup-2019/1/921855.html

West Indies cricketing legend Viv Richards has called the West Indies' cricket board 'arrogant' and has blamed it for the decline in WI's cricket. West Indies have failed to qualify for June's Champions Trophy, where the top eight ODI sides will compete. The team is also at a risk of missing out on an automatic berth for World Cup 2019.

Batting great Viv Richards has slammed "arrogant" Caribbean administrators for thinking they are as important as players and has laid the blame for the decline of West Indies cricket firmly at their door.West Indies were world beaters in the 1970s and 1980s when Richards was in his pomp but are no longer among the top sides in the test and 50-over formats. (Also Read:  Virat must have felt strongly to make 'no longer friends' statement: Viv Richards to India Today)They have failed to qualify for June's Champions Trophy, where the top eight one-day international sides will compete, and also risk missing out on an automatic berth for the 2019 World Cup.From Friday, West Indies host Pakistan in a three-ODI series that could prove crucial to their hopes of an automatic World Cup berth but most of their best players will be taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL). (Also Read:  IPL's success has been shared around by all the teams: Viv Richards to India Today)"When you have an arrogant administrative unit, guys are going to pick and choose," Richards told ESPNcricinfo in an interview."We must remember that many of the players come from humble backgrounds."I have no qualms in saying this, some of these administrators think they are as important as the players on the field. They are not."The top seven teams and hosts England have direct berths at the 2019 World Cup with the cut-off date being the end of September. West Indies are currently ranked ninth and risk having to play the qualifiers.A number of high-profile players have declined the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) central contract in the last few years, plying their trade in T20 tournaments across the globe."I think it is a bigger issue than about the guys playing in our domestic competition," Richards added."Most of the guys played there when they first started out, that's what they wanted to do."But when you get an administration who thinks that they are the most important entity where West Indies cricket is concerned, they better wake up."The 65-year-old, the most destructive batsman of his era, hit 24 hundreds in 121 tests in the glory days of Caribbean cricket.He thinks the current situation might not be terminal if former players can be brought back into the fold.

Shubhodeep Datta

23 Apr 2017,Sunday

Minister Babul Supriyo shares wrong pic of Rajkot bus stand

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/babul-supriyo-rajkot-bus-stand-gujarat-fake/1/933711.html

Union Minister Babul Supriyo has shared a photo of a yet-to-be-built bus stand in Gujarat's Rajkot while saying that it has already been inaugurated. The photo later turned out to be a computer-aided drawing of the bus stand. However, Supriyo later admitted that he had got the photo from a friend, and had "blindly" posted it with the same text.

Minister of State, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo tweeted a photo of a bus stand that is yet to be built in Gujarat's Rajkot saying the bus stand has been inaugurated. This is not an Airportâ?¢It's not in London or New York eitherâ?¢It's the New Bus Stand inaugrated in Rajkot, Gujarat ð???ð??? pic.twitter.com/uSrLo9PfJ1Three photos that show how the bus stand in Gujarat's Rajkot would look once the construction is completed are being shared widely on social media platforms and instant messaging applications like WhatsApp. These photos are also being shared by biggies like Harsh Goenka saying it's a new bus stand built in Gujarat.This is not the new airport, it's the new bus stand, Rajkot. #IncredibleIndiapic.twitter.com/5ZzWgk2XAYHere are the photos that are going viral on social media. These photos are 3D CAD representations of the proposed bus stand in Rajkot.Soon after Babul Supriyo tweeted the 3D CAD projection of how the Rajkot bus stand will look like, but describing it saying, "This is not an airport, it's not in London or New York, it's the new bus stand inaugurated in Rajkot, Gujarat," Twitter users called him out on it and corrected him.@SuPriyoBabul Inaugurated? This is a 3D CAD representation ð???. Ppl will start doubting the intelligence of elected MP's coz of ppl like u. @indraniiyc@AbrahamRoyMani@SuPriyoBabul Asansol is also getting this 3D Development in Virtual world not in real... sad...And Babul ji is busy in Flattering @narendramodi@ManshiSwiftie@SuPriyoBabul@uttamknights Don't you see its already ready. When a BJP MP has declared means its ready. The whole Bus station was made in a single day with 3D printer.@supriyobabul@pm_travel_tours Nostardamus ne kata the .. Rajkot Bus Stand will be better than London airport@Maila_Kameez@SuPriyoBabul Nostradamus Rajkotus foolus bhaktus. Memberus Parliamentus stupidus propagandus.@brumbyOz@paynchOm Welcome to the real, functional and pretty amazing VADODARA CENTRAL BUS STATION..Rajkot will have similar soon. Don't u worry..! pic.twitter.com/YGDc4DNYKYReally?ð???My DonBosco Classmate RakeshMundhra sent is 2 meâ?¢Posted it blindly with the same textâ?¢Admit, my friend has caused me embarrassmentð??¡ https://t.co/9vUlkV7l55@SuPriyoBabul Sir Urban Development ministry aap sambhal rahe hai ya aapka Don Bosco school ka friend?@SuPriyoBabul Kyu apne dost ko badnam kar rahe ho,he might have also got it from somewhere as an forward!

Rini Sinha

08 Jun 2017,Thursday

Dangal actress slammed for wearing swimsuit during Ramzan

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/fatima-sana-shaikh-swimsuit-photoshoot-trolled-ramadan/1/973473.html

Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh was slammed for wearing a swimsuit during Ramzan in a picture she shared on social media. Some users compared her to a slut and criticised her for wearing "inappropriate", "indecent" clothes during Ramzan. Meanwhile, other users supported the actress and said that it's her choice to wear what she wants.

When Fatima Sana Shaikh posted pictures of herself in a swimsuit online, little did she know of the kind of attention she would attract. The Dangal actor can be seen chilling on the beach in Maldives in a black halter swimsuit in her latest photoshoot, and appreciation for her pictures soon started pouring in. But it did not end there. Soon, some self-proclaimed guardians of Islam started slut-shaming Fatima for dressing 'inappropriately' during the holy month of Ramadan.A post shared by Fatima Sana Shaikh (@fatimasanashaikh) on Jun 6, 2017 at 10:20pm PDTA post shared by Fatima Sana Shaikh (@fatimasanashaikh) on Jun 6, 2017 at 10:20pm PDTWhile many started trolling her for her choice of attire, Fatima had her share of supporters as well. Fans of the actor were happy to see her in a completely different avatar from her Dangal days and slammed haters for trying to pull her down using the name of religion.

Radhika Chugh

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

Remove Emergency, scam references from Maha textbooks: Opp'n

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/remove-emergency-and-bofors-references-from-textbooks-in-maharashtra-opposition/story-Kd8w7JaMGOIUIWWre819fI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Opposition has demanded that the Maharashtra government remove the names of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi from state board textbooks in reference to the Emergency and Bofors scam. The BJP-led state government was trying to drive its political agenda by influencing educational material, Congress' Sanjay Dutt alleged. The house had to be adjourned to let the chaos die down.

The Opposition slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government for mentioning the names of former Congress Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in state board history textbooks in reference to the Emergency and Bofors scam, respectively. Legislators raised uproar in the state legislative council demanding the government delete these references and alleged the state government is trying to drive its political agenda by influencing educational material. Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar had to adjourn the house for 10 minutes for the chaos to die down. Congress? Sanjay Dutt who raised the issue in the upper house said, ?The defamatory reference to former PM Indira Gandhi while mentioning the Emergency and Rajiv Gandhi about Bofors in the state school board?s history and political science textbook for Class 9 should be removed. This is the state government?s attempt to drive political influence and will not be tolerated.? Legislators from the Congress as well as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supported the demand, saying there is little description of all significant achievements of Congress and NCP leaders in the textbooks. State school education minister Vinod Tawde said the minister does not have any role in it and the textbooks are written by a committee of experts. ?I don?t have the authority to scrap anything from textbooks or make changes. I will convey the sentiments of the house to the committee. There is absolutely no political interference,? Tawde said. The BJP minister said it is unfair to say the government has omitted the description of significant achievements of Congress and NCP leaders. ?The textbook has references to Indira Gandhi?s role in privatization of banks, creation of Bangladesh or Rajiv Gandhi?s approach in the conflict in Sri Lanka and so on,? he said.

Chhavi Tyagi

13 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Note ban a case of khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya: Chidambaram

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/chidambaram-top-10-quotes-rs-500-1000-notes-black-money-demonetisation/1/833253.html

Criticising the Centre's demonetisation move, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "It is a case of 'khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya' (much ado about nothing)." He further said, "It is an illusion that demonetisation is intended to hurt the rich and benefit poor. I don't see any rich man getting affected."

Another day, another attack by the Opposition on demonetisation. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, considered one of the finest minds in his party, today called the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes a "scam" and claimed it has broken the back of the poor."I am affected. I am not able to get my Rs 24000 and therefore I am complaining," Chidambaram said in Nagpur as he lashed out at the government.

Sonu Kumari

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Sarai Kale Khan to be the biggest transport hub of Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/delhi-s-biggest-transport-hub-coming-up-at-sarai-kale-khan/story-cdFKPmQfC2yYMNXYbXb9ZM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi government has announced plans to make Sarai Kale Khan the biggest transport hub of Delhi. Along with high-speed trains connecting the airport to Gurugram, Panipat, Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Alwar, it will also have a metro station, and a railway station. Sarai Kale Khan already has an Interstate Bus Terminus which will be redeveloped under the plan.

Three high-speed trains connecting the airport to Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Panipat and Alwar; a metro station connecting the entire Delhi; a railway station and an interstate bus terminus ? Sarai Kale Khan is going to be the biggest transport hub of Delhi. The Delhi government has planned an Rs 550 crore makeover plan for the existing bus terminal with interchange facility for every mode of transport. Facilitated with lifts, escalators, walkalators, foot overbridges and underpasses, all modes of transport will come under one roof. Currently, interstate buses and trains bound for Mumbai side operates from Sarai Kale Khan, which is next to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station. The metro station will be on line 7 of Delhi Metro connecting Mukundpur (Majlis Park) to Shiv Vihar.?We are going to develop it as a major transport hub. This will be a one stop destination for the need of travellers within Delhi and outside Delhi too. A plan has been prepared, where commercial spaces like malls and food courts will be developed and all modes of transport will be interlinked,? said a transport department official.Delhi government?s transport department has prepared the plan, but the public works department might execute the project. A discussion on this is currently on and the project will be completed in two years.?Currently, there is haphazard movement of traffic. We want the UP-bound buses to start from here and the footfall will increase first after the operation of Delhi Metro in 2018 and then the operation of Delhi-Meerut high-speed rail corridor in 2023. We are developing it in a way so that it can handle over 10 lakh passengers every day,? the official added.The underground metro station at Sarai Kale Khan will be operational by next year and will connect the commuters with almost every part of the capital.?Interchange is our focus and future projects are kept in a mind while developing the area. We don?t want passengers to come out from one system to use another. Everything will be under one roof and even the ticketing system will be integrated. Our three lines will connect at Sarai Kale Khan. So for us, this is the main point,? said Vinay Kumar Singh, managing director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is executing the high-speed rail corridors.The Delhi government will also develop the area around it, so that it is accessible from private and public modes of transport.?A loop has been constructed at Barapullah exclusively for interstate buses, so that they don?t have to get stuck in jam. The new structure that will come up will be directly connected with the loop. To reduce congestion on the main ring road, another flyover will be constructed,? a PWD official said.

Chhavi Tyagi

06 Jan 2017,Friday

Pellets of cocaine recovered from stomachs of 2 foreigners

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/drugs-stomach-delhi-airport-pellets-cocaine/1/850925.html

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has intercepted and arrested two foreigners, a woman and a man, from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport for carrying capsules of drugs in their stomach. While as many as 65 pellets of cocaine have been recovered from the Brazilian woman's stomach so far, doctors have taken out 90 pellets from the Afghani man's stomach.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has intercepted and arrested two foreigners at different times, foiling a massive drug deal made for New Year parties.The NCB had put its all machinery on action on all the eve of New Year when drugs are widely used in rave parties. Acting on this task, Delhi Zonal Unit of Narcotics Control Bureau had put its all focus on the foreigners coming to Delhi through IGI Airport to supply drugs in Delhi NCR.   One of the two foreigners, a 38-year-old Brazilian woman identified as Joseane Da Silva Antunes, was trying to smuggle in capsules of cocaine in her stomach and was intercepted on December 30 at Delhi's IGI airport. She was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Joseane is said to be have been travelling from Sao Paulo via Dubai, and having a booking at Paharganj Hotel. Meanwhile, a 50-year-old Afghani nationalist named Mohammad Qasem was caught at the same airport on Wednesday. He too was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Doctors have taken out 90 pellets from his stomach. Reports say the man was supposed to deliver the consignment at Malviya Nagar in Delhi.The seized narcotics consignment is said to be worth crores of rupees.The agency is still on the look out for more such smugglers coming to Delhi. This is a big jolt to the drug traffickers and users. All persons involved in the racket are being identified and action is being planned accordingly. The swallow method is not easy to detect as there are no mechanism to identify any concealment inside body. Only after applying profiling techniques, the suspects were identified.

Chhavi Tyagi

25 Feb 2017,Saturday

NHAI cuts over 8,000 trees in Gurugram to build flyovers

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gurugram-nhai-chops-trees-to-build-flyover-underpass-green-cover/1/891101.html

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has chopped more than 8,000 trees in Gurugram to develop a flyover and three underpasses. While environmentalists have criticised NHAI for the move in the name of development, meteorological department officials have raised concerns about a possible increase in temperature by 2-3 degrees.

Millennium city in Gurugram is paying a heavy price for roads and big infrastructure projects. Local forest department sources told Mail Today on Friday that the NHAI has chopped more than 8,000 trees to develop a flyover and three underpasses. Environmentalists are criticising NHAI for this "eco-disaster in the name of development". Meteorological department officials too raised concerns about possible increase in temperature by 2 to 3 degrees. Sources said the road agency has not given any blueprint about developing green channels to compensate for felled trees. "Trees were chopped mercilessly and many of these were fullgrown and more than 25 years old," said Vivek Kamboj, a city based environmentalist.

Chhavi Tyagi

21 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Why don't they raid Amit Shah and others, asks Mamata

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mamata-banerjee-tamil-nadu-secretary-amit-shah-modi/1/839662.html

Reacting to Income Tax raids conducted at Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohan Rao's residence, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "Why don't they raid Amit Shah and others who are collecting money?" Banerjee further said, "While corruption needs to be condemned, raid on TN Chief Secretary by Central agencies devalues the institution of the head of civil services."

Ever since Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of high-value currency, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been on the offensive, hitting out at the government for causing inconvenience to people.The Trinamool Chief today took to Twitter to lash out at the Modi government for its "vindictive" politics. The Chief Minister reacted to the news of the Income Tax raid at the house of Tamil Nadu chief secretary.Why don't they raid Amit Shah and others who are collecting money? 3/6

Aarushi Maheshwari

24 Jan 2017,Tuesday

Sydney gelato store serves rose-shaped ice creams

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/i-creamy-rose-shaped-ice-cream-gelato-sydney-australia-lifefd/1/864327.html

A gelato store in the Australian city of Sydney serves colourful rose-shaped ice creams. The store manager of i-Creamy, Pat says, "We sculpt each flower petal by petal. Each flower gelato contains about 20 petals." The ice cream flavours include Caramel Choco Chip, Peanut Butter, Pop Corn, and Thai Milk Tea.

If love is what roses are supposed to signify, imagine having your symbol of love carved out in the most delicious dessert!A perfect orgasmic food mash-up is what Australia is rejoicing over and these Instagram pictures will tell you why.A gelato store in Sydney called i-Creamy has left visitors and tourists drooling over the most colourful rose-shaped ice-creams. "We are the first and the only gelateria that serves the flower-shaped gelato in Australia at the moment," was what store manager Pat told Mashable, via Messenger.Also Read:10 chocolate ice creams that you'll never regret eating Over 1500 flower gelatos have been served till now, reveals the i-Creamy's website, with 24 delicious flavours rotating daily. The website calls the flavours 'temptingly delicious', and undoubtedly so, given its sheer variety ranging from Caramel Choco Chip, Peanut Butter to Pop Corn, Thai Milk Tea and what not!

Sanira Mediratta

19 Mar 2017,Sunday

Why are lights in plane dimmed during take off and landing?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/airplane-dim-lights-take-off-landing-travel-lifetr/1/847577.html

The lights in an airplane are dimmed during take off and landing as a precautionary measure to allow passengers' eyes to pre-adjust to lower light, in case of an emergency. It helps people to be aware of their surroundings during an emergency evacuation. Additionally, the emergency markings in the aisle and the exit signs are more visible in the dark.

You may be a regular air traveller but have you ever wondered why planes dim their lights while taking off and landing? Many travellers are unclear whether it is a deliberate move on the part of the airline to draw the attention of the passengers or merely a dramatic stunt before commencing or ending the journey.Well, allow us to help and set things right.Also Read: Now, you can buy air-travel tickets on EMI

Tarun Khanna

13 May 2017,Saturday

UP govt mulls 'no school bag day' on Saturdays

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/up-govt-considering-no-school-bag-day-on-saturdays/1/952703.html

The Uttar Pradesh government is considering to make Saturdays 'no school bag day' in the state-run schools. As per the proposal, the school kids would be allowed to come to school without school bags so that they can enjoy the creative activities. Earlier, the government had decided to replace the khaki dress in state-run schools with a new uniform.

Lucknow, May 12 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government is considering a proposal to declare "no school bag day" on Saturdays in state-run schools. This was conveyed at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma here, an official release said here today. School kids will be allowed to come to school without their school bags on Saturdays so that they can enjoy themselves in creative activities, it said. It will establish good rapport between students and teachers and help in their personality development, it added. Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government decided to bid goodbye to the khaki dress worn by students of government schools. From the new session in July, students will be seen in new uniform comprising pink-and-white check shirt with brown collar and brown trousers for boys and similar shirt with brown skirt for girls. At the senior level, girl students will wear brown salwar, red kurta with a brown dupatta. There are 1.78 crore children studying in 1.68 lakh government schools in 75 districts of the state. These include 1.14 lakh primary schools (class I -V) and 54,000 upper primary schools (class VI-VIII).

Abhishek Bansal

12 Apr 2017,Wednesday

CBSE denies textbook said 36-24-36 was ideal female figure

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cbse-denies-textbook-36-24-36-ideal-female-figure/1/927328.html

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has denied reports that its Class 12 textbook suggested that 36-24-36 was the ideal female body shape. "CBSE does not recommend books by any private publishers to the affiliate schools," the board stated. The book referred to in the media reports is titled 'Health and Physical Education', published by New Saraswati House.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has denied reports that its Class 12 textbook has suggested 36-24-36 figure to be the best body shape for females."The reference to CBSE in this news is vehemently denied. It is totally incorrect and does not have any credible base," a statement issued by the board said.The book referred to in the media reports is titled 'Health and Physical Education' authored by Dr VK Sharma and published by New Saraswati House."CBSE does not recommend books by any private publishers to the affiliate schools. Rule 15.1 (d) of the Affiliation-bye-laws of the Board clearly states that the school will follow the syllabus on the basis of curriculum prescribed by NCERT/CBSE and textbooks published by NCERT or CBSE as far as practicable," the statement said.According to the rules, schools have to exercise extreme care while selecting books of private publishers."The content must be scrutinised to preclude any objectionable content that hurts the feelings of any class, community, gender, religious group in society if prescribing books having such content, the school will have to take the responsibility of such content," the CBSE said."The action seems to be wilful and only to malign the name of a responsible organisation like CBSE," it said.The textbook had even reasoned that Miss World and Miss Universe beauty pageants take the 36-24-36 body shape into consideration while judging their contestants.

Mansha Mahajan

07 Jul 2017,Friday

Kumar Mangalam Birla took ?22.5 crore salary from UltraTech

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/km-birla-took-home-rs-22.50cr-salary-from-ultratech-in-fy17/1/996651.html

Cement major UltraTech's Chairman and Non-Executive Director Kumar Mangalam Birla received an annual remuneration of ?22.50 crore in 2016-17. Birla's remuneration from UltraTech saw an increase of 18.2% from the previous financial year. Notably, his remuneration was in contrast to just ?3.3 lakh he earned from his group's telecom arm Idea Cellular.

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Cement major Ultratechs Chairman and Non-Executive Director Kumar Mangalam Birla received an annual remuneration of Rs 22.50 crore in FY2016-17 in contrast to just Rs 3.3 lakh he earned from his groups telecom arm Idea Cellular. Birlas remuneration from Ultratech last fiscal saw an increase of 18.2 per cent from the previous financial year, according to the companys annual report for 2016-17. During the financial year, there was an increase of 8.6 per cent in the median remuneration of employees at Rs 5.80 lakh. The ratio of Birlas remuneration to the median remuneration of employees was at 387.90, it added. This is contrast with ABNL groups telecom arm Idea Cellular, where Birla is the Chairman. He was paid Rs 3.3 lakh only as remuneration in FY 2016-17 as sitting fee for the meetings of the company attended by him. The ratio of his remuneration in Idea Cellular to the median remuneration of employees was 0.42.

Chhavi Tyagi

23 Feb 2017,Thursday

Kerala police chief apologises for moral policing case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kerala-moral-policing-police-chief-apologises-facebook-live/1/888845.html

After a Kerala couple's Facebook Live video of the cops moral policing them over public display of affection (PDA) went viral recently, the state police chief has posted an apology note on his Facebook page. "In our country we impose self-restrain on PDA due to our culture and tradition," writes the chief, "though there is no legal ban for PDA."

Yesterday, we reported a story of how some Kerala police officers detained of a man and woman from the Napier Museum compound in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, accusing them of indulging in "vulgar" activities.#FYI: Kerala youngsters go live on Facebook as cops try to moral policeResponding to this incident of moral policing, Kerala Police Chief posted an apology note on Facebook, pointing out that no one, not even the police, "has the right to disturb or harass any couple anywhere,".The state police chief wrote that an inquiry has been initiated to investigate the matter."In our country we impose self-restrain on Public Display of Affection (PDA) due to our culture and tradition," writes the chief, "though there is no legal ban for PDA."The youngsters detained yesterday had gone live on Facebook to get back at the police officers harassing them, who weren't able to specify what sort of "indecent" act they were caught in. Soon, the video went viral, garnering over 65,000 views within six hours. The Kerala Police Chief wrote that he was "pained" to learn about the incident, adding that the police is the "law enforcement agency," and not the "moral keeper of the society,".HERE'S THE CHIEF'S FULL APOLOGY NOTE:"I am pained to learn the complaint (though I have not received), about some police personnel (Vanitha Police), who reportedly misbehaved with a couple in the premises of the Museum, Thiruvananthapuram yesterday (21.02.2017). This, I wish, had not happened. As the State Police Chief, I have ordered an enquiry to be conducted by Shri. Manoj Abraham IPS, IGP, Thiruvananthapuram Range. The law of the land is very clear. No one has the right to disturb or harass any couple anywhere more so in public places. In our country we impose self-restrain on Public Display of Affection (PDA) due to our culture and tradition, though there is no legal ban for PDA.

Saloni Tandon

09 Mar 2017,Thursday

Sports Min to set up grievances panel for women athletes

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vijay-goel-sports-minister-grievances-sportswomen-international-womens-day/1/899869.html

Sports Minister Vijay Goel announced on International Women's Day that the Ministry will soon set up a panel to tackle grievances of female athletes. The panel will include athletes, advocates and senior officials of the Ministry apart from a woman sports journalist, under the Chairmanship of Joint Secretary (Sports). "The ministry follows a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment," Goel said.

Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Wednesday announced that a high level committee will be constituted to address the grievances and complaints of women sports persons under the chairmanship of Joint Secretary (Sports).Addressing a conference on 'Women and Sports in India', on the occasion of International Women's Day, Goel said the other members of the high level panel will include athletes, advocates and senior officials of the ministry apart from a woman sports journalist.

Radhika Chugh

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

Stack parkings to be developed near 10 Delhi Metro stations

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/beating-land-crunch-delhi-civic-bodies-to-develop-stack-parkings-near-metro-stations/story-Yx0HYK8rFPG1ZmZQNwlo5J.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi civic bodies have decided to construct stack parking lots next to 10 Delhi Metro stations, with six such parking lots to be constructed in north Delhi, three in south Delhi and one in east Delhi. The parking facilities will reportedly be open to the visitors as well as the residents living in the neighbourhood areas.

To meet the increasing demand for parking space near Metro stations, the municipal corporations have decided to construct stack parking lots next to 10 busy stations across the city.Stations that have been identified for the project are Punjabi Bagh, Madipur, Udyog Nagar, Nangloi, Mundka, Pratap Nagar, Ghitorni, Okhla, Indraprastha Estate and Seelampur. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will transfer plots of various sizes to the three civic bodies along the identified stations. Six plots are in north Delhi, three in south and one in east.North corporation commissioner Praveen Gupta said that the process of transferring the land from DMRC to north corporation will be completed soon. ?All the correspondence has been done between the two departments and we have initiated the tendering process for the construction,? said Gupta.The six stack parking lots in north Delhi are expected to provide space for 7,897 cars. According to officials, these parking facilities will help the visitors as well as the residents living in neighbourhood areas as they can park their cars here. Explaining the reasons for constructing multi-level car parking lots, north MCD additional commissioner Renu Jagdev, said: ?The plots near Metro stations are small in size and located along the main roads so we can?t construct multi-level car parking facilities,? she said.With the help of computers, information about the vacant slots would be easily accessible. Customers will be given a computerised receipt, said an official.Under the south corporation, the system is under consideration for implementation at three locations ? Ghitorni, Okhla and Indraprastha Estate. ?We have got the letter from DMRC regarding transferring of plots and we are working over the project of developing car parking lots here soon,? said Puneet Goel, commissioner, SDMC.Meanwhile, North MCD has completed the tendering process for construction of stack parking lots opposite Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital, Asaf Ali Road.

Rini Sinha

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Dileep's police custody extended in actress abduction case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kerala-actress-abduction-court-extends-dileep-custody/1/1001857.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actor Dileep's police custody has been extended till July 15 in the Malayalam actress abduction case. Reports also suggest that his bail plea will be heard tomorrow. Dileep got linked to the Malayalam actress abduction case after his name was mentioned in the letter of a jail inmate, who shared the cell with the prime accused Pulsar Suni.

Malayalam actor Dileep's bail application was again rejected today. The Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court extended his police custody by a day.The prosecution mentioned that the accused is not cooperating and so they are unable to proceed with the investigation.Before announcing her decision, magistrate Leena Riyas asked the actor whether he faced any issues while in police custody. Dileep said he did not have any problems.The prosecution informed the court that they will be able to submit a CD with evidence to it in a sealed cover. They claimed that the CD will lend credence to their investigation.The court extended Dileep's police police remand by one more day.Earlier this week, actor Dileep was arrested in connection with Malayalam actress abduction and assault case.A Suresan, who has been appointed the special prosecutor by the Kerala government, argued that the police have enough evidence against the accused but it is taking time to tie them together. He said, "The whole world is watching this event, we are not suppressing any evidence."Dileep's lawyer K Ramkumar stated that the police are trying to go after his client by piecing together evidence which does not prove he was involved. He said, "You cannot go after an accused without witnesses. The media has taken the role of a judge."Till 5 pm tomorrow, until the police custody of Dileep's will continue, the Kerala police have another task. They have to hunt down Appuni, Dileep's manager who has is absconding. Appuni has five mobile numbers and all of them are switched off.The case is now not just about the attack on a Malayalam actress but also regarding Dileep's real estate investments and land related deals. More skeletons seem to be tumbling out of the closet. The Enforcement Directorate officials visited Aluva Police Club today and collected several documents in connection with the actor's land and real estate deals.ALSO READ: Dileep's bail plea to be heard todayALSO READ: Kerala actress  says she had personal problems with Dileep

Gaurav Shroff

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Saving one tiger yields capital benefit of ?260 crore: Study

http://www.hindustantimes.com/environment/saving-2-tigers-gives-more-value-than-the-cost-of-mangalyaan/story-s17glKMyLKHeuEHzwpidZM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An economic valuation of tiger reserves in India has claimed that saving one tiger yields a capital benefit of about ?260 crore. The economic benefits from six tiger reserves analysed were found to be at ?1.5 lakh crore per year. India, which houses 60% of the world?s tigers, has spent around ?1,200 crore in last 35 years of tiger conservation.

Comparing tigers and Mangalyaan may seem bizarre but a new bio-economic analysis throws up interesting statistics -- saving two big cats gives more value than the cost of India?s much-hyped maiden mission to Mars.In a one-of-its-kind analysis, an Indo-Australian team of scientists has published a paper titled ?Making the hidden visible: Economic valuation of tiger reserves in India? in the journal Ecosystem Services.It says saving two tigers yields a capital benefit of about Rs 520 crore; in comparison ISRO?s maiden mission to mars Mangalyaan cost the country Rs 450 crore.According to the last estimate, India is home to 2,226 adult tigers which would mean a capital benefit of about Rs 5.7 lakh crore -- almost equivalent to a third of the total currency that was demonetised by the government!So conservationists say saving tigers makes good economic sense!This is when many of the ecosystem benefits accruing to the society by conserving natural habitats where tiger is the apex species simply cannot be assigned any monetary value.Even then, the benefits of saving tigers throws up a huge number.The scientists looked at six tiger reserves and estimated that conserving them was equivalent of keeping a secure capital of USD 230 billion which they call ?stock benefits? of these tiger reserves.The 11-member team says estimating monetary values of ecosystem services from biodiversity can help in making conservation more appealing and benefits from biodiversity more visible to policy makers.The team led by Professor Madhu Verma from the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, says tiger reserves in India not only support more than half of the global tiger population and are cornerstones of biodiversity conservation, they also provide a wide range of economic, social and cultural benefits in the form of ecosystem services.?Ignorance of such values influences public policies, including decisions involving investments and allocation of funding that may impact their protection status with serious implications on human wellbeing. Through economic valuation of ecosystem services from six tiger reserves in India, we demonstrate that enhanced investment in these tiger reserves is economically rational,? he says.The team analysed the economic benefits accruing to the country from Corbett Tiger Reserve that is home to 215 tigers, Kanha Reserve (80 tigers), Kaziranga (106), Periyar Reserve (35), Ranthambore (46), and the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (76).The tiger estimates are all from 2014 when the National Tiger Conservation Authority gave its last countrywide census figures.A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that each tiger has a flow benefit of about USD 2.19 million per year.This can be viewed as the interest one earns annually by conserving each tiger. Towards this, the total annual expenditure to maintain these six tiger reserves was just about Rs 23 crore.A very crass economic cost benefit analysis suggests that the return on investment for saving each tiger is of the order 356 times the investment.No industry or service can boast of such a high rate of return.?This new way of green accounting is seldom considered by traditional economists,? says Rajesh Gopal, former head of Project Tiger and currently Secretary-General of the Global Tiger Forum in New Delhi.India is currently home to 60 per cent of the world?s tigers and through the establishment of 50 tiger reserves, the numbers of adult tigers living in the wild has been steadily increasing from a low of 1,411 tigers in 2006 to reaching a peak of 2,226 in 2015 when the last estimate was made.The next countrywide census will be carried out in 2018.Making a case for increased investments for tiger conservation, Gopal says, ?In the last 35 years of tiger conservation in India, the government has spent close to Rs 1,200 crore or about USD 180 million and the simple stock benefits from the six tiger reserves that have been analysed comes to USD 23,056 million per year.?This is an eye opener.Today, 2.3 per cent of the geographical area of the country is covered under protected tiger reserves and to drive home his point of economic benefits Gopal says some 300 small and big rivers originate from the protected forests, whose downstream benefits are invaluable.Gopal, who is a co-author of this unique study, says ?estimating the anthropocentric benefits of a natural ecosystem is almost impossible as there are many-many intangible benefits?.To expand the same, Verma adds, ?We still do not have adequate information or understanding about ecosystems, all the species, and the various ways in which these enhance human well-being that we can objectively estimate a value for each of them.?There are also ethical issues inherent in the process, the intrinsic value i.e., the value of wild species in their own right.??However?, he says ?recognition of even a conservative estimate of some of these intangible benefits from tiger reserves is likely to demonstrate their significance and provide adequate justification for conservation of these tiger habitats. The underlying objective of the initiative was to make the hidden benefits emanating from and embedded in tiger reserves visible to economies and society.?Tiger conservationists point out that the rice plant that saved India from near starvation in the last century was a variety called IR-8. This high-yielding rice variety was bred using wild rice plants collected from the tiger habitats now part of Chhattisgarh.?The tiger is an umbrella species under whose shadow millions of other organisms are being saved,? says Gopal.He says one of the objectives of establishing Project Tiger was ?to ensure continuity of natural evolutionary processes?.Now green accounting is giving conservation a whole new dimension for conserving tigers.?The need of the hour is green planning,? asserts Gopal.

Abhishek Bansal

29 May 2017,Monday

After defeating Kiwis, Kohli shares picture from team dinner

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/virat-kohli-icc-chamions-trophy-team-india-india-vs-pakistan/1/965587.html

Indian captain Virat Kohli has shared a picture of himself with teammates MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav, among others, at a restaurant. "One from last night, meal with the boys after a good day at work!" wrote Kohli. India had beaten New Zealand by 45 runs (D/L method) in a rain-curtailed warm-up match on Sunday.

The Indian team is enjoying their time in England as they gear up to defend the ICC Champions Trophy starting next month.After beating New Zealand by 45 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method in a rain-curtailed warm-up match at the Oval on Sunday, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, Umesh Yadav and a few other Indian cricketers, were seen chilling enjoying dinner at a London restaurant.Umesh Yadav posted the picture on his Instagram account with a caption -- "Had a good time with my team mates." Kohli also later tweeted a selfie he had clicked. One from last night, meal with the boys after a good day at work! ð???ð??? pic.twitter.com/DamELk435LHad a good time with my team mates #dinner#fun#ð???ð???ð???A post shared by Umesh Yadav (@umeshyaadav) on May 28, 2017 at 1:52pm PDTIndia displayed a dominant performance against the Black Caps at the Kennington Oval. The Indian pacers led the charge and Ravindra Jadeja supported them ably, taking two important wickets at crucial junctures of the innings. Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets apiece to bowl New Zealand out for a paltry total of 189.Good day on the field for us today...@BCCI@ashwinravi99@DineshKarthikpic.twitter.com/3iNs0dLXRYChasing the target, India lost Ajinkya Rahane early but Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli struck a 68-run partnership for the second wicket before the left-hander fell for a 59-ball 40. The champions soon lost Dinesh Karthik for a duck but Kohli steadied the ship along with the incoming Mahendra Singh Dhoni to guide India to 129/3 from 26 overs before rain stopped play. Kohli was looking in great touch, scoring 52* off 55 balls while Dhoni was batting on 17* as India looked well on course to chase down the target. However, heavy rainfall didn't allow any further play, handing India an easy victory as they were ahead of the par score of 84.6ï¸?â?£ WATCH @msdhoni's maximum against New Zealand! ð??®ð??³ #IndvNZpic.twitter.com/dxP8LCagPpThe Indian captain was in a good mood after the match got over. Kohli was interacting with the fans and obliging them with autographs from the stands.ð??®ð??³ vs ð??³ð??¿ #CT17 warm-up match - After India won on D/L, the skipper @imVkohli obliged the fans #INDvNZpic.twitter.com/ITrepEkSqqBefore the match against New Zealand, Dhawan also posted a video of him and his Delhi teammate, Kohli -- singing and dancing in the bus before their practice session.

Parmeet Kaur

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Students, teachers protest over delay in MU results

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-university-results-delay-degree-college-students-teachers-protest/story-Qvh3HZ9DdiSiRuzFGtd3hL.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Students and university teachers on Monday protested in Mumbai over delays in declaration of results by University of Mumbai (MU). The university failed to declare results within 45 days of examination, as required by law, due to MU's new on-screen marking process that led to the delay. Protestors claimed this may hinder job and higher education opportunities for the students.

A group 50 students and teachers on Monday staged protested at the University of Mumbai?s (MU?s) campus,Fort, against the delay in declaring degree college results. The protesters, led by Bombay University and College Teachers? Union (BUCTU), criticised the varsity?s failure in assessing papers and declaring results within 45 days of examination ? as required by the law. They also voiced opposition to what they termed as ?extreme harassment of examiners? by issuing ? threatening? letters to them.This year, the MU adopted an on-screen marking process for assessing answersheets against the traditional pen-and-paper evaluation. The decision caused a delay in declaring results, as the MU could not appoint an agency to conduct on-screen marking for a long time. Even after the process began, the technical glitches in the system slowed down the pace of assessment. After Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who also serves as chancellor of the public universities in the state, took cognisance of the issue and asked the MU to declare results by July 30, the university tried to speed up the process. Letters were issued to more than 1,000 teachers, who didn?t show up to assess papers, warning them of the consequences of skipping the assessment work.However, the teachers have asked the varsity to revoke the letter. ?It?s not the teachers, but the university which is at fault here. We do report to Centralised Assessment Programmes (CAP) centres, but often there are no papers available for assessment on the server. Many of us are yet to be allotted CAP centres,? said Balasaheb Salve, a teacher from BNN College, Bhiwandi, and a member of BUCTU.The protestors have suggested that delaying the results amounts to blocking job and higher education opportunities to the students. They will demand increasing the capacity of OSM, while advocating yet stronger intervention by the chancellor.

Niharika Prabhakar

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Bombay HC criticises state for condition of tribal schools

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/bombay-high-court-pulls-up-maharashtra-government-on-pitiable-state-of-tribal-schools/story-Uvmd74XifpVHowhg9R0XML.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Bombay High Court on Friday criticised the Maharashtra government for the 'pitiable' and 'ridiculous' condition of its residential schools in tribal areas. Nearly 800 children have died over the last ten years in these schools due to negligence. The state was directed to provide students basic facilities such as clean drinking water, mattresses, healthcare, and toilets.

The Bombay high court on Friday criticised the Maharashtra government for its apathy towards students in its ashram (residential) schools in tribal areas. Terming the condition of such schools ?pitiable? and ?ridiculous?, a bench of justices RM Savant and Sadhana Jadhav said that the state had wasted time by constituting one committee after another but and had taken no steps to improve the infrastructure and facilities of these schools.The bench directed the secretary of the state tribal welfare department to file within three weeks a compliance report, including remedial measures, to improve the conditions of ashram schools in Maharashtra. It directed the state to provide basic facilities such as clean drinking water, mattresses, healthcare, toilets etc.These schools, meant primarily for children from tribal areas in the state, battle neglect and government apathy. The direction came while the bench was hearing a public interest litigation claiming that 793 children had died over the past 10 years in various ashram schools. The reasons for these deaths ranged from snake bites to fevers to other illnesses. ?This is really ridiculous. The state government is obligated to provide basic facilities. It is the government?s duty and responsibility. Except passing hollow resolutions, the government has done little to improve the condition,? the bench said. ?Immediate action must be taken to provide basic facilities such as clean and adequate number of toilets, drinking water facility, medical treatment, beddings and mattresses in hostels etc. The government must also appoint a female warden in each school that has girl students,? the bench said. The high court is likely to hear the matter on August 11.

Vani Vivek

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

PremjiInvest buys 3.26% stake in Future Lifestyle for ?196cr

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/premjiinvest-buys-3.26percent-stake-in-future-lifestyle-for-rs-196cr/1/1004443.htmlhttps://www.vccircle.com/paytm-mall-delists-85000-sellers-who-failed-to-meet-quality-standards/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Paytm_Mall_delists_85,000_sellers_for_failing_to_meet_quality_norms&utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

PremjiInvest, the investment arm of Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, on Monday bought 3.26% stake in Kishore Biyani's Future Lifestyle Fashions for nearly ?196 crore. Future Lifestyle Fashions runs fashion labels such as Indigo Nation, Scullers, and Mother Earth. The shares were sold by Bennett Coleman & Company and India Opportunities Growth Fund - Pinewood Strategy.

New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) PremjiInvest, the investment arm of Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, today bought 3.26 per cent stake in Kishore Biyanis Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd (FLFL) for nearly Rs 196 crore through open market transactions. As per the block deal data available with NSE, PI Opportunities Fund 1, part of PremjiInvest, today purchased 62 lakh shares, or 3.26 per cent stake, in FLFL. The shares were acquired at an average price of Rs 316 apiece, valuing the transaction at Rs 195.92 crore, according to the data.

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

J&K coaching centre puts terror victim, comedian's pic in ad

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/srinagar-coaching-centre-goofs-up-with-pics-of-pak-terror-victim-comedian-in-ad/story-DFfU6ZM5CZyy9FqIVp8brJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A coaching centre in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar has put pictures of a boy killed in a Pakistani school terrorist attack and of a Pakistani-Canadian comedian in a newspaper ad about its successful candidates. While some trolled the coaching centre on social media, several others raised concerns on whether such coaching centres show fake students in their successful candidates' list.

Mug shots of a school boy, one among the over 140 school kids killed in a deadly terrorist attack at a school in Peshawar in 2014, and a successful Pakistani-Canadian comedian featured in a full-page ad about a coaching centre?s successful candidates in national engineering and medical entrance exams.A full-page ad by Srinagar?s HOPE Classes in Saturday?s edition Greater Kashmir was meant to congratulate its 37 successful candidates in NEET 2017 (medical entrance) and 53 in the JEE Mains 2017. But the ad has gone horribly wrong. Both the list feature students Mohd Yaqoob and Irfan Ahmad -- and Yaqoob?s mug-shot is that of Mohammad Yaseen, killed in Peshawar school attack and Ahmad?s photo is that of Shahveer Jafry, a Pakistani comedian and video artiste.The ad has, one the one hand, led to hilarious reactions on social media while many parents have raised concerns on whether such coaching centres add names of fake students to their list of successful candidates to boost its reputation.HOPE Classes owned up the terrible mistake.?It was a mistake by a designer employed by us. Actually, photos of all the successful candidates had not arrived so he perhaps inserted available photos. It?s a mistake and in tomorrow?s newspapers we will publish a corrigendum apologising for this mistake,? a senior official of the institute told HT.The JEE Mains and NEET results site both require a candidate?s roll number and date of birth to check his or her result. The advertisement did not mention any such details of the students. Successive calls to the mobile numbers provided to find out the same were not answered. Media reports said over 12000 aspirants from J-K have qualified the NEET 2017 exam.The gaffe came to light when an immensely popular Kashmiri comedy Facebook page, Jajeer Talkies, shared comparative photos and wrote: ?Here?s a picture of Muhammad Yaseen who was killed in Peshawar Attacks. He now is selected for NEET-17 & JEE-17. Hearty congratulations from Kashmir.? Hilarious comments followed, like: ?Joke of the year !!? and ?These coaching centres i tell you! poor soul!?A Google search for ?Muhammad Yaseen Peshawar school attack? yields a series of photos of the teenage boy and several collages, featuring that particular mug-shot, are available on Instagram and Pinterest.

Radhika Chugh

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

Farmers oppose land acquisition for proposed Noida airport

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/greater-noida-farmer-leaders-oppose-acquisition-of-land-for-jewar-airport/story-XxnNoly0KRnwcYOhRK77bK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Farmer leaders of Jewar have said they will start campaigning to convince other farmers to not give their land for the proposed Noida International Airport. Demanding a higher price for their land, the farmers have threatened protests against the government. Reportedly, authorities have been directly purchasing land from farmers, instead of acquiring it through the Land Acquisition Act.

Unhappy with the compensation being offered, farmer leaders of Greater Noida have decided to start a campaign in Jewar?s villages asking other farmers not to give their land for the proposed airport project.Their opposition may impact the airport project for which the state government needs 5,000 hectares in around 40 villages along the Yamuna Expressway. The Yamuna Expressway industrial development authority (YEIDA) is likely to begin land acquisition as the Centre has given its nod for the project.?We will not let the land acquisition take place for the airport project because the state government is cheating farmers by giving them only Rs3,500 per square metre (psm) for land. We are likely to start a campaign telling all villagers along the expressway not to give their land for the project until the UP government gives better compensation,? said Ajaypal Sharma, district president, Bharatiya Kisan Union.The Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities are buying land from farmers through direct purchase for Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 psm. Direct purchase means that if a farmer is willing to sell land, the authority will buy it instead of acquiring it through the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.?We don?t acquire land through the act because it takes a long time to make land available. Procuring it through direct purchase is quicker and easier,? said a YEIDA official.Farmers said that if the government tries to forcefully acquires the land, they will hold an agitation.?If the UP government does not increase land compensation, we will agitate. What we can do if it wants to repeat the Bhatta Parsaul agitation? We will educate farmers who give up land for the airport project and start a big protest soon as all farmer unions are together on this issue,? said Sunil Fauji, a farmer leader.?The state government gave Rs17,000 psm for land in Ghaziabad. Why is it taking our land for Rs3,000 psm. We will have to protest for our rights,? said Mukesh Bhati, a Jewar resident.However, district magistrate BN Singh, said, ?We will talk to farmers and address their concerns. The government will have to acquire land for crucial projects.??We will acquire land for the airport project by implementing the urgency clause of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. Farmers are happy to give their land for the project and we hope there will be no problem,? said Abhay Singh, the YEIDA-appointed for land acquisition for the project.

Aarushi Maheshwari

08 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Red wine-infused coffee launched

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/wine-infused-coffee-antioxidants-napa-valley-molinari-private-reserve-lifest/1/898573.html

The Molinari Caffe cafe in California, United States has launched a wine-infused coffee. The Molinari Private Reserve spent over two years developing the combination of a house-made red wine and coffee beans. The coffee, which costs $19.95 for a half-pound bag, can be consumed as a cold coffee or latte, among others.

But now, you can indulge in both those pleasures simultaneously, by simply sipping a beautiful concoction of both. The beautiful combination of the alcoholic beverage and the energy-boosting stimulant has been brought forth by Napa Valley's Molinari Private Reserve. So, how do they achieve the to-die-for combination? According to Time.com, they've worked for over two years to perfect the combination of a house-made red wine and "carefully selected" coffee beans. The beans "relax" in the "artisan-crafted" wine to absorb its flavors, then get dried and hand-roasted, resulting in rich coffee with a blueberry note, according to Molinari. AND double the antioxidants!

Radhika Chugh

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

13 people die in a day while travelling in Mumbai locals

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/13-people-die-travelling-on-local-trains-in-mumbai-on-sunday/story-KQla8MQgkIAfkzWVJrzC5M.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

As many as 13 people died while travelling in Mumbai's local trains on Sunday, according to railway data. Almost 1,600 people have been killed while travelling in trains in the past six months, it added. Of the 1,600, 700 lost their lives by falling off the train,147 were killed while crossing railway tracks, and 20 people died of electric shock.

Motorman Mahendra Prasad called up the railway police control room on Sunday and informed officials that a 15-year-old boy and 25-year-old youth had fallen from a train and were found injured on the tracks between Lower Parel and Elphinston stations. Mohammed Ansari, 25, and Mohammed Nisar, 15, were among the 10 people injured while travelling on Western and Central Railway line on Sunday.Sunday recorded 13 track deaths, the highest on a single day this year. In the past six months, around 1,590 people have been killed while travelling on trains ? 676 died after falling off trains. On an average, seven people are killed daily on railway tracks. According to the railway data, 348 people died on the Central line while 323 persons died after falling off trains on the Western line this year till June. Kalyan and Borivli railway stations recorded the maximum number of deaths due to falling off trains especially during peak hours. Track crossing has killed 115 people in the Central line and 59 in the Western line. The Government Railway Police officers said the commuter count has increased, leading to crowded trains. Last year, out of 3,202 deaths recorded, a majority were due to track crossing. ?We had taken several initiatives to stop people from crossing track. The railways had put up fences at many places between the tracks to prevent track crossing,? said Niket Kaushik, police commissioner (GRP). The GRP officers said that overcrowding is the main reason of people falling off trains which is a concern for the authorities. Activists have been writing to the railway authorities to increase the number of coaches in trains. Deaths till June 30 this year Track crossing: 147 Falling from trains: 676 Electric shock: 20 Death due to injury: 293 Accidental: 383Read: Crossing tracks led to 1,798 of 3,202 train fatalities in Mumbai in 2016Two die after falling off moving trains in Mumbai

Aarushi Maheshwari

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

EasyJet passengers stranded in Greece due to mating turtles

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/easyjet-passengers-stranded-in-greece-in-part-to-protect-mating-turtles?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Passengers were stranded on Greek island Zakynthos for days after their easyJet plane developed technical difficulties on Sunday and a replacement plane couldn't fly in due to mating turtles. A flyer said there was no easyJet representative and passengers were forced to wait through "hours of nothingness." The airport has a night curfew to protect vulnerable loggerhead turtles breeding nearby.

Scores of easyJet passengers were stranded on the Greek island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) after their plane developed technical difficulties and a replacement aircraft was prevented from flying in because of mating turtles. Passengers expressed fury at easyJet?s lack of communication and ?incredibly bad? handling of the delay, which began on Sunday afternoon. Some travellers, who did not book on to other flights, were only able to make it home on Tuesday. A fault with a wing flap was announced by the captain soon after passengers boarded the flight to Gatwick at around 3pm on Sunday, and there was no communication for another hour. Despite being told the problem would be resolved in 20 minutes, passengers were soon asked to disembark. They were forced to wait through ?hours of nothingness,? according to Rebecca Morris, 39, who was travelling with her husband and two small children. She described the facilities at Zakynthos airport as ?basic? and said there was no help or guidance from easyJet apart from the odd automated text message. ?There was no food or refreshments and there was no representative from easyJet,? Morris said. She said that while her family?s travel agents helped them find accommodation and taxis, other passengers were left to ?fend for themselves?. A similar process was repeated on Monday. The airline said the night curfew ? apparently in place because of vulnerable loggerhead turtles breeding nearby ? had prevented an alternative aircraft being sent out. The sea turtle breeding season is well under way in Zakynthos. According to Archelon, a group dedicated in protecting sea turtles in Greece, late June to early July see the highest levels of spawning. The group has recorded 500 nests on the island so far, but that is fewer than in previous years. EasyJet later apologised for the delay. A spokesman said: ?Unfortunately easyJet was unable to operate flight EZY8746 from Zante to London Gatwick on Sunday 30 July due to a technical fault with the aircraft and had to delay the flight overnight. ?Engineers were immediately dispatched to Zante and believed that the technical issue was rectified yesterday, however it then reoccurred before boarding which meant the flight could not operate. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and we will only operate if it is safe to do so. ?We do all possible to try and minimise delays and as such planned to send a replacement aircraft. Unfortunately, due to the night curfew rule at the airport, we were unable to get the replacement aircraft into the airport. The flight departed Zante and arrived at London Gatwick today. ?Around a quarter of passengers travelled on flights with alternative carriers yesterday afternoon. Passengers have been provided with hotel accommodation and expenses in line with EU261 regulations and will also be entitled to EU261 compensation.?

Chhavi Tyagi

11 Mar 2017,Saturday

BJP first party to win over 50 seats in Uttarakhand Assembly

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uttarakhand-assembly-election-result-2017-full-list-of-winners/1/902479.html

Winning 56 seats in Uttarakhand elections, the BJP on Saturday became the first ever political party to win over 50 seats in the 70-member assembly. Ever since the state's formation in 2000, the highest number of seats won by any party in Uttarakhand was 36 by the Congress in 2002. Notably, a repoll has been ordered in the Lohaghat constituency.

The BJP achieved a landslide victory in the Uttarakhand assembly elections 2017. The Uttarakhand Assembly election results are in and show that the incumbent Congress government has been completely decimated. With a negative voter sentiment towards incumbent chief minister Haris Rawat, it comes as no surprise that the saffron party has won a whopping 57 seats in the hill state. While BJP spokesperson for Uttarakhand was quick to say that Rawat's defeat was the rejection his leadership, Rawat on the other hand conceded defeat."I accept the defeat of Congress. My leadership may not have been up to the mark and resulted in the party's failure," said Chief Minister Harish Rawat.While the Congress still managed to win some seats, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party was completely decimated in the Uttarakhand assembly election.NO TRACE OF BSPMayawati-led Bahujan Samajwadi Party proved the axis poll predictions right as they were entirely decimated in the Uttarakhand Assembly election. 637 candidates including 56 women contested in 70 seats of the Uttarakhand Assembly.

Chhavi Tyagi

25 Mar 2017,Saturday

IPS officer suspended for tweeting against Yogi govt in UP

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yogi-adityanath-himanshu-kumar/1/912609.html

IPS officer Himanshu Kumar was suspended on Saturday after he tweeted that seniors in the police department under the Adityanath government are targeting subordinates with Yadav surname. However, he later claimed that his comments were misinterpreted. After the UP police suspended Himanshu for indiscipline, he tweeted, "Truth alone triumphs."

Days after he attacked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, IPS officer Himanshu Kumar was suspended today.An IPS officer of 2010 batch, Himanshu Kumar alleged in his now deleted tweets that senior police officers were are targeting subordinates of particular caste after the formation of Yogi Adityanath's government in Uttar Pradesh.The UP police had ordered a probe into his allegations that the seniors in the department targeted subordinates with the Yadav surname.It triggered a controversy in Uttar Pradesh with some questioning the Yogi Adityanath government for allegedly stereotyping officials with Yadav surname as supporters of the Samajwadi Party.THE ALLEGATIONSHimanshu Kumar's tweet on March 22 that stirred a controversy in Uttar Pradesh has since been deleted. But, its screen shot is doing rounds. The deleted tweet said, "There is now a rush among senior officers to suspend/send to reserve lines all police personnel who have 'Yadav' surname."In another tweet, Himanshu said, "Why DGP office forcing officers to punish people in the name of caste?"Later, Himanshu put out another tweet saying, "Some people have misunderstood my tweet. I support the initiative of the Government."Himanshu Kumar was currently attached with the Director General of Police's (DGP) office in Lucknow. He had been shifted to DGP's office by the Election Commission. He was earlier posted as a Superintendent of Police in Manipuri and Firozabad. After the UP police suspended Himanshu Kumar for indiscipline today, Himanshu Kumar tweeted, "Truth alone triumphs."

Prashanti Moktan

16 Dec 2016,Friday

Veeram's song 'We Will Rise' shortlisted for Oscars 2017

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/academy-awards-kunal-kapoor-veeram-soundtrack-nominated-for-best-score/1/835952.html

'We Will Rise', an English song from the Kunal Kapoor starrer Indian film 'Veeram', has been shortlisted among 91 songs to compete for the Original Song category at Oscars 2017. "I am proud to lead an Indian Film Production Company which... achieved the unique distinction of being shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for its English song," said director Jayaraj Nair.

Kunal Kapoor's Veeram is one of the most anticipated films of 2017. Based on Shakespeare's classic Macbeth, Veeram's soundtrack We Will Rise has found a place in 91 songs selected to compete for the Original Song category at the 89th Academy Awards, which will be held next year. The final list of Oscar 2017 nominations will be revealed on January 24, 2017.Confirmed: Vetri Maaran's Visaaranai out of Oscar raceALSO READ: Shashikala - Ram Gopal Varma's next based on Jayalalithaa's closest friend?Jeff Roan, who is known for films like Phantom, God of Water and Traffic III, has composed the music for Veeram, and Kari Kimmel has crooned the number. Speaking about the feat, Veeram director Jayaraj Nair was quoted by The Times Of India as saying, "Nothing is impossible for an Indian. I am proud to lead an Indian Film Production Company which not only produced an English film but also achieved the unique distinction of being shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for its English Song... We Will Rise..."

Shubhodeep Datta

28 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Girl shot herself, says accused in Delhi Mercedes murder

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/mercedes-murder-suspect-changes-statement-says-girl-shot-self/story-V3ULyVBxJ4fkvc7bSggJ9H.html

The prime accused in the 17-year-old girl's murder inside a Mercedes car in Delhi's Najafgarh has reportedly changed his statement and told the police that the girl had shot herself. The accused, Shubham Gupta, had earlier confessed to have shot his friend out of jealousy, as per reports. Gupta was taken to Haridwar, where he had fled following the incident.

Police on Sunday took Shubham Gupta ? a Class 12 dropout, who allegedly shot dead his 17-year-old friend inside a Mercedes in southwest Delhi?s Najafgarh area ? to Haridwar to recreate the chain of events before the shooting.According to sources, Gupta, who had confessed to having shot Simran out of jealousy, changed his statement on Sunday and told the police that the girl turned the pistol and shot herself. He tried to convince the cops that the girl had committed suicide, but cops confronted him with ballistic evidence.He has reportedly been giving different versions of what happened that day to to the police for the past two days. ?On Sunday, he claimed that he had an argument with Simran and she took out the pistol threatened to shoot herself. He said Simran told him that she was not lying and that could shoot herself to prove it. He claimed that when he tried to take the pistol from her hand, she turned violent and pulled the trigger,? a police source said.Police said that after killing Simran, Gupta boarded a train to Haridwar at 4:20am the next morning. He feared that the police would trace him, so he spent the night at a friend?s place and left for the railway station in the morning. He reportedly randomly boarded a train to get out of Delhi, sources said.?We took him to Haridwar by the same train that he had boarded. We made him sit on the same seat and after we got down at the station, we took him to the same hotel he had checked into,? a police officer said. ?We have accessed records of the hotel in which he was staying with a different name. He had also fudged his identity. After he checked into the hotel, he saw the news of Simran?s murder on the television and panicked. He then went to a barber in the area and got his beard shaved and got a haircut to avoid arrest,? he added.Read more: Delhi Mercedes murder accused changed looks, fled to Haridwar to avoid arrestSources said that he was also taken to the salon from where he got the haircut. ?These links are important for the investigation. The hotel entry, the barber and train tickets will help during the trial,? a police source said. He will be brought back to Delhi in a bus by Monday, police said.Police said that they are still not certain about the sequence of events of the day Simran was shot. They will now be questioning Nitin and Yogesh.

Parmeet Kaur

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

New Mumbai Airport to take away 250 hectares of forest land

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-s-new-airport-comes-at-a-cost-not-rs16-000-crore-72-wankhede-stadiums-of-mangroves/story-O8MeCAxiWJcmATikRJTWlI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The new airport project in Navi Mumbai will take away 250 hectares of forest land, of which 106 hectares is mangrove cover. Mangrove saplings have been planted across 160 hectares, as they play a crucial role in stabilising coastlines. Rehabilitation of 3,000 families from 12 villages that will be vacated for the airport was also directed.

The city?s new airport, planned in Navi Mumbai, will take away 106 hectares or 72 Wankhede stadiums of mangroves in Ulwe, Raigad district. While 100 hectares make one square km, the area of Wankhede stadium is 1.48 hectares.Mangroves grow in intertidal zones and play a crucial role in stabilising coastlines. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and state mangrove cell conducted a survey to check how much mangrove forest land will be required for the project.?Initially, the loss of mangrove cover for the project was estimated to be more than 110 hectares. A detailed survey showed more than four hectares that could be saved,? said Satish Gavai, additional chief secretary, state environment department. ?There is a restoration plan in place. Three mangrove saplings will be planted in place of every axed tree. However, when it comes to hacking of trees, the contractor will have to submit a detailed plan to the mangrove cell and then the Bombay high court. We can start the hacking once we get both the approvals.?About mangrovesMangroves are salt-tolerant plants, a common natural feature along the Mumbai coastApart from playing a role in stabilising coastlines, mangrove trees act as carbon sinks, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing them in the vegetation. This process is called carbon sequestration, and helps control global warming by reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphereMangrove ecosystem establishes and grows at the interface of soil and water bodies like sea, creeks, estuaries, bays and lagoons. They are commonly found in inter-tidal areas ? area between the high tide and the low tide. Mangrove ecosystem is believed to have evolved around 114 million years ago in tropical and subtropical regions. It requires a minimum of 24 degrees Celsius temperature for growthIn Maharashtra, mangroves cover almost 222 sq km of coastline covering 53 creeks and seashore The largest mangrove forest in the world is at Sundarbans, West BengalSource: Godrej Marine Ecology Centre The Navi Mumbai airport, first proposed 20 years ago and approved in 2007, is to be built on 1,160 hectares, of which 250 hectares is forest land.The union environment ministry granted environment clearance for the project in November 2010, but with 32 conditions that included restoration of lost mangrove cover through fresh plantations. Also, the Centre directed the rehabilitation of 3,000 families from 12 villages that will have to be vacated.The mangrove cell officials said 160 hectares of fresh plantations have been done on the 615 hectares set aside at Kamothe. ?We will plant mangrove saplings across another 50 hectares by October, taking the total to 210 hectares,? said N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell.Other officers from the mangrove cell said the survival rate of fresh saplings at Kamothe is 80%. ?The mangrove cover is well-protected. Channels have been made so tidal water can reach them. We have planted grey mangrove (Avicennia marina), Indian mangrove (Avicennia officinalis), mangrove apple (Sonneratia Apetala) and the Asiatic mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata) at the site,? said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit. Read more: Maharashtra sets aside 250 hectares of forest land for Navi Mumbai airport

Sumedha Sehra

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

Counting of votes for electing India's 14th President begins

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/presidential-election-results-ram-nath-kovind-meira-kumar/1/1006326.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The counting of votes for electing India's 14th President began at 11am under the supervision of the Returning Officer. The invalid votes, ones which are not cast in the prescribed format, will be removed first. The ballot box of the Parliament House will be the first to be opened, while those of the states will follow next, in alphabetical order.

The results of presidential election, for which close to 99 percent MPs and MLAs had voted on Monday, will be declared tomorrow. A simple mathematical calculation shows that National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind is all set to win against Opposition's pick Meira Kumar.Counting of ballot papers will begin at 11 AM at Room Number 62 on the first floor of the Parliament House. Ballot boxes, collected from all states across India, has been kept in a strong room inside the House.The results for the race to the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be out officially by 5 PM.32 polling stations including the one in Parliament House were set up in various states. A total number of 4,896 electors, 4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs, were eligible to cast their ballot.Incumbent Pranab Mukherjee's term is ending on July 24 and the India's 14th president will take oath the next day.HOW THE COUNTING HAPPENSCounting of votes will be held under the supervision of the Lok Sabha secretary general Anoop Mishra, who is also the Returning Officer.The counting staff will begin their task by removing invalid ballots. Some votes may become invalid if the lawmaker didn't cast it in the prescribed format. A principle of proportional representation is followed under which the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates. Marking of the first preference is compulsory.The ballot box of the Parliament House would be the first one to be opened, and then, the ballot boxes received from states would be counted on alphabetical basis.The votes would be counted on four separate tables and would have 8 rounds of counting.HOW IS THE WINNER SELECTEDPresidential election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. While the value of an MLA's vote depends on the population of the state he or she belongs to, the value of an MP's vote remains the same at 708.At the end of any round of counting, if one candidate gets more than more than 50 percent of the total votes polled then he is declared the winner.HOW AIRTHMETIC IS IN KOVIND'S FAVOURThe total value of votes of the electoral college (comprising elected MLAs and MPs) is 10,98,903. With the backing of NDA, the Dalit leader and former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind is set to cross the halfway-mark and get more than 60 per cent votes.Besides parties belonging to the NDA, Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Biju Janata Dal, Telengana Rashtra Samithi in Telangana, different factions of AIADMK, and the YSR Congress (1.53 per cent) also had announced their backing for Kovind.Congress-led Opposition parties have a little over 35 per cent share in the electoral college. Independents and other smaller parties, who have not made their choice known, have two per cent.If elected, Ram Nath Kovind will be the second Dalit President of India after KR Narayanan.Also read:Voting in presidential election ends, result on July 20: All you need to know Foreign media on presidential poll: India set to crown candidate with Hindu nationalist roots as next PresidentPresidential election voters: 71 per cent crorepati, a third with criminal cases, 451 women

Chhavi Tyagi

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

No one will hold tricolour if special status altered: J&K CM

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-one-will-hold-tricolour-if-special-status-is-altered-j-k-cm-mehbooba-warns/story-oAX9RDowGEw5kMEiOBYi9N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said no one will hold the tricolour if Kashmiri citizens' privileges are altered. "Let me be very clear. By doing this (challenging Article 35-A), you are not targeting the separatists," Mufti said. "Their (separatists') agenda is different and totally secessionist but you are weakening those powers which trust India," she added.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti warned on Friday that any tinkering with the special rights and privileges of the people of the state will leave no one there to hold the tricolor.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief?s remarks came in the context of the issue of Article 35(A) of the Constitution ? that empowers the state legislature to define ?permanent residents? and accord special rights and privileges to them -- being debated in the Supreme Court. ?On one hand, we talk about resolving the Kashmir issue under the framework of the Constitution and on the other we flog it,? she said at an event in Delhi.Mufti, who heads a PDP-BJP coalition in J&K, said mainstream parties such as the National Conference and her own party risk the lives of their workers who stand up and carry the national flag in Kashmir.?Let me be very clear. By doing this (challenging Article 35(A), you are not targeting the separatists. Their agenda is different and totally secessionist but you are weakening those powers which trust India and participate in elections and fight to live an honourable life in Jammu and Kashmir,? she said.?Who is doing it? Why are they challenging the Article 35(A)? I have no doubt in saying that there will be no one to hold national flag if it is tinkered with,? the CM said.?The basic question is how much is the idea of India ready to accommodate the idea of Kashmir? This is the basic crux.?

Akshita Jain

23 Jan 2017,Monday

Delhi Traffic Police to include music in training sessions

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/traffic-police-moot-music-therapy-to-tame-traffic-violators/story-Wixm4SIPYd7hi6qCGUhybI.html

The Delhi Traffic Police is reportedly planning to include music therapy as part of its one-day training programme for traffic rule violators. The aim is to make the offenders feel that they are getting some kind of creative satisfaction while being trained, said an officer. A tender will soon be floated for the procurement of music systems.

Lessons on road safety could soon be music to the ears of traffic offenders.The Delhi Traffic Police is planning to include music therapy in its one-day training programme for traffic rule violators.For certain traffic offences like drunken driving, red light jumping, carrying passengers in goods vehicles, driving without licence, the offenders are issued court challans. After paying the challan in a court, it is mandatory for them to attend a daylong training programme before they can get back their documents, said a senior traffic police officer.In order to update the training programme, the traffic police are working to include songs, which will be played during the one-day training session so that they are able to engage in a better way with the offenders.?We are planning to include patriotic songs, bhajans, prayer songs and songs with good emotional value, along with the educational part. These will be played during the training time,? the officer said.The remedial classes take place at the Delhi Traffic Police headquarters in Todapur in west Delhi and in order to ensure that the offenders also get ?creative satisfaction? along with some training, police are mulling on including Bollywood songs that have a positive message as well.?It is being done so that the traffic offenders feel that they are being trained as well as getting some kind of satisfaction. The songs that will be played will give them more space to accept the training part and will make them more receptive and inclined towards the lessons being imparted,? the officer said.A proposal has been mooted in this regard and soon a tender will be floated for procurement of music systems and related components, said the officer.It is felt that the addition of songs, although played only in audio format, will help the traffic offenders imbibe lessons of road safety properly, officials claimed.

Tarun Khanna

01 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Mamata asks TMC leaders not to launch personal attacks on PM

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mamata-banerjee-trinamool-congress-pm-modi-demonetisation-bjp/1/871427.html

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has reportedly asked her party leaders to refrain from launching personal attacks on PM Narendra Modi. "She isn't in an aggressive mood. She is trying not to be abusive as far as the PM is concerned," a TMC leader has said. However, Banerjee has asked TMC MPs to boycott the Budget reading in protest against demonetisation.

After having been scathingly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the inconvenience the demonetisation drive subjected commoners to, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has asked her party leaders to refrain from launching personal attacks against him. Her opposition to the way demonetisation was implemented, however, persists.The chief minister of West Bengal has asked her party MPs to boycott the budget reading as a mark of protest against demonetisation, but at the same time she has cautioned them against using derogatory language against the Prime Minister or referring to him as Modi Babu.Over the last three months, ties between the two politicians have strained with Mamata and other Trinamool leaders bashing Modi by using the most unparliamentary language.Also read | Trinamool MP Idris Ali embarrasses party by comparing Mamata Banerjee with Gandhiji From calling him a 'rat' to a 'donkey' or 'ravana', leaders of the Trinamool Congress exercised not an iota of restraint in their slanderous remarks against Modi. As name calling and attacks from both parties started mounting, the central agencies investigating the Rose Valley financial scam case cracked down on TMC leaders, accused in the matter.TMC FUMED OVER SUDIP BANDHOPADHYAY'S ARREST Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay's arrest sent the party seething with anger against the BJP and the government.In the middle of all this, Mamata has decided to maintain political decency in parliamentary democracy."She has ordered us not to attack Modi personally", said a TMC MP on the condition of anonymity.Also read | Mamata vs Modi: Prez Pranab reminds of federalism as Arun Jaitley skips Bengal business meetThis sudden change in her aggressive opposition to the government has got the political world guessing as to whether Mamata has softened her stance against Modi.

Pragya Swastik

02 Apr 2017,Sunday

RBI Governor's basic pay hiked nearly 180% to ?2.5 lakh

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rbi-guv-gets-pay-hike-monthly-basic-jumps-to-rs-2.5-lakh/1/918645.html

The basic pay of RBI Governor has been retrospectively hiked to ?2.5 lakh from ?90,000 per month, with effect from January 1, 2016. RBI Governor Urjit Patel, who assumed office in September 2016, will now receive around ?3.7 lakh in total per month. The basic pay of RBI Deputy Governors was also increased from ?80,000 to ?2.25 lakh per month.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel and his deputies have got a big pay hike with the government more than doubling their basic salary to Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh per month, respectively.The "basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors" have been revised retrospectively with effect from January 1, 2016 and marks a huge jump from Rs 90,000 basic pay so far drawn by the Governor and Rs 80,000 for his deputies.Still, their salaries are much lower than the top executives of various banks regulated by the RBI.The monthly emoluments of these top RBI officials include basic pay, dearness allowance and other payments, which totaled Rs 2,09,500 in case of Patel as on November 30, 2016, as per the latest information disclosed on the RBI website.In response to a query by PTI under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the central bank has now disclosed that as per a Finance Ministry communication, dated February 21, the basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors have been revised.Following the revision, the basic pay of the Governor stands increased to Rs 2,50,000 per month while the same for a Deputy Governor would be Rs 2,25,000, RBI said.The pay hike is "with effect from January 1, 2016".Dearness Allowance would be notified by the central government from time to time while "all other allowances (are) to be paid at existing rates as if the pay has not been received with effect from January 1, 2016," the RTI reply said.The RBI, however, did not disclose the new gross pay for Patel and his deputies following the revision in basic pay.With the earlier basic pay of Rs 90,000, Patel got a DA of Rs 1,12,500 and other payments of Rs 7,000 -- totalling to a gross pay of Rs 2,09,500. The increase in the basic itself would take his gross pay to nearly Rs 3.70 lakh.Patel, who took over the reins of the central bank in September 2016, had received a salary of Rs 2.09 lakh in October -- the first full month in office. This amount was same as drawn by his predecessor Raghuram Rajan in August that year.Rajan assumed RBI governorship from September 5, 2013 at a monthly salary of Rs 1.69 lakh. His salary was revised to Rs 1.78 lakh and Rs 1.87 lakh respectively during 2014 and March 2015. His salary was raised to Rs 2.09 lakh from Rs 2.04 lakh in January 2016.It was not clear whether Rajan, who left RBI on September 4, 2016, would be eligible for arrears as the basic pay for Governor has been revised retrospectively while covering little more than nine months of his tenure.Currently, RBI has four deputy governors - R Gandhi, S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and Viral V Acharya.

Abhishek Bansal

17 Mar 2017,Friday

Time will come when Kohli will score, Smith won't: Ganguly

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/virat-kohli-steve-smith-india-vs-australia-sourav-ganguly/1/905845.html

Speaking about the comparison between the Indian captain Virat Kohli and Australia's Steve Smith, Sourav Ganguly said, "There will be a time when Virat Kohli will score and Steve Smith will not score runs." "I think it's just one of those times when one person gets the runs and the other person doesn't get runs," Ganguly added.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly spoke exclusively to India Today after Australia dominated India on Day 1 of the third and penultimate Test match in Ranchi on Wednesday. Australia reached 299/4 at stumps with captain Steve Smith (117*) and Glenn Maxwell (82*) unbeaten at the crease. (Ranchi Test: Smith, Maxwell lead Australian domination over India)CLICK TO WATCH FULL INTERVIEWGanguly spoke at length on the Smith's magnificent hundred, on what should be India's gameplan on Day 2 in Ranchi and why Virat Kohli's loss in form does not bother him too much. (SCORECARD)Excerpts:Rohan Sen: Australia dominated proceedings on a flat pitch in Ranchi. Your assessment of the day's play?Sourav Ganguly: I think the pitch played superbly that's what you expect on Day 1 of a Test match in India and Australia dominated. Good toss to win which is always the case in India. Australia had the best part of the surface to play on. (Ranchi Test: Virat Kohli advised 10 days rest by doctors)Rohan: We finally got to see some action on the cricket field as supposed to off it with the DRS controversy last week?Ganguly: That's happened and that's part and parcel of the sport. I wouldn't pay too much importance on that. Virat Kohli said at the press conference yesterday that "it's game time and let's move on". That's exactly what mature people do. They've moved on.Steve Smith has moved on, what a wonderful hundred he's got today. In the centre of all the talk about his DRS reviews and the way he looked at the dressing room. But he's answered everyone with a Test match hundred. (Steve Smith hits back hard after ugly DRS spat with 19th Test hundred)Rohan: What is Steve Smith doing differently to Virat Kohli? Why is Kohli not able to score runs while Smith has already slammed two hundreds?Ganguly: Virat Kohli will score I think it's just one of those times when one person gets the runs and the other person doesn't get runs. There will be a time when Virat Kohli will score and Steve Smith will not score runs. Steve Smith likes batting against India to be honest. Four hundreds on the 2014-15 series in Australia and then two hundreds here along with the 2015 World Cup semi-final hundred. He loves Indian bowling you have got to give him credit. His records phenomenal. 19 Test hundreds in just 53 Test matches that's a fantastic record.Rohan: India's intensity dropped in the final session of play on Day 1. Do you think that is because Kohli was not on the field?Ganguly: These are after thoughts to be honest. You have got to give credit to the way Maxwell and Smith batted. Yes the captain makes a difference but if he's injured you know then Ajinkya Rahane takes on. But you've got to give credit to the way Maxwell and Smith batted.Rohan: Michael Clarke had recently said that David Warner should call Sourav and take tips on how to bat against spinners. Where is Warner going wrong?

Rini Sinha

05 Jan 2017,Thursday

Brad terrified that people will learn the truth: Angelina

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-brangelina-divorce-kids-custody/1/849949.html

Angelina Jolie, in the latest court filing, has claimed that estranged husband Brad Pitt has requested to seal divorce documents as he is "terrified that the public will learn the truth". This comes after Pitt slammed Jolie for "exposing" their children and requested to seal divorce documents to protect their privacy. Jolie currently has sole custody of their six children.

Hollywood received a major jolt when Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on September 19, after 12 years of togetherness and 2 years of marriage.ALSO READ: Brad Pitt is 'sleeping with an actress almost as big as Angelina Jolie'ALSO READ: Is Kate Hudson pregnant with Brad Pitt's child?Angelina, who recently spent New Year with her children, sans Brad, slammed him in her recent court filing, according to People. Reportedly, Angie claims that Brad is insistent on getting the details relating to custody sealed from their ongoing divorce because he is "terrified that the public will learn the truth."The filing reportedly states, "There is little doubt that [Brad] would prefer to keep the entire case private, particularly given the detailed investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dept. of Children and Family Services into allegation of abuse."