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Pulwama attack: CRPF not to celebrate Holi

21 minutes ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The CRPF will not officially celebrate Holi this year as a mark of respect to its 40 jawans killed last month in a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where the force eliminated 210 terrorists in 2018, the force's chief said Tuesday. During an event to the mark 80th raising day of the force at its group centre here, CRPF Director General (DG) R R Bhatnagar also said the influence of left-wing extremists or Naxals has reduced by 40 per cent and only a few areas in the country are now affected. Paying tributes to the slain personnel, the DG said the force is creating a 'mobile app' in order to provide help to the families of jawans killed in action. He added there will be no "official celebrations" in the force during the Holi festival on March 21 as a mark of respect to the 40 troops killed in the suicide attack in Pulwama on February 14. "In Jammu and Kashmir, tackling terrorism is a challenge. The force has neutralised 210 terrorists in operations last year in the Kashmir valley," ....
                 

Jet Airways: Banks may infuse funds provided major shareholders pledge shares

26 minutes ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Banks are likely to infuse fresh funds into cash-strapped Jet Airways provided major shareholders of the airline, including Gulf carrier Etihad Airways, pledge their shares as collateral, sources said. With the airline unable to get fresh funds, the options are limited now, they added. The full service carrier is grappling with acute financial woes that has resulted in grounding of a significant number of planes, defaulting on debt repayments and delay in payment of salaries to pilots and other senior officials. Founder Chairman Naresh Goyal and his family owns around 52 per cent stake in Jet Airways while Etihad, a strategic partner, has 24 per cent shareholding. The sources said that banks can provide further loans if major stakeholders --Goyal and Etihad -- agree to pledge their shares as security. A consortium of lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), is working on a resolution plan for Jet Airways, which has a debt burden of more than Rs 8,200 crore. Earlier, sources said..
                 

37 companies if CPMF in Tripura

26 minutes ago  
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A total 37 companies of central para military forces (CPMF) have arrived in Tripura for the two-phase Lok Sabha election in the state, top police official said Tuesday. The CPMF personnel would be deployed in Tripura for the first phase of elections scheduled to be held here on April 11, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Arindam Nath said. Around 100 companies of CPMF would arrive in the state for the Lok Sabha elections and preventive arrests would be stepped up to ensure law and order situation before, during and after the polls, he said. "We have stepped up preventive arrests and execution of non-bailable warrants. Nearly 200 persons have been arrested till now. The highest number of preventive arrests were made in West Tripura district," he informed. Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti said that central security forces were deployed in confidence building measures in different parts of the state. "They are engaged in area domination, patrolling and other ...
                 

CM, Oppn leader against removal of portions from NCERT Class 9

26 minutes ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
: Coming down on the HRD ministry's decision to remove portions of the 'Renaissance Movement' from the class IX textbook of NCERT, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it reflects the Sangh Parivar's agenda to "rewrite" history books to suit their needs. Portions of the historic Channar revolt (Maru Marakkal Samaram) of Kerala, the excerpts of the autobiography of C Kesavan's 'Jeevitha Samaram', are among those which have been removed. Vijayan said the NCERT has removed the portions about the Renaissance movement, especially the struggles by Dalits and backward communities in the country. "This was an attempt to wipe the renaissance values from the youth," he said in a Facebook post. Meanwhile, Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala also flayed the centre's decision and wrote to the NCERT director to reinsert the portions removed,especially the agitation by lower class women to cover their breasts. In 19th century Travancore, women of lower class were..
                 

India, Sri Lanka to hold 2-wk military exercise from March 26

31 minutes ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
                 

Robbers flee with entire ATM machine in Dwarka

31 minutes ago  
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Robbers fled with with an entire ATM machine of the Corporation Bank which had around Rs 30 lakh inside near the Nawada metro station in Dwarka, police said on Tuesday. Police said the incident took place on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday and the robbers covered the CCTV cameras with grease. The bank's branch manger filed a complaint on Tuesday in which he said the bank operates from 9 AM to 9 PM and the same scheduled was followed by them on Monday. In the complaint, he said when the staff came to the bank on Tuesday, they found the entire ATM machine missing, a senior police officer said. Initial investigation revealed that the robbers came to the ATM and cut the wire of the CCTV which was placed outside the machine after covering its lens with grease. After that they removed the machine, the officer said. Police are checking the footage of the camera which was placed inside. The manager said they had filed Rs 16 lakh on Monday at around 3.30 PM and the total amount in ...
                 

Will Kejriwal withdraw corruption charges against Dikshit if unholy alliance is formed: Goel

36 minutes ago  
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With the Congress again mulling a tie up with the AAP in Delhi, Union Minister Vijay Goel Tuesday sought to corner both the parties asking if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will withdraw charges of corruption against Sheila Dikshit or will the Delhi Congress chief resign from her position. Goel said in case an alliance is formed between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, Dikshit should either tender her resignation or accept the serious charges of corruption levelled by Kejriwal against her. The Union Minister said in 2013, Kejriwal vowed that he will put Sheila Dikshit behind bars within 24 hours of getting elected alleging she is "smeared with colours of corruption" related to commonwealth games, water tankers scam among others. "It is ironical that Sheila Dikshit herself is the Delhi Pradesh Congress President and under her leadership this unholy alliance is getting formed. "I wanted to ask whether Kejriwal will withdraw his serious charges of corruption against her or will she .....
                 

Trade deficit touches $165 billion, highest since FY13

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

West Nile fever: Health Ministry reviews Kerala's preparedness

an hour ago  
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In the wake of the death of a six-year-old boy, who was undergoing treatment for West Nile fever in Kerala, the Centre on Tuesday reviewed the current situation, preparedness and action taken to deal with the disease in the state's Mallapuram district. According to Union Health ministry officials, this could be the first fatality due to the vector-borne disease reported from the country. The Union Health ministry along with officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reviewed the state preparedness and action taken to deal with West Nile Fever (WNF) in Mallapuram district on Tuesday, an official said. A multi-disciplinary central team is already deputed in Mallapuram to investigate various epidemiological aspects of West Nile Virus (WNV) there and also help the district administration in its prevention and management. The state has been advised to follow the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) guidelines of personal protective measures to prevent ...
                 

CBI making all efforts to get Nirav Modi extradited from UK

an hour ago  
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All expeditious efforts are being made to get jeweller Nirav Modi extradited from the UK, CBI sources said Tuesday. They said the central probe agency is monitoring the developments taking place in London and all legal assistance is being extended to take the extradition request forward in that country. The legal procedure of extradition of an accused takes its own time and Indian investigators, both from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), are tracking the case, the sources said. ED officials had Monday said that a London court has issued an arrest warrant against jewellery designer Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion PNB scam case, in response to the probe agency's request for his extradition in a money laundering case. The financial investigation agency was recently informed about the issuance of the warrant by the Westminster Magistrate Court and Modi is expected to be put under formal arrest by the local police soon. The CBI and..
                 

Mamata lashes out at BJP for questioning her religion

an hour ago  
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday lashed out at the BJP for questioning her religion and said neither she nor the people of the state need to learn the meaning of 'communal harmony' from the "divisive BJP". "There are people who question my religion. I want to tell them that my religion is humanity and I do not need lectures from others about religion," she said at a programme here in connection with the upcoming Holi festival. "They (BJP) try to point fingers at me and say I do not allow puja to be conducted in Bengal. They should go and see how many 'mandir' (temples) have been constructed during the TMC regime," the Trinamool Congress supremo said. The BJP had often questioned her religion and accused her of following the politics of appeasement. Continuing to hit out at the saffron party, Banerjee, who is among its harshest critics, said she believed in playing Holi with colours "unlike some sections (BJP) which believe in paying with blood". "I believe in .....
                 

Cong-JDS to campaign jointly, vow to reduce BJP to single

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka Tuesday said they would jointly campaign for the Lok Sabha polls and vowed to reduce the BJP to a "single digit" in the state. Leaders of both parties said they would resolve all the issues and fight the polls unitedly, amid tension between them at the local level. The alliance partners also gagged their partymen from airing any differences to the media. TheCongress and JD(S) have decided to launch their joint campaign on March 31 by organising a mammoth rally near Bengaluru, likely to be attended by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "Our relentless fight is for keeping our (Congress and JDS) 12 seats with ourselves, and win majority of the 16 seats that is with the BJP, as we are going together in this polls," JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said. Addressing a joint press conference along with Congress leaders, he said, "I'm not saying this with pride, we will not allow them (BJP) to see two .....
                 

16 times beaten, 17th time not shy: Mathura priest to contest again

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
He has lost eight Lok Sabha elections and as many assembly polls. But that does not deter Fakkar Ramayani to file his nomination as an Independent candidate for the 17th time. "It is my ninth Lok Sabha election that I am contesting," Ramayani told PTI after filing his nomination papers on Tuesday for the Mathura constituency of Uttar Pradesh. Ramayani, the 'mahant' (head priest) of Galteshwar temple in Mathura, has so far contested eight Lok Sabha and assembly polls each, with the first being the general election after withdrawal of the Emergency. The 73-year-old had lost his security deposit in the 2014 election, but he is not disappointed with his failures. "I am sure that ultimately people would realise the cause I am fighting for." Like the previous elections, Ramayani said, he would contest on a two-point election manifesto -- ensuring construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and making the Yamuna river pollution-free. After winning the election, the Independent candidate said, he..
                 

Kolkata realty prices down 4pc in Jul-Dec: Knight Frank India

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Sluggish sales pulled down average prices of residential properties in Kolkata by 4 per cent on-year during July-December 2018, realty consultant Knight Frank India said on Tuesday. "In Rajarhat and the eastern micro-markets (of Kolkata), residential sales have dwindled massively by 50 per cent and 38 per cent Y-o-Y, respectively, in the same period," Knight Frank India AVP Divya Grovers said. However, due to early development of affordable housing projects in northern and southern peripherals in the past few years, and good response from end-users, the southern micro-markets reversed the sales downtrend to post a 13 per cent on-year upswing in residential sales in H2 2018, it said. In the past one year, many real estate developers launched housing projects ranging from Rs 18 lakh to Rs 50 lakh ticket size categories across configurations, Knight Frank India said. The cut in GST on affordable housing will also have a positive impact on demand, it said. In a big relief to..
                 

'Mukesh bailing out Anil may be watershed moment in their relationship'

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani saving younger brother Anil from jail by helping his struggling telecom firm repay Swedish supplier Ericsson may be a watershed moment in the relationship between the two brothers, who have in the past publicly bickered and fought court cases against each other. Industry watchers said the last-minute bailout may mark the beginning of a more harmonious relationship between the two brothers after more than a decade of strained ties. Anil, who along with his wife and children was photographed enjoying the recent weddings of Mukesh's children, thanked his elder brother and sister-in-law for "standing (by him) during these trying times, and demonstrating the importance of staying true to our strong family values by extending this timely support." "I and my family are grateful we have moved beyond the past, and are deeply grateful and touched with this gesture," he said on Monday after getting Rs 458 crore from Mukesh that he used to repay dues towards .....
                 

Bombay HC pulls up Maha govt, BMC on coastal road project

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Bombay High Court Tuesday questioned the state authorities on how could they begin work on a coastal road project without determining whether it was going to adversely affect fishing communities and breeding ground for fish along the proposed road. A bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamdar said while development was essential, it could not come at the cost of citizens. The court also took strong exception to apparent "lack of coordination" among the agencies involved in the project. It noted that while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claimed to have all requisite data on issues like the number of people being affected and breeding ground for fish along the proposed area, the state fisheries department and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest did not have any information on the same. BMC counsel Anil Sakhre told the court while a survey had been conducted in the Worli area to identify people and livelihoods that would be affected by a .....
                 

Three arms smugglers held in Jaipur

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
                 

Lakshya, Riya break into top 100; Sindhu, Saina static in new badminton rankings

an hour ago  
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Young Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Riya Mookerjee Tuesday broke into the top-100 to be placed 76th and 94th among men's and women's singles players in the latest world badminton rankings. In the latest BWF rankings, Lakshya made a massive jump of 28 places while Riya climbed up 19 spots. B Sai Praneeth, who stunned Olympic champion Chen Long before losing in the final of the Swiss Open against China's Shi Yuqi at Basel on last Sunday, also moved up three places to 19th. Kidambi Srikanth remained static and is the best placed Indian in the men's rankings at seventh, followed by Sameer Verma (14th), H S Prannoy (24th), Subhankar Dey (43rd), Parupalli Kashyap (48th), Ajay Jayram (52nd) and Sourav Verma (53rd). Japan's Kento Momota is the leading the men's chart followed by Yuqi and Chinese Taipei's Chou Tie Chen. In the women's singles rankings, P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal are static at sixth and ninth positions respectively. Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying is topping the women's .....
                 

BJP MLA booked for preventing municipal employees from doing their duty: cops

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
                 

Rupee pauses after 6-day rally, slips 43 paise against US dollar

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Halting its six-day winning run, the Indian rupee Tuesday edged lower by 43 paise to close at 68.96 to the US dollar on emergence of demand for the greenback from importers. The local currency also came under pressure due to rising crude pressure and a caution ahead of the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex), the domestic currency opened at 68.53 a dollar and fell further to touch the day's low of 69.05. It finally settled at 68.96 per dollar, down 43 paise over its previous close. The Indian rupee on Monday had surged by 57 paise to close at an over seven-month high of 68.53 against the US dollar. "The rupee has depreciated today on account of importers demand at lower levels. However broad sentiments remain positive due to foreign fund inflows in the debt and equity market. In the near term, the rupee may trade in the range of 68 and 69.50," said Rushabh Maru, Research Analyst - Currency and Commodity, Anand Rathi .....
                 

IPRS, Google conclude music licensing deal for India

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Indian Performing Right Society Limited has granted a license to Google, allowing the company to utilise its members' collection across YouTube and related services in the country, the tech giant said in a statement. The IPRS is a representative body of owners of music, including composers, lyricists and the publishers of music, and is also the sole authorised body to issue licences to permit usage of the music within India by any person. A Google statement said that IPRS and Google have concluded music licensing deal for India. "This is yet another step in YouTube's ongoing commitment to ensuring that writers, composers and publishers continue to be paid fairly, and that our users are able to enjoy their favourite songs and discover new music on YouTube," Christophe Muller, Global Head of Music Licensing, at YouTube said. Muller said that the agreement with IPRS will bring more value to songwriters and artists, and deliver an strong experience to music fans in India. Javed Akhtar, .....
                 

Economists raise concerns over economic slowdown with RBI Governor

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

Two killed, many trapped in under construction building

an hour ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Two people were killed and several others trapped when a four-storeyed under construction building collapsed at Dharwad in north Karnataka Tuesday, police said. The building came crashing down, triggering panic among neighbours and passers-by, a police official said. "Two have died while some 30 to 40 people are trapped," said a police officer at Dharwad police station. Police said four people have been brought out from the debris while rescue operations are in full swing. As many as 10 ambulances and five fire tenders have beenengaged to carry out rescue and relief operations. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was shocked to learn about the collapse of the under construction building. Kumaraswamy said he has directed the chief secretary to supervise the rescue operation and to send experienced rescue teams by special flight toDharwad...
                 

Puravankara Adjudged as the 'Favourite Real Estate Developer' for South Zone at CNBC-Awaaz People's Choice Awards 2018-19 for Real Estate

an hour ago  
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/ -- India's most trusted developer, Puravankara Limited bagged the prestigious 'People's Choice Award' for the Favourite Real Estate Developer -South Zone at CNBC-Awaaz India's prestigious Real Estate Awards 2018-19. The award is presented to the most trusted brand in the real estate sector in South India, based on an online voting system devised by the channel. In this category, Puravankara Limited secured the highest votes ahead of all the nominations for the South of India. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/837876/Puravankara_CNBC_Award.jpg) Mr. Ashish R. Puravankara, Managing Director, Puravankara Ltd. said, "The award truly reiterates the people's trust and confidence in us over the last four decades. It is quite heartening to see this tremendous response from Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Cochin, and Mangalore where we have a strong presence. The People's Choice Awards gives us that additional reminder that our work for customer delight is never complete .....
                 

DMK manifesto: Party assures scrapping of NEET, bringing quota in pvt sector

2 hours ago  
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The DMK Tuesday promised to do away with the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions and usher in quota in the private sector in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. "The NEET for medical admissions will be scrapped," DMK chief M K Stalin said, unveiling the salient features of his party's manifesto. Addressing a press conference, he termed the manifesto as both the "hero and heroine and definitely not a villain," and assured steps for waiver of all educational loans taken by students. Stalin also promised waiver of crop loans of small and marginal farmers and supply of farm inputs, including seeds and fertilisers in subsidy. Opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu from major political parties and students had taken emotive overtones in the past. In 2017, a 17-year-old Dalit girl of Ariyalur district, S Anitha, who scored 1176 marks out of 1200 in her Class XII exam committed suicide as she could not get a good NEET score. Daughter of a daily wage earner .....
                 

Congress candidates list has 27 new faces in Odisha

2 hours ago  
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The opposition Congress, which was routed in Odisha in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and put up a poor performance in the simultaneous assembly elections, has fielded 27 new faces so far. The first list of 42 candidates for Odisha was released by the AICC on Monday night - 36 for the Assembly and six for Lok Sabha seats. As per the list there are new candidates for four Lok Sabha and 23 Assembly seats in the state. The four new candidates for the parliamentary seats are Pradeep Kumar Devta (Bargarh), George Tirkey (Sundergarh), Manoj Kumar Acharya (Kandhamal) and V Chandrasekhar Naidu (Berhampur). The two others are Bhakta Charan Das (Kalahandi) AND Pradip Majhi (Nabarangpur). The list, however, does not contain name of candidates for nine assembly seats and the Koraput Lok Sabha seat, polling for which is scheduled in the first phase on April 11. OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said the list of candidates for the remaining 15 Lok Sabha and 101 Assembly seats will be .....
                 

16-year-old from Kashmir gets Shaurya Chakra for fighting militants who attacked his house

2 hours ago  
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In one of the rare occasions, President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday awarded Shaurya Chakra to 16-year-old Irfan Ramzan Sheikh for fighting militants who attacked his residence in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Shaurya Chakra is usually awarded to armed forces and para-military personnel for "gallantry otherwise in the face of the enemy". During the intervening night of October 16-17 of 2017, militants cordoned off the house of Sheikh. His father Mohammad Ramzan was an ex-sarpanch with affiliations to the People's Democratic Party (PDP). When Sheikh, the eldest son of Mohammad Ramzan, opened the door, he found three militants in the verandah of the house armed with rifles and grenades. "Sensing that the militants could harm his family, he exhibited highest degree of courage and faced the militants for sometime so as to avoid their entry inside the house. In meantime, his father came out and the militants pounced on him, resulting in scuffle," the citation for the award .....
                 

Grand alliance will answer BJP by winning elections: HD Deve Gowda

2 hours ago  
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Janata Dal (Secular) national president HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mocking the grand alliance of opposition parties and asserted that they will answer BJP by winning the elections.Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks on the grand alliance of opposition parties, Janata Dal (Secular) national president HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said that they would respond to his mockery by defeating the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Addressing media, Deve Gowda said, "Modi mocks the idea of mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) but they themselves are running coalition governments in many states. We will answer BJP by winning this election."Taking a jibe on the opposition parties' efforts to get united under the Mahagathbandhan umbrella, Prime Minister Modi had repeatedly said that 'Mahamilavat' (grand adulteration) of opposition parties were not acceptable to the country."The people of India have seen the work of a government with full .....
                 

MP Congress tries to get Salman Khan to campaign in Indore

2 hours ago  
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The Madhya Pradesh Congress is trying to get Bollywood star Salman Khan to campaign for it in Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital Indore, a party leader said. The actor was born in Indore's Palasia area in 1965 and spent a substantial part of his childhood in that city before moving to Mumbai. "Our leaders have already talked to Salman Khan to campaign for us in Indore. We are almost certain the actor will campaign for us," the state's Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said. A spokesperson for the "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actor refused to comment. "He spent his childhood in Indore. His grandfather was a senior police officer there," Chaturvedi added. Khan is a huge crowd-puller and his contribution in the Congress' poll campaign will change the party's fortunes in the city, the Congress leader said. Indore, Madhya Pradesh's largest city, has been a BJP bastion since Sumitra Mahajan defeated former chief minister and senior Congress member Prakash Chandra Sethi in 1989. Mahajan, an .....
                 

NCP says Maha SP-BSP alliance immaterial

2 hours ago  
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On the day the SP and the BSP announced to contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra together, the NCP Tuesday said the development would not have any adverse impact on the electoral prospects of the Congress-NCP combine. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also downplayed Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar's decision to not join the Congress-NCP combine and contest all Lok Sabha seats. The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have announced they would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "Just like the Shiv Sena and the BJP, the alliance between the Congress and the NCP is sealed. Smaller outfits like the PWP and those believing in the ideology of Mahatma Phule and B R Ambedkar have joined hands with us," he said. Taking a dig at the BJP-led NDA, the NCP leader said smaller outfits led by Vinayak Mete and Ramdas Athavale too are saying that they are not being taken into consideration while finalising contours of seat-sharing. "Sharad Pawar has .....
                 

Chinese fashion label Mayfair gets Rs 22 cr funding from Nexus Venture, CDH

2 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

Pollachi case: HC seeks TN govt's response to plea for court-monitored probe

2 hours ago  
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The Madras High Court Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu government and the CBI to file their replies on a petition seeking a court-monitored probe into the Pollachi sexual harassment case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani and Justice M Duraiswamy gave the direction when the petition by an advocate came up for hearing. It then posted the petition to April 10 for further hearing. Petitioner P Pugalenthi referred to the Tamil Nadu government order transferring the case to the CBI based on a recommendation by the state DGP. A gang of four men had on February 12 allegedly tried to strip a 19-year-old woman inside a car near Pollachi in Coimbatore district, shot a video of the act and blackmailed her using the visuals. With the incident triggering outrage amid reports that more women had been assaulted by the gang, the state government had last week issued an order transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The petitioner submitted that the ...
                 

BSP announces candidates for 6 Chhattisgarh Lok Sabha seats

2 hours ago  
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The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tuesday announced candidates for six out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh. The announcement was made by the Mayawati-led party's state unit chief Hemant Poyam. Senior party leader and former MLA Dauram Ratnakar has been fielded from Janjgir-Champa (Scheduled Caste) Lok Sabha constituency while Aaytu Ram Mandavi will contest from Bastar Scheduled Tribe) seat, he said. The other four are Sube Singh Dhurve (Kanker- ST), Maya Bhagat (Surguja- ST), Innocent Kujur (Raigarh-ST) and Geetanjali Singh (Durg), Poyam said. Ratnakar had served as BSP state president earlier and was three-time MLA from Pamgarh assembly constituency in Jangir-Champa district in undivided Madhya Pradesh, Poyam said. Tribal leader Mandavi has been given another chance from Bastar seat after losing from there in the 2009 general elections. Dhruve is the sarpanch (village head) of Markatola panchayat in Kanker district, Poyam informed. Bhagat, who has been fielded from .....
                 

Wrestler Ritu Phogat dropped from TOPS

2 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Wrestler Ritu Phogat, youngest of the celebrated "Phogat Sisters", was on Tuesday dropped from the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after she decided to shift her loyalty to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The Sports Authority of India (SAI) decided to axe Ritu from the TOPS programme after the young wrestler made herself unavailable for 2020 Tokyo Olympics and decided to try her luck in MMA in Singapore. "Wrestler Ritu Phogat who had earlier been inducted into the TOPS scheme, has been excluded from the scheme since she will not be participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, on account of her shifting to Singapore to train for Mixed Martial Arts," the SAI said in a statement. Ritu, who has a gold in Commonwealth Wrestling besides a bronze in Asian Championships, is the youngest sister of Geeta and Babita Phogat, on whom the Aamir Khan-starrer Bollywood movie 'Dangal' was made. Among other decisions taken at a meeting, which was also attended by SAI Director General Neelam .....
                 

We have various options in all three aspects of game: Ponting

2 hours ago  
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Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting Tuesday said that his franchise has enough depth to excel in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The former Australia skipper who has been serving as the head coach of the Delhi-based franchise since last season, insisted that reshuffle in the squad during the IPL auction earlier this year would help the team to have a successful season. "I think we have various options when it comes to all three aspects of the game. We have great Indian batters in the team, and have managed to pick a few all-rounders. Our spin department also has variety and the pace-attack looks very complete. In IPL, you do need to have great flexibility and we have players who can play in different positions," said Ponting. "We have had a reshuffle in all departments in the IPL Auction this time around, and with the support of our owners, we have managed to get on board several quality players in the team. "Our aim is to win the IPL, and if we can manage the ....
                 

Lok Sabha polls: Defence Corridor, Expressway in BJP's Bundelkhand arsenal

2 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

Arjun should find reason to wake up every morning and chase his dreams: Sachin Tendulkar

2 hours ago  
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Arjun Tendulkar already knows the pressures of having a famous surname but Sachin Tendulkar wants his budding cricketer son to find "reasons to wake up every morning and chase his dreams" irrespective of the circumstances. Arjun, a left-arm fast bowler, played two U-19 Tests for India last year and has been followed closely since the time he made his Mumbai U-19 debut. With the second edition of 'T20 Mumbai' set to be his first senior appearance, the legendary father knows very well that his son's performance would be watched. Asked if T20s are a good way to start at the senior level compared to the traditional days format, Tendulkar said it's an opportunity that Arjun needs to grab. "In sports, nothing is guaranteed so whatever opportunities you are provided, you need to go out there and give your best and make the most of it," Tendulkar Senior, who has refrained from commenting on his son's journey, told PTI in an interview. "This is one platform that I feel people will be following..
                 

India committed to deepen cooperation with Africa to combat terrorism: Official

2 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
India is committed towards strengthening its engagement with Africa for combating terrorism and extremism, a top official said Tuesday. The country also wants to keep oceans in the region free to ensure the world's second largest continent does not become a "theatre for rival ambitions", the official added. Addressing a conference, T S Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in Ministry of External Affairs, said India is well on its way to opening 18 new missions in Africa. "We have a mutual interest in strengthening defence and security with the rise of terrorism being the single most important factor impacting both India and Africa," he said. Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Lesotho, Monyane Moleleki said India and Africa are both affected by the terrorism and have no choice but to "join forces and fight together this monster at bilateral and multilateral level". He condemned the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks in Pulwama. India is also looking at innovative ways to .....
                 

Low-cost home financer SEWA Grih Rin raises Rs 67 cr from Omidyar, others

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

HC takes note of 'dearth' of special education teachers in Delhi schools

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Delhi High Court has taken note of the "dearth" of special education teachers in government schools here and said that despite repeated efforts, the vacancies have not been filled. Special education programs are designed for those students who are mentally, physically, socially or emotionally delayed and special educators are hired to meet the appropriate needs of each such child. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and A K Chawla said, "It has been pointed out that there are large number of vacancies of special education teachers and despite repeated efforts, these are not being filled. There is a dearth of special education teachers in the schools in Delhi." The court's observation came while dismissing an appeal by the Delhi government challenging the February 2017 order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) asking it to consider the candidature of an applicant for the post of special educator and process the appointment, if found qualified and eligible. The high court said..
                 

On app meant for poll-related complaints, people upload selfies

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
People have been posting selfies and random pictures of trees, lamps and computer screens though an app meant for filing poll-related complaints, a senior official said Tuesday. The Election Commission had launched the citizens' vigil app, also known as 'cVIGIL', to report violation of the model code of conduct. Through the application, people can report any poll-related violation by sharing photos or videos. But in Punjab, about 60 per cent complaints received through the app were frivolous, the official said. The office of Punjab's chief electoral officer has so far received 204 complaints through 'cVIGIL', out of which 119 have been found frivolous, he said. "Among 119 complaints, we have received selfies and irrelevant photographs of computer screen keyboard, trees, lamps, blankets etc through the mobile application from people from different districts in Punjab," he said. However, the office of Punjab CEO found 85 complaints genuine. "Most of these complaints were related to .....
                 

Mizoram CM presents Rs 3,588 crore vote on account

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga Tuesday presented vote on account for the first four months commencing from April amounting to Rs 3,588.85 crore in the state Assembly. Presenting the vote on account, Zoramthanga, who also holds charge of the Finance portfolio said, "I am deeply conscious of the inconvenience to present a regular budget due to the enforcement of model code of conduct for the coming general election." He said that Mizoram was witnessing significant progress in terms of economic and social progress with the GSDP projected to be at Rs 22,238.92 at current price at a growth rate of 12.5 per cent which is estimated at the same growth rate from 2017-18 to 2018-19. "The projected growth rate is considered remarkable as compared to the national growth rate of 7.3 per cent," he said. Zoramthanga also presented Supplementary Demands for grants for the current financial year amounting to Rs 2,926.55 crore and also sought regularisation of excess expenditure of ...
                 

India hasn't forgotten, will not forget Pulwama terror attack: NSA Doval

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
India has neither forgotten nor will forget the Pulwama terror attack and the country's leadership is "capable and courageous" to mete out effective responses to such acts, NSA Ajit Doval said Tuesday. Speaking for the first time about the attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir, the national security advisor (NSA) asked the paramilitary force to "constantly" enhance their professionalism, training, physical capabilities and quick response skills. "What should we do? What should be our way, our aim and our response and time to respond? The country's leadership is both capable and courageous to (do) that," Doval said. "The country will tackle all such challenges and we have the courage to do this," he said while addressing Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on the paramilitary force's 80th raising day celebrations at its group centre here. Doval began his 16-minute speech by paying tributes to the 40 personnel who were killed when a ...
                 

Further attrition of Jet Airways' flights likely in coming weeks: DGCA

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Aviation watchdog DGCA said Tuesday 41 Jet Airways flights are currently available for operation and there may be "further attrition" of flights "in coming weeks" as it observed the situation as "dynamic". As per the Jet Airways' website, it has a fleet of 119 aircraft in total. For the past few weeks, passengers have been venting their ire on social media as the airline's flight cancellations have increased gradually due to the rising number of grounded aircraft. Grappling with financial woes, the carrier has been looking at ways to raise fresh funds. DGCA spokesperson said Tuesday,"The DGCA reviewed the performance of Jet Airways on operational, airworthiness & passenger facilitation today. Current availability of aircraft in the fleet for operation is 41 and accordingly scheduled for 603 domestic flights and 382 international flights has been drawn. However, it is a dynamic situation and there may be further attrition in coming weeks." The spokesperson added that the DGCA has ....
                 

In future, won't act in films I direct: Tigmanshu Dhulia

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Tigmanshu Dhulia may have impressed the audiences with his directing and acting chops, but the filmmaker says balancing both the jobs in the same film is akin to walking a tightrope. The director, who played the father to the main lead (Ali Fazal) in his latest directorial "Milan Talkies", said he decided to take up the part as other actors were unavailable. This was Dhulia's first full-fledged role in his directorial venture. He previously made a guest appearance in his 2011 film "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster". "I never wanted to do this role. In the future I will never do acting and direction hand-in-hand as it's very tough. I wanted someone else to do this role. But the issue was of the dates and everyone was busy. When I was left with no choice, I decided to act in the film," the director told PTI in an interview. Dhulia has acted in a number of films, most notably Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs of Wasseypur" series and Shah Rukh Khan's "Zero". He believes "Milan Talkies" nicely deals with a ...
                 

Not attached to power despite being in it: UP CM

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath claims he is not attached to power despite being in power. Asked why he chose to join politics when he was a sanyasi, he said he did so to work for the welfare of society. "Despite staying in power, there is no 'sanliptata' (attachment) with power for us. In fact, there is 'nirliptata' (non-attachment) with power for us. We are here for 'lok kalyan' and 'rashtra kalyan'," Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told PTI recently before completing two years in office Tuesday. "Politics is not a profession for me. We have come to change the traditional politics of UP, which was confined to casteism and dynastic politics. Our aim is to take the state on the path of development, good governance and nationalism," he said. "Our endeavour is to make Uttar Pradesh a leading state in the country and I am happy to say that in the past two years, we have been successful to a great extent in doing so," he added. Yogi Adityanath adopted sanyas in 1994. The chief .....
                 

Mahesh Bhatt says artistes today resorting to pre-censorship

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Mahesh Bhatt says Indian constitution may haven given people the right to freedom of expression but in the current era, filmmakers and writers are resorting to pre-censorship Bhatt, who was attending the trailer launch of "No Fathers in Kashmir which features his wife Soni Razdan, said it saddens him that the film had to face difficultly in getting clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). "There is a climate of pre-censorship that a filmmaker and writer thinks ten times before he puts pen to paper on what he should be writing, whether the CBFC will allow it to pass or not... This is a country born out of love for free speech and freedom of expression is a constitutional right," the filmmaker said. Bhatt added that he stood by director Ashvin Kumar as he believed in his vision. "It is a tragedy that the director had to run from pillar to post. What are we trying to do? In this age and time, is there anything called censorship? What is this picture saying? He had ....
                 

Rahul pledges to restore special status to northeastern states

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Congress will restore special category status to all states of the Northeast if voted to power at the Centre, party president Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday, reaching out to the electors of the region where it is a sensitive issue. He also accused the BJP of trying to destroy the social and cultural ethos of the people of the Northeast by imposing on them the "RSS ideology". Addressing a Congress rally in the run up to the Lok Sabha and Arunachal Pradesh assembly polls to be held simultaneously, Gandhi sought to appeal to the regional sentiments, saying his party will never "attack the language, culture, customs and traditions" of the Northeastern states. "The people of the region are close to Congress's heart. The Congress has always worked for the development of the region. My party, if voted to power, will restore the special category status to Arunachal Pradesh and other states in the Northeast," he told a well attended rally at Indira Park here. The Congress party's..
                 

SP-BSP announce alliance for 48 Maharashtra Lok Sabha seats

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party Tuesday announced they would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in alliance. Announcing the alliance, SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi said the two parties together represent about "85-90 per cent" of the society and provided a third front for people let down by the BJP and Congress. "Secularism is about to end in the country. Those who call themselves chowkidars can go to any length, and peddle lies, to cling on to power," he alleged. He claimed only the SP-BSP alliance was strong enough to stop the BJP from winning over 5-7 seats in Maharashtra. Attacking the Congress, Azmi said the main opposition party had made Muslims, Dalits and the backward classes "helpless", as there was no third alternative available for people. "However, after our decision to contest all 48 seats, a third front will be available. We represent 85-90 per cent of society," he claimed. Azmi said discussions on the seat-sharing formula was yet to begin .....
                 

Yogi claims 1.7 mn new jobs, Rs 5 trn investment proposals under his rule

3 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

RBI Renews the Authorization Issued to Vakrangee for White Label ATMs

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
/ -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has provided the Renewal of Authorization for Vakrangee Limited. RBI has extended the validity of Authorization issued to Vakrangee limited to setup, own and operate the White Label ATMs in India. The validity has been extended till March 31, 2020. Under Scheme "B" opted at the time of grant of authorization, Vakrangee is desired to have minimum 15,000 ATMs. The ratio of 2:1 would be applicable, i.e., for every 2 WLAs installed in Tier III to VI centres, 1 WLA can be installed in Tier I to II centres. Out of the WLAs installed in Tier III to VI centres, a minimum of 10 % should be installed in Tier V and VI centres. Vakrangee currently has ~3,500 Nextgen Vakrangee Kendra's spread across 20 states, 340+ districts and 2,000+ postal codes. More than 70% outlets are from Tier 5 and tier 6 cities. Vakrangee's planned target is to reach at least 25,000 operational Nextgen Vakrangee Kendras by FY 2019-20 and further enhance it to reach 45,000 Nextgen .....
                 

Cong won't get majority, but will form govt at Centre: Chavan

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said his party will not get a simple majority in the Lok Sabha polls, but a new government will be formed under its leadership at the Centre, dislodging the BJP-led NDA. The former Maharashtra chief minister also said that the decision of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, not to align with the opposition parties will eventually prove beneficial for the NDA. The Congress and NCP had been wooing the VBA to join forces with them in Maharashtra. However, the VBA, a social coalition of Dalits and Muslims jointly formed by Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), recently decided to field its own candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. "We are not going to get a clear majority. No party got 270 seats in 30 years (before 2014). Is (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi claiming so (that BJP will get majority) now?" Chavan asked. "Some of their (the BJP's) .....
                 

Delhi BJP seeks action against AAP for 'indulging in violent acts'

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The BJP's Delhi unit Tuesday filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Office in Delhi and sought action against the Aam Aadmi Party, which it alleged was "indulging in violent acts" and violating the model code of conduct. In its complaint, the BJP accused the AAP of burning the 2014 manifesto of the saffron party which had photos of BJP leaders. They alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with other party leaders had burnt BJP manifesto on March 13. Other party leaders Manish Sisodia, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Kailash Gahlot and Pankaj Gupta were among those who led had party workers in burning copies of the party's manifesto, the BJP alleged. The manifestos were burnt by the AAP to attack BJP on the issue of full statehood to Delhi. "The AAP leaders are violating MCC by either not seeking permission for such events from Election Commission or they have sought permission for election meetings from EC and misused such permission to violate MCC by burning BJP's .....
                 

Will infra see turbo-charged push from PE money after 2019 elections?

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

Jorge Costa to coach Mumbai City FC next season too

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
After a near miraculous fightback that saw Mumbai City FC glide into the semi-finals, experienced Portuguese international Jorge Costa Tuesday extended his stay at the club, vowing to win the elusive trophy for the club. As of now, he will nurture and helm the side for one more season, with an eye firmly on the finals of the Hero Indian Super League and eventually the title. In his first season at MCFC, Costa brought to the fore a strong and effective counter-attacking brand of football. It helped the club achieve some stunning milestones during their impressive run, including a club-record 9 game unbeaten stint. Literally from the bottom of the table, they rose to the Number Two position before making it to the semi-finals for only the second time in the club's history. In the knockout clash, they shared victories with FC Goa but lost out on a place in the title-clash on goal difference. The 46-year old was delighted to work with the club, saying that he didn't have to think twice' ....
                 

J-K students' body asks Kashmiri students not to give anti-national statements

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Jammu and Kashmir Students Association spokesperson Nasir Khuehami on Tuesday asked Kashmiri students not to give any statements against the country adding that the situation in the state is normal and they should return now."There were some students who had made anti-national comments and used unparliamentary language against the country. We hope they don't use such language against the country anymore," Khuehami said."After Pulwama attack, a situation of fear and harassment was spread against Kashmiri students across Uttarakhand. We had rescued them," he said.Khuehami said that the situation is improving in the state and they are bringing back the students. "It is almost one month. The situation is improving with the support of local police and administration. There is no threat to the lives of Kashmiri students anywhere in Uttarakhand. I appeal to them to return to their institutions and resume their studies.""We spoke to parents of the students and told them to send them back so ....
                 

SC asks trapped miners kin if they wish to get decomposed bodies recovered

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Supreme Court has sought to know from the relatives of miners, who were trapped in an illegal mine in Meghalaya three months ago, whether they wanted to recover the bodies which might have been "decomposed" by now. 15 miners were trapped on December 13 last year in an illegal coal mine at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, about 3.7 km deep inside a forest, when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it. Only two bodies have been recovered from the mine so far. The top court is hearing a plea which had sought urgent steps for rescuing the miners trapped in the rat-hole mine. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and S K Kaul told the petitioner to ask the family members of the trapped miners as to whether they want to get the bodies recovered. "The petitioner is directed to ascertain from the relatives of the deceased if they wish to have the bodies recovered having regard to the fact that they may be already in a completely decomposed condition," the bench said in ...
                 

Owaisi, Revanth among early birds to launch campaign in T'gana

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Telangana Congress working President A Revanth Reddy are among the Lok Sabha candidates who have kicked off their campaign ahead of others in Telangana. Owaisi, who is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term from Hyderabad, filed his nomination on Monday, the first day of nominations. He conducted a door-to-door campaign at Nawab Saheb Kunta on Monday. "What can any politician/candidate say for this unconditional affection, love from people who I have never met - I have to work more hard to live upto the expectations of common people but I am certainly blessed Alhamdullilah," he tweeted. Congress has fielded Firoz Khan from Hyderabad to take on Owaisi. Khan had unsuccessfully contested in the Assembly polls in December. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president Revanth Reddy, known as a firebrand leader, kicked off his campaign on Sunday after visiting a temple. He is contesting from Malkajgiri .....
                 

RS Prasad tears into Oppn parties for criticizing 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday slammed Congress for criticising BJP's "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign, saying, "Those who are on bail or have a lot to hide are opposing it".The statement from the Union Minister came a day after Rahul Gandhi-led Congress downplayed BJP's campaign.Further taking a dig at Congress, Prasad while addressing a press conference in New Delhi, said, "Some people are saying that watchman is for rich people. They are the same people who have looted crores from the poor."Priyanka Gandhi Vadra yesterday while commenting on 'chowkidar' campaign of the BJP had said, "It is their choice what they want to add to their name. When I met potato farmers in western UP, one of them told me, 'the rich have chowkidar, the farmers are their own chowkidar'."Prasad further claimed, "BJP's MainBhiChowkidar campaign has turned into a mass revolution on social media with 1680 crore impressions and 20 lakh tweets."In his concluding remark, the Union Minister informed .....
                 

Dikshit calls urgent meeting with DPCC working presidents

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Delhi Congress Chief Shiela Dikshit has called an urgent meeting with the three working presidents of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on Tuesday, a senior party leader said. The meeting comes in the backdrop of Congress mulling its options to align with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in its bid to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections, days after having unanimously decided to go it alone in Delhi. "An urgent meeting has been called with the three working presidents Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia, at Diskhit's residence," a party leader said. The leader, however did not elaborate on the agenda of the meeting. Uncertainty has been persisting in the Delhi Congress over a pre-poll tie-up with the AAP after Dikshit and her three working presidents wrote to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi against the alliance. In a letter written last week, Dikshit along with Yusuf, Yadav and Lilothia protested a recent phone survey to gauge workers' mood on the alliance...
                 

Pawan Kalyan to contest AP Assembly polls from Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan will contest the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections from two seats, Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka.Out of 175 seats in the state assembly, the BSP will contest on 21 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh while CPI and CPM will contest on seven Assembly seats each. The remaining will be contested by the JSP.Yesterday the BSP, CPI, CPM and JSP also finalized their seat sharing agreement in Andhra Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections. The BSP will contest on three seats, while CPI and CPM will contest on two Lok Sabha seats each. The rest of the seats will be contested by JSP.The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced that Andhra Pradesh will go to polls in a single phase on April 11. Both the Lok Sabha and legislative assembly polls will be held in the state simultaneously...
                 

Indian team management may use Vijay Shankar as surprise element at No.4

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Every World Cup is known for left-field tactical moves and young Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar could well be the 'joker in the pack' if the Indian team management decides to try him at the tricky number four position in the upcoming World Cup. If the 2003 World Cup was about Dinesh Mongia being used as a spin-bowling all-rounder at the expense of VVS Laxman, dropped from the squad altogether, the 2011 edition had Yuvraj Singh being used as a fifth bowler in every match, yielding 15 wickets. Heading into the 2019 edition in England, India are faced with the No.4 conundrum and a clearer picture will possibly emerge after the first three weeks of the IPL. The squad will be announced between April 15 to 20. However, it has been learnt that the Indian team management is very happy with Shankar's technique and more importantly his temperament in pressure situations. Shankar's biggest competitor could be Ambati Rayudu, who, despite a healthy batting average of 47-plus, is now slipping..
                 

HC seeks Centre's reply on PETA plea against use of horses for producing anti-venoms

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Centre and various pharma firms were asked by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday to respond to a PETA plea opposing the age-old practice of using horses and mules for producing anti-toxins and anti-venoms. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani noted that all the respondents were served the notice earlier but their pleadings have not been completed. The court was informed that the parties need more time to file responses after which it listed the matter for further hearing on August 14. It had issued notices to several central ministries, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and various Indian pharma firms, which according to PETA use equines to produce anti-toxins and anti-venoms. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sought directions to the Centre to exclude animal-based production techniques .....
                 

Ponting backs Rishabh to bat at No.4, Ganguly terms him 'huge asset'

4 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Ricky Ponting Tuesday unequivocally backed Rishabh Pant for the number four slot in India's World Cup line-up and even saw him as one capable of winning the tournament. Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly marked the young wicketkeeper-batsman as one for the future, calling him a "huge asset". With little over two months to go for the World Cup and the number four batsman yet to be decided, it could now boil down to performance in the Indian Premier League, according to Ganguly. But Ponting, a two-time World Cup winning Australian captain, left nothing to doubt when discussions turned to Pant. "The first thing I would do is pick him in that Indian squad for the World Cup, I would play him as a batter, I would play him at number four. He is the sort of guy, with that kind of talent, he can win you a World Cup, he has just got that x-factor," Ponting said. Ganguly added, "Anybody who wants to succeed in shorter formats of the game he has to go up, we have seen the best in world do that. ...
                 

Rant of nothing done in 70 years has expiry date: Priyanka

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday said the ground reality was different than what the Uttar Pradesh government has been portraying and there is an expiry date to the rant that nothing was done in the past 70 years. The Congress incharge of east Uttar Pradesh was responding to a question about the Adityanath government issuing its report card on completion of two years in office, in which it highlighted various achievements and welfare schemes. "They (BJP) need to come to the ground to see the reality. This report card and publicity looks good, but the reality is different... all sections are feeling harassed," she said at the Sitamarhi guest house in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district, where she had a night halt. "There is a big difference between polls promises and fulfilling them. As far as the rant about (no development in) 70 years is concerned, it also has an expiry date. You (BJP) are in the government for the past five years, what have you done in five years? ...
                 

JLR India to hike prices on select models from April

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Jaguar Land Rover India Tuesday said it will increase prices of select products by up to 4 per cent with effect from April 1. The company, however, did not specify which models will be affected by the price hike. "This increase in price is purely inflationary and we are certain that the two global iconic brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, will continue to attract existing and new customers," Jaguar Land Rover India President & Managing Director Rohit Suri said in a statement. JLR India's products under the two brands Jaguar and Land Rover ranges from Jaguar XE with price starting at Rs 40.61 lakh to Range Rover tagged at Rs 1.79 crore. Last week, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) had also announced that it would increase prices of some of its products from next month in order to offset rise in input cost. TKM, however, did not disclose the quantum of hike and the models that would become costlier...
                 

Report expresses concern over rate of groundwater depletion in

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
India accounts for almost one-fourth of the total groundwater extracted globally, more than that of China and the US combined thus using the largest amount of groundwater 24 per cent of the global total, according to a new report. Export of food and clothing items, while important sources of income, exacerbates this problem if production is not made sustainable, making it harder for many poor and marginalised communities to get access to clean water supply, warned the report released by WaterAid to mark World Water Day on March 22. The report by WaterAid, a non-profit organisation, titled "Beneath the Surface: The State of the World's Water 2019", said India accounted for almost one-fourth of the total groundwater extracted globally, more than that of China and the US combined. It said India also used the largest amount of groundwater 24 per cent of the global total - and the country's rate of groundwater depletion increased by 23 per cent between 2000 and .....
                 

Congress will restore special category status to Arunachal and other NE states: Rahul

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday his party will restore the special category status to Arunachal Pradesh and other states in the northeast if elected to power. There are some states in the country which require special status because of their "unique problems and difficulties" such as connectivity, terrain, infrastructure, Gandhi said at an election rally here. During the Congress rule at the Centre, he said, Arunachal Pradesh and other NE states used to enjoy special category status. Arunachal Pradesh has a special place in the heart of the Congress party and "we would like to have a 'dil ka rishta' with the people of the state", he said. Gandhi said the Congress will not allow the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to be passed in Rajya Sabha because the bill is "detrimental" to the people of the northeast. "We will not allow the suppression of the people of northeast," Gandhi said. The Congress party will never attack the language, culture, customs and tradition of Arunachal .....
                 

India's fuel demand rises 3.8 pc in Feb

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
India's fuel demand rose 3.8 per cent in February as free cooking gas connections spurred LPG consumption while petrol and diesel use continued to rise. Fuel consumption in February totalled 17.41 million tonnes as compared to 16.77 million tonnes in the same month last year, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Oil Ministry showed. Consumption rose for the third month in a row as ensuing general elections are likely to spike demand further. With retail prices moderating, petrol consumption soared 8 per cent to 2.25 million tonnes while the government push to give every household a cooking gas connection led to LPG demand spiking by 14.2 per cent to 2.2 million tonnes. Diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country, saw consumption rise by 2.7 per cent to 6.7 million tonnes. Hectic campaigning is likely as India goes to poll over the next two months, which will boost the use of transportation fuel as political parties traverse the country courting voters. .....
                 

ASK Property invests Rs 326 cr in housing projects of TVS group, QVC Realty, Tridhaatu

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
ASK group's private equity arm will invest Rs 326 crore in various housing projects being developed by QVC Realty, Tridhaatu and TVS Emerald. These projects are located in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi-NCR. ASK Property Investment Advisors (ASK PIA) is the real estate private equity arm of ASK Group. Mumbai-based ASK Investment Managers Ltd, the holding company, is a leading asset and wealth management firm and it soon plans to launch Initial public Offer (IPO) to raise an estimated Rs 2,000 crore. "We have invested Rs 326 crore as equity and structured equity in around 8 projects of QVC Realty, Tridhaatu and TVS Emerald," said Amit Bhagat, MD & CEO, ASK PIA. About Rs 200 crore would be invested in three projects of QVC Realty in NCR and Bengaluru, Rs 80 crore in two projects of TVS group firm TVS Emerald and Rs 44 crore in three projects of Tridhaatu Realty, he told PTI. "Liquidity crunch of NBFCs/HFCs has accelerated the consolidation process benefitting reputed .....
                 

Discovery Communications India signs content sharing pact with Dailyhunt

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Discovery Communications India Tuesday said it has entered into a partnership with news and local content discovery app, Dailyhunt. Under the partnership, Discovery Communications India (DCIN) will have a video destination named Discovery Plus on the home page of Dailyhunt app, offering short-form video content especially customised for the digital audiences in India, the company said in a statement. The partnership will help DCIN immediately expand its footprint on the digital domain in India, leveraging 153 million monthly user base of Dailyhunt platform, it added. On the other hand, Dailyhunt will get access to content library and upcoming titles of Discovery, it added. "The partnership with Dailyhunt offers us an exciting opportunity to understand, analyse and explore India's burgeoning digital play," Simon Robinson, managing director, Discovery Asia Pacific and chief financial officer, Discovery International said. Dailyhunt President Umang Bedi said the company is confident .....
                 

Trend of making films on unsung heroes should continue: Jackie Shroff

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Jackie Shroff, who plays RAW founder director in "Romeo Akbar Walter", says the trend of bringing the story of unsung on celluloid should continue. Shroff will be seen playing the role of RN Kao, the founding father of the Indian intelligence agency. The film features John Abraham in the lead. "I am glad I got the opportunity to bring the story of those people who served the country on screen. Playing this role is a feather in my cap. This trend should continue. We have so many unsung heroes. People today need to know about such stories. "I have also played defence personnel and cop in films. I used to have a uniform of policeman at home as I had two films at that time. I would just change the badges and wear the same uniform again," Shroff told PTI. The 62-year-old actor played an IAF pilot in "Border", while he played a cop in "Ram Lakhan" and "Police Officer" among others. Shroff said as there was little information available about Kao, he completely relied on his director Robbie ....
                 

Dilip Buildcon, Manpasand Beverages, CG Power gain over 100% from Feb lows

6 hours ago  
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Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod to market generic antiviral ointment

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Drug firm Zydus Cadila Tuesday said it has received final nod from the US health regulator to market antiviral Acyclovir ointment in the American market. The company has received the final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market generic Acyclovir ointment USP 5 per cent, Zydus Cadila said in a filing to the BSE. The product will be manufactured at the group's topical manufacturing facility at Ahmedabad, it added. The ointment is a generic version of Zovirax ointment in the same strength, Zydus Cadila said. Acyclovir is an antiviral drug which stops the growth of certain viruses. It is used to treat the first outbreak of genital herpes infection and to treat non-life threatening herpes infections of the skin and around the mouth in people with a weakened immune system, it added. The group now has 257 approvals and has so far filed over 350 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) since the commencement of its filing process, Zydus Cadila .....
                 

ClearTax in a sweet spot for next wave of growth as GST proves game changer

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ Latest News  
                 

Non-payment hitting hard, flight safety at risk: Jet Airways' engineers

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Cash-starved Jet Airways on Tuesday alleged that non-payment of salaries had adversely affected its members' psychological condition, which puts the safety of the airline's flight operations at risk. In a communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Jet Airways Aircraft Maintenance Engineers' Association (JAMEWA) sought the aviation regulator's intervention in recovering the dues, saying the management's failure to keep its commitment of clearing their salary by March had "shaken" their faith in the company. Jet Airways has nearly 560 engineers to maintain its fleet of over 100 planes. The JAMEWA claims representing around 490 engineers. "As of now, three months' salary is overdue to us," the association said in an e-mail to the DGCA. "It has been arduous for us to meet our financial requirements, which has resulted in adversely affecting the psychological condition of engineers at work and therefore, safety of public transport aircraft being flown by Jet .....
                 

Demonetisation was self-goal by Modi govt: Book

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Demonetisation was a terrible idea and the government's own economic surveys have indicated that this move contributed to a slowdown in the economy, claims a new book. The Great Disappointment: How Narendra Modi Squandered a Unique Opportunity to Transform the Indian Economy attempts to answer the overarching question of whether or not the Modi government transformed India's economy and what the next government's agenda should look like. Written by economic and political commentator Salman Anees Soz, the book is also a critical assessment of five years of the brand of economics Modi has championed, often referred to as 'Modinomics'. According to Soz, demonetisation was a self-goal by the Modi government. From ordinary people to experts, demonetisation has come in for withering criticism. I believe that if PM Modi's electoral prospects are at all threatened in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, demonetisation's lasting impact will be partly responsible, he claims. He argues for most .....
                 

Mindtree independent directors should guide shareholders, says IiAS

6 hours ago  
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TDP releases candidates' list for LS polls

7 hours ago  
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The Telugu Desam Party on Tuesday released its list of 25 candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Andhra Pradesh, retaining a majority of the sitting MPs while nominating the kin of the incumbents in a couple of constituencies. Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister V Kishore Chandra Deo, who had recently joined the TDP, has been given the Lok Sabha ticket from Araku (ST) constituency. Former Union ministers Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy and Panabaka Lakshmi, who, too, quit the Congress in recent days, have been nominated from Kurnool and Tirupati (SC) respectively. Nandamuri Balakrishna's son-in-law, M Bharat, got the Visakhapatnam ticket. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh and Balakrishna are contesting the Assembly elections, while Bharat has now been given the Lok Sabha ticket. Animal Husbandry Minister C Aadinarayana Reddy is being fielded from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency as part of an intra-party adjustment. Environment and Forests Minister Sidda .....
                 

"Neutral" regional parties to get 120-plus seats: TRS leader

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Regional parties not aligned with the Congress and BJP would get 120-plus seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections and may hold the key for government formation, according to a Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader. Speaking to PTI, Nizamabad MP, K Kavitha, daughter of the TRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, raised a strong pitch for these "neutral" regional parties to have a shot at power at the Centre. Kavitha, an influential party leader, said the TRS is in touch with various parties not part of the BJP-led NDA and Congress-anchored UPA on its efforts to forge a federal front of regional outfits. "Most of them are waiting and watching for the (Lok Sabha) results to come out but then taking up a neutral front is an idea which is appealing to many parties, not all of them have come out openly saying that," she said. A federal front would take good shape after the Lok Sabha election results are out, Kavitha said. All regional parties -- she named TRS, YSRCP, ....
                 

Mindtree to be run independently for now, says L&T

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Engineering major L&T which mounted a hostile takeover of software firm Mindtree with Rs 10,733-crore bid on Monday ruled out merging it with its IT arm for the time being. L&T on Monday announced a hostile takeover bid involving a three-pronged acquisition of Mindtree, wherein it will pay Rs 980 a share for 20.3 per cent stake of V G Siddharth, buying 15 per cent from the public and mounting an open offer at Rs 980 a share later. Thus, it plans to acquire 67 per cent for a consideration of Rs 10,733 crore. "We have not thought about integrating Mindtree with us (L&T Infotech). For the time being, it will be run as an independent entity," L&T Managing Director and chief executive S N Subramanyan told reporters here on Tuesday. Describing the deal as meeting of two like-minded people, he said V G Siddharth whose 20.3 per cent stake the company has bought out at Rs 980 a share, had approached them three months back for buying him out. "It was a meeting of ....
                 

Goldman Sachs upgrades India to 'overweight' amid pre-election rally

7 hours ago  
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