Business Standard

Centre is confused, has no clarity on Jammu and Kashmir: Iltija Mufti

an hour ago

Business / Business Standard/ General News

Daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Iltija Mufti said that the Centre is confused and lacks clarity on the issue of the former state, which has now been made a union territory.Speaking on the issue of foreign envoy's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Iltija Mufti said, "First the Central government said Kashmir is an internal problem and then they themselves bring envoys. But when other envoys want to visit then they (Centre) says this is our internal issue.""I think the government is very confused, they themselves have no clarity. They are taking the envoys and allowing them to meet with selected people. The government itself does not know what they want to do. Surely this is not for the development of Jammu and Kashmir," she added.Speaking about Mehbooba Mufti, who is currently booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), she said "The charges against her are false and baseless. Why BJP had no problem when they were with PDP, why today we are anti-national, .....

Happiness of people an important leg of USD 5 trillion economy goal: Piyush Goyal

an hour ago

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Chairing the BioAsia 2020 CEO Conclave in Hyderabad, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the goal of USD 5 trillion economy needs to have the happiness of the people at its core."The USD 5 trillion economy also has as its leg, a very important component of happiness of the people of India. One must recognize there are several dimensions to India. The power of India is defined as the power of democracy, demography, talent, leadership, and opportunity," Goyal said at the event moderated by Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao."The speed in which India is offering intellectual property protection has significantly been ramped up. We are looking to ensure that our applications get cleared faster than anywhere else in the world," he added.The Union Minister further urged the states to work together with the Centre for timely resolving the issues faced by the entrepreneurs.Speaking about price controls in India, Goyal said, "Price control has worked immensely in India. Looking at two of the ...

Lanka Dinakar slams Owaisi for 'creating confusion by clubbing CAA, NPR with NRC'

2 hours ago

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BJP leader Lanka Dinakar slammed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for "creating confusion among the public by clubbing CAA, NPR and NRC even though there is no NRC in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country except Assam.""AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi came to Vijayawada today to spit venom on the Citizenship Amendment Act, NPR and tried his level best to provoke a particular section of the people and creating confusion among the general public by clubbing together CAA, NPR and NRC though there is no NRC in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of our country other than Assam," Dinakar's statement on Tuesday read.The BJP leader said that although Owaisi, is an MP in the Lok Sabha, he "is speaking like a layman on the CAA, the enactment which was duly passed in the Parliament and it is the rightful obligation on the part of every state in the country to implement it."Dinakar said that the AIMIM chief is trying to convince the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh to not .....

India, France closest partners; look forward to widening Indo-Pacific partnership: French envoy

2 hours ago

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Calling India and France the 'closest partners' whose leaders, government and people alike share a level of confidence, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said on Tuesday that New Delhi and Paris look forward to expanding their security partnership in the Indo-Pacific."India and France are the closest partners. There is a level of confidence between our leaders, governments, and people, which is quite unusual," Lenain told ANI during an event at the French Embassy here."We want to expand this partnership to be able to join forces and be up to the challenges of the decade and the century, with means more (cooperation in developing) new technology with respect to the Artificial Intelligence, on cyberspace and join forces in the Indo-Pacific," he added.The French Embassy on Tuesday celebrated the welcoming of fashion designer Rahul Mishra as the first Indian "guest member" at the Haute Couture Week, Paris."I want to thank the Excellency. I want to thank the love which I got in .....

Putin sacks top adviser and ex-Ukraine pointman

3 hours ago

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President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday sacked Vladislav Surkov, one of his chief advisers and the architect of Russia's Ukraine policy who was viewed among the country's most powerful men. The dismissal of the 55-year-old Surkin was announced on the Kremlin website but there was no indication of what his new job would be. In recent years, Surkov was in charge of the Kremlin's Ukraine policy and cultivated close ties with the separatists who have carved out "people's republics" in the ex-Soviet country's eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. He was replaced earlier this month as the Kremlin's chief ideologue and pointman on relations with Ukraine and Moscow-backed separatists by Dmitry Kozak, a 61-year-old veteran official and a close ally of Putin. As first deputy head of the Kremlin administration, Surkov helped transform Russian parliament into a rubber stamp, muzzle media and neuter the opposition. The secretive strategist oversaw political parties in parliament and electoral .....

Police: Man forced woman to watch 'Roots' for racism lessons

3 hours ago

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An Iowa man is accused of forcing a woman to watch the nine-hour miniseries Roots, threatening her and telling her the episodic drama would make her better understand her racism. Robert Noye, 52, is charged in Cedar Rapids with harassment and false imprisonment. His attorney didn't immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press. The Gazette reported that the woman told police that Noye made her sit with him to watch the miniseries. It was based on author Alex Haley's family history, from the capture and enslavement of his ancestor Kunta Kinte in Africa to the liberation of Kinte's descendants. When she tried to move, the woman said, Noye told her to remain seated or he would kill her and spread her body parts across the interstate...

Afghan president wins vote, opponent says he's the winner

4 hours ago

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Ashraf Ghani won a second term as president of Afghanistan, the country's independent election commission announced Tuesday, but his closest opponent refused to recognize the results, declaring himself winner and potentially endangering peace negotiations with the Taliban. The Taliban also rejected Ghani's win, further putting into question a US peace plan that calls for a reduction in violence followed by a more permanent agreement expected to be signed Feb. 29, between Washington and the Taliban. That agreement would pave the way for U.S. troops to return home, ending America's longest war, and trigger negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict. The bickering in Kabul and Ghani's surprise suggestion that the Taliban participate in elections would seem to throw a wrench into peace plans announced last weekend at the Munich Security Summit. Theelection commission said Ghani garnered 923,592 votes, or 50.64%, in the troubled election that took place last Sept. 28. The ....

Israeli military to create command to combat Iran threats

4 hours ago

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Israel's military will set up a special branch in its general staff dedicated to threats from Iran, it said Tuesday. The military said it will appoint a major general to head the command, which is part of a broader restructuring in the general staff. A statement by the military offered few details about the new command, saying the nature of the new branch's work was yet to be determined. But the move highlights the importance Israel places on the threats it views coming from Iran. Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel's northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and training, and also supports Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules the coastal territory. Israel also accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons a charge Iran denies. Israel has repeatedly struck Iran-linked targets in Syria in recent years and has warned against any permanent Iranian presence on the frontier. But its battle against ....

Railway Police arrest 5 in e-ticketing racket

4 hours ago

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The Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Tuesday arrested five persons all accomplices of Ghulam Mustafa, a self-taught software developer from Jharkhand who was arrested earlier this year in an e-ticketing racket, and seized Rs 3.5 crore worth railway tickets and crores of money from their possession, officials said.The five people were arrested for allegedly tampering with the railway ticket system.According to the RPF, the gang used to infiltrate railway ticketing system using software ANMS and MAC. Moreover, they also used to get information about any upgradation done by the railways to stop such activitiesRPF Director-General Arun Kumar said that after the arrest of Ghulam Mustafa, places in Mumbai, Lucknow, Bangalore, Jodhpur, Shillong were under surveillance and led to the unearthing of money laundering and terror funding activities on a large scale.Those arrested have been identified as Shamsher, Jayant Poddar, Satyavan Pandey, Hamid Ashraf, Prajapati.Kumar said, "After the .....

JNU admin approves creation of alumni endowment fund

5 hours ago

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JNU vice-chancellor (VC) M Jagadesh Kumar on Tuesday appealed to the university alumni to contribute to the JNU Alumni Endowment Fund to help the institution achieve "financial self-sufficiency". Kumar's appeal came after the university's executive council approved the creation of the fund. "On behalf of JNU, I passionately appeal to the JNU alumni to come forward and generously make your contributions. "Let us keep a target of raising Rs 100 crore by the end of this year. Through your continued support in the coming years, let us target to achieve near financial self sufficiency for our university," the VC said. Around the globe, higher educational institutions benefit a great deal from contributions received from their alumni, he added. "The time has come for the university to reach out to its alumni across India and around the globe to contribute to the 'JNU Alumni Endowment Fund'," Kumar said. He said the funds generated through this can be used to grant scholarships to the needy ...

History-sheeter who jumped parole in 2014 held in Thane

5 hours ago

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A man convicted of armed dacoity in Nandurbar in Maharashtra who jumped parole in 2014 was held in Thane on Monday, a Crime Branch official said. Senior Inspector Shital Raut identified the man as Mohammad Sharif (43), originally from Siddharth Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. "He was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the Nandurbar case but jumped parole in September, 2014. He has confessed that he had robbed a bank cash van of Rs 55 lakh in Manpada area in Thane. He was also involved in a case where gold worth Rs 18 lakh was stolen from a finance company. The police had invoked MCOCA in that case," Raut said...

India issues fresh travel advisory asking citizens to not visit 5 provinces in Iraq

5 hours ago

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India on Tuesday issued a fresh travel advisory cautioning citizens against visiting large parts of Iraq in view of the deteriorating security situation. In the advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs has asked Indian citizens to specifically avoid travelling to Nineveh, Salahuddin, Diyala, Anbar and Kirkuk which witnessed escalation in tension in the wake of fresh attacks by ISIS terrorists. Indian nationals have been advised not to travel to these five provinces as they "remain unsafe" due to the prevailing security situation, the advisory said. "Those Indian nationals wishing to travel for employment and already having work permits and appropriate visas may return to their jobs in the safe areas in Iraq other than those listed as unsafe areas," it said. It also asked Indians planning to visit Iraq to inform the Indian Embassy in Baghdad or Consulate General in Erbil prior to travelling to the country. "Indian nationals wishing to travel for religious purposes, and having .....

UP Budget hold out no hope for people, says Akhilesh Yadav

5 hours ago

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Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday hit out at the BJP government in the state over the budget saying there is no hope for people from it.Speaking at a press conference, Yadav said, "There is no hope for people of the state from this budget. The youth have been betrayed by the government. The youth had expected jobs but it is not happening.""This is the fourth budget of the state government. The perception of Uttar Pradesh was that it was known for expressways, metros and laptops in the SP government but in the BJP rule the state is known for bullets. The state-sponsored killing like custodial deaths, farmers' suicide and shooting of protesters take place," the SP MP said.Yadav also hit out the state government over the issue of cleaning of river Ganga. He said, "As far as cleaning of Ganga is considered, everywhere there are open drains. Neither Ganga nor Yamuna are cleaned. BJP's intention is not clean and that is why these .....

Drunkard kidnaps boy, asks him to fill liquor in glasses

5 hours ago

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A drunkard allegedly kidnapped a seven-year-old boy and asked him to fill liquor in glasses after assaulting him here, police said on Tuesday. The accused, Radhesham Ramti Sharma (27), a resident of Wardhaman Nagar, was arrested on Tuesday, they said. The boy was playing near his home on Monday when the accused came there on a motorcycle and forced him to sit on his vehicle, the police said. Sharma drove the minor to nearby bushes where he took out a liquor bottle and glasses. He asked the boy to pour liquor into the glasses, they said. When the boy refused to do so, the accused beat him up with a rod and left, the police said. At the same time, the parents of the boy launched a frantic search for their son and found him in the bushes and took him to hospital, they said. The Lakadganj police traced the accused and arrested him. Sharma has been booked under IPC section 363 (kidnapping) and also provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, ...

Heart airlifted from Pune to Delhi, sent to hospital through green corridor

6 hours ago

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Heart harvested from a man in Pune was on Tuesday airlifted to Delhi and then transported to a hospital here through an 18-km green corridor, officials said. The surgery to transplant the donated heart of the 47-year-old brain-dead person into a 34-year-old woman patient was underway at the private hospital here, they said. "Heart was retrieved from a brain-dead patient in Pune and then flown to Delhi. A green corridor was then made from Delhi airport to the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) to transport the organ for a transplant surgery," a hospital spokesperson said. The distance of 18 km was covered in 21 minutes, the police said. "The team at FEHI was alerted by National Organ Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) about a possible donor heart in Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune earlier today. The team immediately left for Pune to retrieve the heart," the hospital said in a statement. The recipient, undergoing treatment at the hospital, was in critical condition for almost a month .....

BJP yuva morcha leader held for attacking police team in Assam

6 hours ago

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A BJP yuva morcha leader was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attacking a police team in an "inebriated" condition in Dakhin Saraibandha area of the district, officials said. Jorhat district secretary of the morcha, Gobin Borah, assaulted the police officers when they were on an operation to rescue a missing woman, who is suspected to have an illicit relationship with him, they said. Police had received a missing complaint from her husband, following which a team was formed under the leadership of Jorhat Police Station Officer-in-Charge, officials said. Borah also vandalised the police vehicle, they said. He was produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, which sent him to judicial custody. The woman was later found from the same locality and sent for medical examination, police said. Police also seized a large number of illegally kept IMFL bottles and a car from the BJP yuva morcha leader's residence, officials added...

Rao exhorts Mayors, other elected reps to make urban areas in

6 hours ago

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday exhorted newly-elected mayors, municipal chairpersons and other public representatives that the the responsibility of making towns and cities in the state as "ideal towns and cities in the country" is on them. Rao, who spoke at a 'Municipal Conference' attended by the elected representatives, mentioned about the duties and responsibilities of public representatives and how they should conduct themselves in public life. Rao said the 'Pattana Pragathi' (progress of towns) programme,scheduled to be held from February 24 to March 4,should be conducted all over the state, according to a release from his office. He suggested that all the 'padayatras', programmes and rallies to be taken out by the public representatives should begin from residential localities of Dalits where a majority of the poor lived. Action plans for development of towns should be made ward-wise and works taken up ward-wise, he said. He sought .....

Delhi govt to enrol 17,000 entrepreneurs for classroom interactions: Sisodia

6 hours ago

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The Delhi government will enrol 17,000 entrepreneurs to develop entrepreneurial culture among students in government schools and enable them to think out of the box, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday. Sisodia held a review meeting of the Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum at the Delhi Secretariat. "The minister directed the team to engage 17,000 entrepreneurs for classroom interactions with students on EMC. Last year, 4,000 entrepreneurs had interacted with 3,10,309 students and discussed their journey as entrepreneurs," an official statement said. With the intent to build the entrepreneurship skills through live project, the Delhi government plans to give seed money to the students of classes 11 and 12. "For a holistic exposure to the entrepreneurial set up, it is essential to get our students involved in field projects. We are planning to roll out the field projects in April 2020 and July 2020 for classes 12 and 11 respectively," Sisodia said. He said the Delhi ....

Delhi Police name former Congress MLA Asif Khan as accused in Dec 15 Jamia violence

6 hours ago

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Former Congress MLA Asif Mohammad Khan, along with other local leaders, has been named in the chargesheet filed by Delhi Police on Tuesday in connection with the violence during an anti-CAA protest in Jamia Nagar on December 15 last year.The Delhi Police has also mentioned the name of Sharjeel Imam as an 'instigator'. Imam's name was mentioned in the chargesheet after an accused in the violence, named Furqan, alleged that he was provoked by Imam's speeches. A supplementary chargesheet will be filed against Imam, police stated.Besides them, names of local leaders Ashu Khan, Mustafa and Haider have also been included. Among others mentioned are Chandan Kumar, Asif Tanha and Qasim Usmani.Police also stated that a Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulance in which a patient was being taken was attacked by the protestors in Jamia area. The CATS ambulance comes under the Delhi government, but no complaint was lodged.The chargesheet further mentions that as per the opinion .....

Bypolls to panchayats in J&K postponed due to security reasons: CEO

6 hours ago

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The bypolls to panchayats scheduled from March 5 in Jammu and Kashmir has been postponed due to security reasons, J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar said on Tuesday. By-election to over 12,500 panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir was scheduled to be held in eight phases from March 5. "The bypolls to panchayats has been postponed for three weeks due to security reasons," Kumar told PTI. He said this step was taken after inputs given to him by the home department over security issues. The eight-phase poll was earlier scheduled to be held from March 5 to March 20 on a party basis. The polling was slated for March 5, March 7, March 9, March 12, March 14, March 16, March 18 and March 20...

MHRD to celebrate 'Matribhasha Diwas' on Feb 21

6 hours ago

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The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is set to celebrate 'Matribhasha Diwas' on February 21 across the country."The theme of the programme is 'Celebrating our Multilingual Heritage' reflecting the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted.Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is set to be chief guest at the main event to be held in New Delhi on February 20.Minister of Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and HRD Minister Sanjay Dhotre will also be present at the event.MHRD along with educational institutions and language institutions has been celebrating the Matribhasha Diwas for the past three years.This year also the educational institutions will organise activities like elocution, debating, singing, essay writing competitions, painting competitions, music, and dramatic performances, exhibitions, online resources and activities...

HDFC Bank completes 25 years of operations

6 hours ago

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HDFC Bank, the most valuable Indian lender, completed 25 years on Tuesday. The bank observed the anniversary celebrations by committing to plant 25 lakh trees and also digitise 2,500 classrooms. Its managing director and chief executive Aditya Puri, who has led the bank from scratch, planted a guava tree at a municipal school in central Mumbai, where the bank also donated its first digital classroom. "There are no alternatives to a clean environment and smart classrooms. Both are an absolute necessity for our nation to become the global force we all want it to be," Puri said in a statement. Puri, set to retire in October this year, is credited with developing a culture that has zero tolerance for any leniency and has helped the bank in not getting ensnared in the non-performing assets-related troubles that have afflicted the entire system. The bank's market cap as on Tuesday's close was Rs 6.64 lakh crore as against SBI's Rs 2.83 lakh crore. SBI, the largest Indian bank by assets, had..

26/11 would have been dubbed as "Hindu terror" attack: Maria

6 hours ago

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Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed that had Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab not been caught alive, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack would have been dubbed as the handiwork of "Hindu" terrorists. Kasab's body would have been found with an I-card bearing a fictitious Hindu name, Maria writes in his memoir 'Let Me Say It Now' released recently. In the 624-page book, Maria writes extensively about the investigation helmed by him in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. "If all had gone well, he (Kasab) would have been dead with a red string tied around his wrist like a Hindu. We would have found an identity card on his person with a fictitious name: Samir Dinesh Chaudhari, student of Arunodaya Degree and P.G. College, Vedre Complex, Dilkhushnagar, Hyderabad, 500060, resident of 254, Teachers Colony, Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru," Maria writes. "Ramesh Mahale, Prashant Marde and Dinesh Kadam would have been on their way to Hyderabad to find more about him...

Police detain domestic help of Geelani

6 hours ago

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Police on Tuesday detained a manwho was working as a domestic help at the residence of ailing separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, official sources said. Sirajuddin Ganaie was taken into custody outside Geelani's house this evening and shifted to a police station for questioning, they said. Ganaie, a resident of Tral in Pulwama district, was suspected to be circulating the videos of the hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman through social media, the sources said. Police officials refused to comment on Ganaie's detention...

Ahead of US prez visit, Guj govt reschedules Budget session

6 hours ago

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In view of US President Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad on February 24, the Gujarat government on Tuesday announced rescheduling of the Budget session of the state Legislative Assembly, which will now commence from February 26. As per the earlier schedule, the session was supposed to begin on February 24--the day when Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ahmedabad. The Budget 2020-21 will be tabled on February 26 by Gujarat deputy chief minister and finance minister Nitin Patel, said Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja. The House will now meet for the total 22 days between February 26 and March 31, he said. Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, who was part of the Assembly's Business Advisory Committee (BAC), said the business of the two curtailed days will be accommodated in the total 25 sittings...

Swedish businessman seeks alms in TN to get mental peace

7 hours ago

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A middle-aged Swedish businessman was found seeking alms near the Railway station here, much to the surprise of passers-by and traders on Tuesday. Kim, an industrialist from Sweden, was said to be in India on a personal visit. During enquiry, he told the police that his spiritual guru had asked him to take recourse to begging to relieve him of mental stress. Sporting long hair and clad only in white dhoti, Kim approached people on the streets with folded hands for money, police said...

China has full confidence to win battle against coronavirus, says Chinese envoy to India

7 hours ago

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Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Tuesday said his country has full confidence to win the battle against the coronavirus epidemic."The epidemic (of Coronavirus) is under control now. We've full confidence in controlling it. The epidemic has brought immense challenges for China and the world," he said during a media interaction here.The envoy also highlighted the impact of the deadly virus on various sectors of the economy, including tourism, and small and medium enterprises."The epidemic has impacted Chinese SMEs, tourism, and others. The downward pressure on our economy will increase in the short-run. But we'll be able to overcome these problems. The dynamism of China's economy is such that we'll bounce back strongly," he stressed.Speaking about India's assistance to China during the hour of crisis Weidong said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently sent a letter of condolence to President Xi Jinping. India assured readiness to assist China. We appreciate the support .....

Sitharaman dismisses report of shortage of medicines, equipment in hospitals in India in wake of coronavirus

7 hours ago

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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that there is no shortage of medicines and other medical equipment in the country in the context of the spread of coronavirus in China.Addressing a press conference, Sitharaman responding to a query said, "There are no reports of shortage of medicines or medical equipment. In fact, there were demands from those who manufacture medical devices to remove the ban on exports.""The medical device manufacturing are demanding to add some more items that can be exported. A ban was placed on January 31 on the export of items but in February some items were included in the list of items to be exported, so the medical device manufacturers have demanded to increase that list of items," she said.When asked whether there was any concern on price rise by any sector due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in China, Sitharaman said, "There is no worry about price rise from anybody as yet. There was concern about distortion in supply of materials. .....

CEO of German-based group discusses Rs 400 cr investment with Punjab CM

7 hours ago

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German-based Freudenberg Group CEO Ulrich Kerber on Tuesday discussed modal quality for Rs 400 crore investment in Punjab's automotive sector with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.The Chief Minister assured the Freudenberg Group of government's full support and cooperation to undertake expansion in the state.Kerber, who met the Chief Minister said, "The group was in constant touch with the Invest Punjab team for identification of a suitable site for their new project, which would be soon finalised."He also lauded the positive attitude of Invest Punjab in extending all possible support to the group for the execution of their proposed plan.Singh appreciated the group's endeavours and said the new proposed project would further boost the investment sentiment in the state, besides generating tremendous employment potential.He said that with his government's investor-friendly policies, coupled with renewed confidence of entrepreneurs, the state had firmed up investments worth nearly ...

Goa opposition leader calls for united action against drug menace in the state

7 hours ago

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Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat on Tuesday stressed upon the need to eradicate drug menace in the state and said it is high time to unitedly kill the 'Bhasmasura' (a demon who could burn anything) of drugs.The statement came after a video of a teenage boy from a Goa village went viral in which he allegedly confessed that he got drugs for free.Kamat said, "It is high time to rise above all our other priorities and unitedly come forward to kill the Bhasmasura of drugs before it is too late."He said that it is unfortunate that the government says that there is no drug trade in Goa just to cover up the failure of its intelligence agencies and overall mechanism."The devil has already entered into the hinterland of the state and now it is the responsibility of every citizen to ensure that the evil is destroyed completely," he said.He said that instead of seizing small drug traders, big fish should be caught."Although the government creates a picture of ....

10 Afghan police personnel undergo training at Ghaziabad

7 hours ago

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As part of trilateral cooperation between Afghanistan, India and China, 10 senior Afghan National Police Officers are undergoing training at the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI), Ghaziabad, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. The programme which commenced on Monday is specially focussed on various aspects of community policing. "Under the trilateral cooperation between India, Afghanistan and China, a capacity building programme for a team of 10 senior Afghan National Police officers started in India on February 17, 2020 at Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI), Ghaziabad," the ministry said in a statement. The programme is aimed at strengthening the collaboration of India and China on Afghanistan, it added. In 2018, an understanding to launch a joint programme of Afghan personnel was reached during an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held in April at China's Wuhan city. Accordingly, a joint programme ....

HSBC rakes in $1 bln pre-tax profit from India operations in 2019

7 hours ago

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British banking major HSBC's pre-tax profit from India grew 22 per cent to USD 1 billion last year, making it the fifth most profitable geography for the bank worldwide. The bank had reported a profit before tax of USD 825 million in 2018. The bank, which reportedly announced a plan to cut 35,000 jobs worldwide on Tuesday, added 2,000 employees in the country in 2019, taking the total to 40,000 people, which is at par with its largest market of UK. HSBC's profit from India was driven by global banking and markets segment which grew 20 per cent to deliver a bottom line of USD 466 million, according to its annual report for 2019. As per the report, retail banking, where HSBC has massively consolidated its physical presence, delivered a pre-tax profit of USD 48 million as against USD 20 million. Commercial banking profits grew to USD 181 million from USD 143 million in India last year. Pre-tax profits attributable to "corporate centre" were up at USD 311 million from USD 275 million, the..

UCO Bank aiming to come out of the RBI's PCA framework

7 hours ago

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State-run lender UCO Bank is aiming to come out of the RBI's prompt corrective action (PCA) framework by March 2020 by turning profitable and also reducing its quantum of NPAs. Addressing analysts here last week, its managing director and chief executive Atul Kumar Goel said it will get the quantum of non-performing assets down below 6 per cent and also turn profitable by March, according to a statement. The PCA framework poses a slew of restrictions, including caps on lending by banks. Goel said significant progress has been made on various parameters in the December quarter itself and added that the Rs 2,142 crore capital infusion by the government has bolstered its buffers. An improvement in the net interest income and bad loan recoveries helped it narrow losses to Rs 960 crore in the December quarter, he said...

Mizoram govt yet to notify new prohibition rules: Minister

7 hours ago

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The Mizoram government is yet to notify the new prohibition rules, Excise and Narcotics Minister Dr K Beichhua told the state Assembly on Tuesday. In reply to a question from Congress member KT Rokhaw, Beichhua said the government has cancelled the notification issued in connection with the new liquor law on December 19 last year. He said that there is no prohibition rules in the state as of now. According to the minister, the government has closed all liquor shops, bonded warehouses and brewery after "The Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Act, 2019" came into force in the state. He said the government has also approved recruitment for 3 inspectors, 2 sub-inspectors, 45 constables, 4 upper division clerks and 2 lower division clerks to strengthen the department. In another reply, Beichhuah also said that the state government did not issue any license or permit for buying liquor. He said the government has not thought of opening wine shops as of now. Meanwhile, officials of .....

Patanjali Group partners with JHS Svendgaard Retail Ventures for stores at airports

7 hours ago

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Haridwar-based Patanjali Group has partnered with JHS Svendgaard Retail Ventures to set up its stores at airports across the country, a release said on Tuesday. JHS Svendgaard Retail Ventures is a subsidiary of the private label oral care products manufacturer JHS Svendgaard Laboratories. JHS Svendgaard Retail Ventures has four stores in operations at New Delhi, Raipur and Chandigarh airports and it is set to launch the fifth store at Terminal 3 (T3) of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday in JV with Patanjali Group, it said. The retail store at T3 would be the first by the company at the international terminal. Under the exclusive tie-up, three new stores are also planned at Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai airports, the release stated. "Through this partnership, we are developing an extensive network of Patanjali stores across all Indian airports. It is our effort to promote Indian Ayurveda globally by targeting Indian gateways and making brand Patanjali .....

India's internet user base to cross 900 mn by 2023: Cisco

7 hours ago

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India is expected to have over 907 million internet users by 2023, up from 398 million in 2018, a report by Cisco said on Tuesday. Also, it is estimated that there will be 2.1 billion networked devices by 2023, with machine-to-machine (M2M) modules accounting for 25 per cent (524.3 million) of all networked devices. According to the report, there will be 907 million internet users (64 per cent of population) in India by 2023, up from 398 million (29 per cent population) in 2018. It added that there will be 966 million total mobile users (68 per cent of population) by 2023, up from 763 million (56 per cent of population) in 2018. Also, one in 20 connections will be 5G with 67.2 million connections by 2023, it said. "In India, devices and connections are growing faster (7 per cent compound annual growth rate) than the population (1 per cent CAGR). This trend is accelerating the increase in the average number of devices and connections per household and per capita," the report said. A .....

Water released into Yamuna to improve its 'environmental condition' ahead of Trump's India visit

7 hours ago

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The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra, ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit, officials said on Tuesday. Trump is set to visit India on a two-day trip between February 23 and 26. The main segment of the visit will take place in Delhi, though an option of having a short visit by the president to another city is being explored. The cities that are being considered include Uttar Pradesh's Agra and Gujarat's Ahmedabad. "Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said. He said the department aims to maintain a certain level of water in the Yamuna till February 24. This..

Gujarat HC junks PIL seeking scrapping of ropeway project

7 hours ago

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The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking scrapping of a ropeway project atop the Mount Girnar on the ground it endangers the existence of long-billed vultures found in the region. A division bench of Chief Justice Vikarm Natha and Justice A J Shastri dismissed the PIL filed by a local farmer, Kanjibhai Bhetariya, a few months after the work on the project in Junagadh district started. The petitioner, through his lawyer Nandish Thackar, said the project nowhere satisfies the requirement under section 29 of the Wildlife Protection Act that it is being undertaken for the betterment of wildlife of the region. The permission granted by the National Board for Wildlife (NBW) for the project was based on "unjustifiable" reasons, he said. Also, the NBW's technical committee has said the ropeway could lead to the local extinction of the "Girnari Giddh" (long-billed vultures) and suggested the government to consider an alternative alignment for the project, the PIL..

Goa govt rescinds order notifying 56 villages as urban areas

7 hours ago

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The BJP-led government in Goa on Tuesday withdrew its controversial order notifying 56 villages in the state as urban areas which had triggered a huge public outcry. In a press note issued in the evening, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that the order which had notified 56 villages as urban areas under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, stands "withdrawn" in view of "public concerns". Recently, the state Revenue Department notified 56 villages as urban areas under section 2 (38) of the Goa Land Revenue Code 1968 (LRC). "Under the LRC, notification of any village as 'urban village' only affects the process of assessment of land revenue and this classification does not change any building or infrastructure guidelines as far as the Revenue department is concerned," the statement said. The revenue department had clarified that these 56 villages are Census towns as per Census 2011. "However, the notification caused anxiety amongst the public. The public is also worried ...

Assam University postpones convocation

7 hours ago

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The convocation of Assam University has been postponed even as the indefinite hunger strike by students against the rustication of a research scholar entered ninth day on Tuesday. AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dilip Chandra Nath said the scheduled convocation of the varsity on March 1 has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing agitation. "The office of the Assam University has become functionless due to the agitation. So, no preparation work for the convocation could be done," he said. The students are on hunger strike since February 10 with a host of demands, including withdrawal of rustication order against Milan Das, withdrawal of FIR against him and assurance of no action against the agitating students. With the students sitting in front of the main gate and not allowing anyone to enter the campus, the functioning of the varsity has come to a standstill. This forced the varsity administration to hold the university Executive Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the..

Orient Electric to expand premium fans segment

7 hours ago

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Orient Electric, which has a leadership position in the premium fans segment, would continue to expand the category, said a top company official. The company, which is part of the USD 2.4-billion CK Birla Group, on Monday introduced internet of things (IoT)-enabled inverter i-Series fans in the premium segment, which is claimed to save 50 per cent energy. This is part of its plan to emerge as a frontrunner in energy-efficient fans segment while also gaining more ground in the premium fans segment, said Orient Electric in a statement. These IoT-enabled fans could be operated through Orient Smart mobile app or with voice commands via Alexa and Google Assistant. "Based on the external data, our understanding is that we should be in around 20 per cent market share in the fans and in the premium segment, we are close to 45 per cent market share," said Orient Electric MD & CEO Rakesh Khanna. He further said, "In the premium segment, we are growing better than the industry every time. We..

Rakesh Maria's book reveals that ISI was behind linking 26/11 Mumbai attack to RSS: Ram Madhav

7 hours ago

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BJP's General Secretary Ram Madhav on Tuesday said that the revelations in former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria's memoir indicated that Pakistan's ISI was behind the conspiracy to link the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as a case of "Hindu terror" and that some intellectuals in India had attempted to take the theory forward.The BJP leader also put the blame on Congress leaders. "Some intellectuals had attempted to link the Mumbai terror attack to RSS, they had the support of Congress leaders," Ram Madhav told ANI.He also said, "Today, the book revealed that it was a conspiracy by ISI, and some so-called intellectuals were trying to take this forward."In his book 'Let Me Say It Now', Maria claimed that had Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) succeeded in its plan, 26/11 Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab would have died as a Hindu named Samir Chaudhary.According to an excerpt from the book, if everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhary and the ....

Technology must in every sector for India''s progress: Meghwal

7 hours ago

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Minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday asserted that to become a world leader in the 21stcentury, India will have to adopt technology in all sectors. Meghwal was speaking at the launch of India's first Centre of Excellence of Green Mobility set up by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) at Chakan in Maharashtra's Pune district. "Technology will not stop and it will come in all sectors. Technocrats will be responsible for taking it forward. If India wants to be a leader in the 21st century then it will have to adopt technology," the minister said. Optimum utilisation of technology should be the focus and it should be a part of research and development in the automotive sector, which is advancing in India, Meghwal said. "However, technology should not disturb our geographical, economical and population systems," he added. The ARAI hasset up the state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence of green mobility, which will ....

Couple, their minor daughter killed in road accident in MP

7 hours ago

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A couple and their minor daughter were killed on Tuesday evening when a speeding truck smashed into their motorbike near here in Madhya Pradesh, police said. All three, riding on the motorbike, were crushed by the truck coming from behind on Bhopal-Vidisha road at Muktapur village, about 30km from the district headquarters, said Salamatpur Police Station in-charge Ramesh Raghuvanshi. The victims, Anil Kewat (42), his wife Sharmila (35) and their daughter Ragini (8), died on the spot, he said. The truck driver fled with the vehicle after the incident and a search for him is on, Raghuvanshi said...

Rangpuri road to be closed from Wed, Delhi airport asks passengers to leave 15 min early from home

7 hours ago

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Delhi airport on Tuesday advised passengers to leave from home 10-15 minutes early as a road connecting it with Rangpuri on the National Highway 8 will be closed for over a year to carry out the airport expansion work. The traffic coming from Rangpuri roundabout will be diverted to central spine road, connecting terminals 2 and 3 from Mahipalpur, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a press statement. "A road connecting Delhi airport with Rangpuri on National Highway 8 would be closed for over a year from tomorrow afternoon to carry out construction work of Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT), under the Phase 3A expansion plan," it said. For smooth movement of passengers coming to terminals 2 and 3 from Shiva Murti, Dwarka and Gurgaon, the DIAL noted that it has built and commissioned "Radisson Bypass Road", connecting Rangpuri with the airport via central spine road. The DIAL said it has put up signage at strategic locations regarding diversion for the convenience of .....

Gujarat govt partners with SBI to facilitate MSME loans

8 hours ago

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The Gujarat government on Tuesday signed an MoU with State Bank of India (SBI) to facilitate approval of loans to entrepreneurs in the MSME sector with ease and within a short time-frame. As per the MoU, the top public sector lender will provide working capital to entrepreneurs seeking to start new micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) within a short time -frame after providing theoretical approval within 15 days of making an application, the government said in a release here. The MoU was signed between principal secretary M K Das and SBI Ahmedabad circle general manager Ramesh Kumar Agarwal. Within 15 days of making an application, the bank will provide theoretical approval to the project. Start-ups can submit an application on either the MSME portal or to the local nodal agencies, it said. The SBI decided to help MSME entrepreneurs in Gujarat looking at their high recovery rate, said the release. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, also present at the MoU signing event, .....

Matrimonial disputes: 2 masjid officials asked to appear in MP

8 hours ago

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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed two functionaries of the Darul Qaza Masajid Committee in Bhopal to appear before it on Wednesday to explain why they continue to hear matrimonial disputes despite the court's order against the practice. A division bench of Justices Sanjay Yadav and Atul Sreedharan was on Monday hearing a contempt petition filed by Bhopal-based social activist Mohammad Waseem Khan. The HC directives restricting the committee from hearing matrimonial disputes came on a PIL filed in 2009 by Mohammad Zahir Khan Koti, petitioner Mohammad Waseem Khan's counsel Mohammad Adil Usmani told PTI on Tuesday. The HC directed the committee's secretary SM Salman and Qazi Mushtaq Ali Nadvi to appear before it on Wednesday in the contempt case to explain why they continued to hear matrimonial disputes, including issues related to divorce and maintenance, Usmani said...

BJP legislators stage dharna in Rajasthan Assembly

8 hours ago

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BJP legislators created a uproar in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday over a comment by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal on Leader Of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria and staged a dharna. Amid the uproar over the comment, the House passed the Rajasthan Agriculture Produce Markets (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Jan Aadhaar Authority Bill, 2020, and Speaker C P Joshi adjourned the proceedings for the day. After the House was adjourned, the BJP MLAs sat on a dharna in the Well of the House. The sit-in was, however, called off after the speaker assured that the comments of the minister would be expunged. Dhariwal was speaking on the Rajasthan Agriculture Produce Markets (Amendment) Bill, 2020 when he referred to an statement allegedly made by Kataria when he was the disaster management and relief minister in the previous BJP government. Kataria accused Dhariwal of lying and asked for proof. Opposition members then created an uproar, during which the House passed the two .....

Jamia student files Rs 1 cr compensation case against Delhi Police

8 hours ago

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Mohammad Mustafa, a second-year MA student who got injured during the protest at Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year, has filed a compensation case of Rs 1 crore against the Delhi Police in the High Court."I would like to ask the government if a person is not safe in the library, where else is he or she is safe? I would like to ask the Delhi Police what was my crime. I have filed a compensation case worth Rs 1 crore against the Delhi Police," Mustafa told ANI on Tuesday.This case comes in the backdrop of a viral video released by Delhi Police on Sunday showing those present in the Jamia library trying to hide their faces with handkerchiefs.Prior to that, in a CCTV footage, policemen in riot gear are seen barging into the library and beating students with batons."That day, I was studying in the library from morning onwards. Around 6 pm, police entered the premises without any warning and started lathi charging at everybody. I was beaten too even though was not connected to any ....

Covid: Five admitted to hospitals; 39,784 screened till now

8 hours ago

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Five travellers are currently admitted to hospitals in Maharashtra over suspicion of being infected by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the state's health department said on Tuesday. Of them, three are being treated at Naidu Hospital in Pune, while two are at civic-run Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai, according to a health department release here. A total of 39,784 travellers have been screened at the Mumbai international airport since around mid-January for coronavirus, whose outbreak was reported in December-end from China's Wuhan city, it said. "Field surveillance is also actively going on all across the state in search of people coming from the coronavirus-affected areas," stated the release. Since around mid-January, Maharashtra had 228 travellers (till Tuesday) coming from coronavirus-affected areas and 70 of them, who showed symptoms similar to the viral infection, were kept at isolation facilities, it said. "Till today, 66 samples sent by state authorities for .....

Maoist carrying Rs 4 lakh reward on his head surrenders

8 hours ago

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A Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head surrendered before the police in Odisha's Kalahandi district on Tuesday. Kesab Veladi (27) of Chhattisgarh, who had joined the CPI (Maoist) in 2009 and was involved in many crimes, surrendered before the police, Superintendent of Police, B Ganagadhar said. Veladi told police that he decided to give up the path of violence and return to the social mainstream as he was "disillusioned" with the Maoist activities, the SP said. Veladi was involved in many crimes including burning of a vehicle near Kendughati, burning of five tractors, two JCB and one mixture machine near Nuamunda of Kalahandi district. He was also involved in several cases in Kandhamal district, police said. The SP claimed that more and more Maoists are giving up arms due to progressive surrender and rehabilitation policy of Odisha government...

Jamia almuni association files police complaint against cops who entered varsity library

8 hours ago

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The Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association on Tuesday filed a police complaint against policemen who barged inside the university's library on December 15 last year, demanding that they be charged for offences like attempt to murder and insulting religion. In its complaint filed with the deputy commissioner of police (Southeast) and the SHO of Jamia Nagar police station, the association alleged that the policemen rained batons on students inside the library and used religious slurs. "In order to hide and destroy evidences of their barbarity and unlawful conduct, the officials/personnel of the police force deliberately tried to destroy the CCTV cameras installed in the campus premises, including the ones installed in the Old Library," the complaint said. It also stated that the "personnel of the police force vandalised the premises of the Old Reading Hall of the library and broke the gate which was locked from inside by the students and started abusing the students...and lathicharging..

2,800 entrepreneurs ''created'' in Bengal over 5 years, claims

8 hours ago

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A Gujarat-based organisation has claimed that it helped "create" over 2,800 entrepreneurs in West Bengal in the last five years, of which 1,270 were females. The institute "boosted rural livelihood and employment" under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), a sub-scheme of the Centre's National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). "We have created over 2,800 entrepreneurs in six blocks of West Bengal in the last five years. Of them, 1,270 are female, 1,569 are male and one is transgender," the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) said in a release. The institute also claimed that in the last five years, it has promoted "over 27,400 entrepreneurs in 42 blocks across 11 states". "Micro-enterprises constitute a significant proportion of the existing unregistered enterprises in the country. The purpose of SVEP is to bring a majority of these micro- enterprises in the main stream and assist them in funding their business model, which can .....

INX Media case: Court directs CBI to hand over documents to Chidambaram, son

8 hours ago

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A Delhi court directed the CBI on Tuesday to hand over to P Chidambaram and his son Karti certain documents filed along with the charge sheet in the INX Media corruption case. Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar issued the direction to the CBI during the hearing in the INX Media corruption case after the father-son duo told the court that they have not received various documents filed along with the charge sheet. The Chidambarams were present in the court. The court, meanwhile, reserved for tomorrow the order on the bail applications of former NITI Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar, former OSD to finance minister Pradeep Kumar Bagga and former FIPB director Prabodh Saxena. The court also reserved order on the bail applications of former section officer of the FIPB unit in the Finance Ministry, Ajeet Kumar Dungdung, the then under secretary in the FIPB unit, Rabindra Prasad, and former joint secretary (Foreign Trade) DEA Anup K Pujari. The Chidambarams are already on bail in the case. The court..

Amendment of tenure provisions in VFI's constitution is against Sports Code: sports ministry

8 hours ago

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The government has said the recent changes in the constitution of the Volleyball Federation of India is against the National Sports Code and asked the VFI to restore the provisions relating to tenure of office bearers or face serious consequences. The sports ministry said it had received a letter from the VFI secretary general regarding amendments in the tenure provisions of the office bearers. The new provisions incorporated by the VFI said: "No member shall hold the post of the secretary-general or treasurer for more than two consecutive terms of eight years whichever is less but can contest for the post of president after completion of two terms without a cooling off period. "However, it shall be mandatory requirement that only those members who have held the office and were elected member in the last three executive committee of the federation shall only be eligible to contest for the post of the president and the secretary-general." The ministry said that the amendments were .....

Won't allow anti-CAA, other political messages on floats at Goa Carnival, says State Tourism Minister

8 hours ago

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Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Tuesday said that the state government will ensure that no political message, including that of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), will be allowed on the floats at the Goa carnival."The Goa government will keep a strict watch to ensure none of the floats at the carnival here have anti-Citizenship Amendment Act or other such political messages," Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister told ANI.The main float parade is slated for February 22 in all the major cities of the state including the capital city Panaji.The statement comes at the backdrop of the state government's decision to impose section 144 at a time when the 'Carnival', one of the most popular festivals in Goa is scheduled to begin in less than a week.'Carnival', along with 'Shigmo' are the two major traditional Catholic and Hindu festivals respectively celebrated in the state.Every year, hundreds of revellers including locals and tourists throng the annual .....

Fighting battle of life and death, regret my overreaction against Amitabh Bachchan: Amar Singh

8 hours ago

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Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Tuesday said that he regretted his "overreaction" against veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and his family.Taking to Twitter, Singh who claimed he was "fighting a battle of life and death" said that he had received a message from Bachchan on his father's death anniversary on Tuesday."Today is my father's death anniversary and I got a message for the same from Amitabh Bachchan ji. At this stage of life when I am fighting a battle of life and death I regret my overreaction against Amit ji and family. God bless them all," he tweeted.Amar Singh also posted a video on Facebook in which he said that over the last 10 years, he stayed away from the Bachchan family. He mentioned that a decade ago, Amitabh Bachchan was with him for almost two months in Singapore due to his kidney ailment."Today is my father's death anniversary and I got a message for the same from Amitabh Bachchan ji. Sometimes you are aggressively reactive to a person whom you have .....

Kenyan man, woman found dead in Gurugram hostel

8 hours ago

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A man and a woman, both from Kenya, were on Tuesday found dead under suspicious circumstances in a paying-guest accommodation at Gurugram's Sushant Lok, police said.The deceased have been identified as David, 34, and Ruth, 27. The two are suspected to have died 2-3 days back, police said.Ruth was a teacher at Lancer International School in DLF Phase 5.The hostel employees on Tuesday informed the police about a stench coming from the third-floor room number 304, said Preetpal Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police."When the police reached the spot, the body of the girl was lying on the floor in a half-naked state while that of the man was found hanging by the neck from the geyser in the bathroom.The Kenya embassy has been informed and investigation in the case is being done, police said...

Maha: Aurangabad jail starts English course for inmates

8 hours ago

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Authorities at Harsul Central Jail in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district on Tuesday started a six-month spoken English course for prisoners to help them find employment and lead better lives after release, a senior official said. The first batch, being taught by advocate Mohan Korde, has 50 inmates who will be given a certificate after they clear a test at the end of the course, said Harsul Jail Superintendent Hiralal Jadhav. "There is no minimum qualification for the course. This is the first experiment of its kind in any jail in Maharashtra. English language skills will help prisoners get jobs like guides, data entry operators and translators and lead a good life once they are released," Jadhav said...

Sebi levies Rs 59 lakh fine on 9 cos for fraudulent trading in Turbotech Engineering's scrip

8 hours ago

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Market regulator Sebi on Tuesday levied a total fine of Rs 59 lakh on nine companies for indulging in fraudulent trading in the scrip of Turbotech Engineering Ltd. Radison Properties, Natural Housing, Topwell Properties, South Asia Portfolios, Kingfisher Properties, Janvi Tanvi Shares Traders, Safed Sales, Shivkhori Construction and Spice Merchants are the nine companies on whom the fine has been levied. Pursuant to a probe conducted by Sebi between October 2012 and January 2015, it was found that the firms had traded with connected entities and contributed significantly towards positive last traded price. The firms manipulated the price of the scrip by contributing to the price rise and indulged in an act which created false or misleading appearance of trading in the scrip of Turbotech, Sebi noted. By doing so, the firms violated the Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices (PFUTP) norms. "The acts of manipulating the price of scrip by the noticees have misled and induce ...

Centre to facilitate doubling of milk processing capacity

8 hours ago

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The Centre on Tuesday said it will facilitate doubling of milk processing capacity from 53.5 million tonne to 108 million tonne by 2025. Public investment to further incentivise private investments would be facilitated for increasing processing facilities through convergence and leveraging various government schemes, an official statement said. Milk production in India is growing by 6.4 per cent during the past five years and has increased from 146.3 million tonne in 2014-15 to 187.7 million tonne in 2018-19. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, "There is a need to bring the remaining 64 per cent surplus milk under the organised fold through various interventions." About 54 per cent of the milk produced is marketable surplus and the remaining 46 per cent is retained in villages for local consumption, it said. Out of the marketable surplus available with farmers, only 36 per cent is handled by organised sectors evenly shared by cooperative and private sectors, ...

Another batch of 100 people leave ITBP quarantine facility

8 hours ago

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Another batch of about 100 people, who were among the over 400 quarantined at an ITBP facility in Delhi after being evacuated earlier this month from coronavirus-hit Wuhan, were discharged on Tuesday, an official said. This comes a day after a batch of about 200 people were discharged from the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility, which housed a total of 406 people, including seven Maldivians. So far, 302 people out of total 406, have left the ITBP centre after being declared free of novel corona virus by the doctors. The rest of the inmates will be released by Wednesday morning, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said. All those who were discharged have been provided with conveyance till airport, railway stations, or bus stands. Among those who will leave the facility on Wednesday include a few families. All released persons were advised to remain self isolated for the next 14 days at their respective places, Pandey said. They were also advised the dos and don'ts during the ....

Govt should implement SC decision on women Army officers in 'letter and spirit': CPI(M)

8 hours ago

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The government had opposed the move to give permanent commission and command positions to women officers in the Army but now they should implement the Supreme Court order on it both in "letter and spirit", the CPI(M) said on Tuesday. In a landmark verdict, the apex court on Monday directed that women officers in the Army be granted permanent commission and command postings, rejecting the Centre's stand of their physiological limitations as being based on "sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women". "We welcome the Supreme Court judgment which brings women at par with men in the Army, without impinging on our national security.Government opposed this progressive move in the court but must now implement it fully, both in letter and in spirit," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet. Slamming the Centre, the Supreme Court said despite no stay on the 2010 Delhi High Court verdict allowing grant of permanent commission to women officers, the government .....

Women entrepreneurs can generate 150-170 mn jobs in India: Report

8 hours ago

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Women in entrepreneurship can generate transformational employment in India and generate 150170 million jobs, which is more than 25 per cent of the new jobs required for the entire working age population by 2030, a joint report by Bain & Company and Google said on Tuesday. India has 13.515.7 million women-owned enterprises, representing 20 per cent of all enterprises in the country, the report titled 'Women Entrepreneurship in India Powering the economy with her' said. The report said a number of enterprises reported as women-owned are not in fact controlled or run by women and a combination of financial and administrative reasons lead to women being "on paper" owners with little role to play. Accelerating quantity and quality of entrepreneurship towards benchmarks from high-performing countries and Indian states can create over 30 million women-owned enterprises, of which 40 per cent (12 million) can generate employment, the report said. "This can generate potentially .....

Noida: Tenders soon for Parthala flyover, Sec 18 skywalk

9 hours ago

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Tenders will soon be floated for the construction of a flyover at Parthala Chowk and a skywalk between the Botanical Garden Metro station and Sector 18 here in a bid to decongest roads, the Noida Authority said on Tuesday. Four underpasses on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway are in the offing and work will soon begin on them, the authority said. "Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari held a meeting today with officials to review the ongoing and upcoming projects. She directed the officials to finalise tenders and publish them soon while working on details of the projects," it said in a statement. She directed the officials to complete work and float a tender for the 700-metre-long flyover at Parthala Chowk by March-end, while the one for the skywalk and facade lights between the Botanical Garden Metro station and Sector 18 to be completed soon, the authority said. Maheshwari also reviewed work on the golf course and the Habitat Centre, which is to come up in Sector 151, instructing .....

Death of six kids of couple in 9 years triggers police probe

9 hours ago

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The death of six children of a couple in a span of nine years has raised suspicion among police personnel here who have registered a case following a complaint after a three-month-old child of the family died on Tuesday and was buried. Police exhumed the body, which was buried in the morning, and took it to the district hospital at Tirur for post-mortem. The infant was the sixth child of the couple, police said. "A case has been registered (for unnatural death) in the matter to verify the death beyond any suspicion raised by locals since five other children of the couple had died in the past nine years," a senior police official said. The couple had three boys and three girls of which the third girl child lived till the age of four and the rest died before turning one. "The post-mortem will take place today itself.We are collecting the medical records of the children who had passed away earlier. We will identify the cause of death after analysing the records and discuss..

Trump to be gifted Mahatma Gandhi''s autobiography, portrait

9 hours ago

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US President Donald Trump will be gifted a spinning wheel, two books on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi and a portrait of the Father of the Nation during his visit to the Sabarmati Ashram here on February 24. Trump will be accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the ashram located on the banks of the river Sabarmati. Trump will be the first US president to visit the ashram, a place closely associated with India's freedom struggle. The ashram, also known as Gandhi Ashram, was home to the independence movement leader and peace icon from 1917 to 1930. It is now manged by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust. Ashram trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi said the American president, US First Lady Melania Trump and Prime Minister Modi would spend around 30 minutes at the ashram. Sources said Trump and Melania may try their hands on the spinning wheel (charkha) kept near 'Hriday Kunj', a cottage inside the ashram where Gandhiji ....

AAP MLA to organise 'Sunderkand' on first Tuesday of every month in his assembly

9 hours ago

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Greater Kailash AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj has said recitation of 'Sunderkand', a chapter in Ramcharitmanas, will be held on the first Tuesday of every month in areas of his constituency to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman. The ruling AAP was trolled by the BJP over Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's frequent visits to Hanuman Temple during his election campaign. Kejriwal had also recited the 'Hanuman Chalisa' during a TV programme earlier this month. Sunderkand is a chapter in Ramcharitmanas written by poet Tulsidas. The chapter talks about Lord Hanuman's visit to Lanka. Bhardwaj said advance bookings have been made for the scheduled programmes. Reacting to the announcement, former Delhi government media advisor Nagendar Sharma termed it as "disappointing". In a tweet, Sharma said the AAP MLA was trying to "outdo the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its game". "Disappointed to see a competent legislator with progressive outlook fall into the fallacious .....

Two drug peddlers held with 27 kg poppy in J-K

9 hours ago

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Two alleged drug peddlers were arrested with 27 kilograms of poppy in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur and Ramban districts on Tuesday, police said. A police party intercepted a Punjab-bound truck on the highway at Chenani belt of Udhampur and recovered 23 kilograms of poppy from the vehicle during a search, the police said. The truck driver, Hardeep Singh, was arrested on the spot and a case was registered in the matter, they said. During routine checking on the highway in Ramban's Chanderkote, a police party found a pedestrian moving around suspiciously with a bag and immediately signalled him to stop, the police said. The man tried to flee. The alert police team chased the suspect and nabbed him, they said. Following a search, four kilograms of poppy was recovered from his bag. The accused has been identified as Mool Raj and a case has been registered against him, they added...

Infrastructure is a catalyst for development: Governor

9 hours ago

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Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Tuesday asserted that infrastructure is a catalyst for development. He said the government is committed to the development of the state by strengthening infrastructure. The Centre is very liberal in investing in infrastructure to eliminate service backlogs of northeast with special emphasis on rural areas, Mukhi said at the inaugural session of North East Infrastructure Development Conclave, organised by the CII-North East, here. A well-planned infrastructure enables established businesses to expand their production levels and encourage small businesses to enter the market and as such, both Central and state governments are making concerted efforts to put in place a robust infrastructure for physical connectivity in the areas of air, water, internet and land transport, he said. He said the Union budget has allocated funds for laying new tracks and doubling of railway lines in the northeast region, the governor said. Electrification of .....

NIA chargesheets two PoK residents associated with LeT for smuggling arms into J-K

9 hours ago

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The NIA has chargesheeted two Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) residents associated with the banned Lashker-e-Taiba who were caught by the Army for allegedly smuggling arms and ammunition into Jammu and Kashmir from the higher reaches of Gulmarg, an official spokesman said on Tuesday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed the chargesheet at the designated court here on February 15 against Khalil Ahmad Kayani and Mohammed Nazeem under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act, besides invoking clauses of the Jammu and Kashmir Egress and Internal Movement (Control) Ordinance, the official said. The duo, hailing from the Khurshidabad area of Haveli Farwad Kahuta in PoK, were arrested near the Nilkanth Nala, approximately 700 metres from the LoC on the Indian side in Gulmarg sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The Army claimed that they had recovered arms, ammunition, grenades, IED materials, including explosives and detonators, .....

Regret my overreaction against Bachchan: Amar Singh

9 hours ago

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Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Tuesday extended an olive branch to his estranged friend Amitabh Bachachan, seeking to end their feud, saying he regrets his "overreaction" against the Bollywood megastar and his family. "Today is my father's death anniversary & I got a message for the same from @SrBachchan ji. At this stage of life when I am fighting a battle of life & death I regret for my over reaction against Amit ji & family. God bless them all," Singh wrote on Twitter. Singh and the Bachchans were close family friends till they fell apart nearly a decade ago. Diagnosed with a kidney ailment a few years ago, Singh has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore. He also posted a video on his Facebook page in which he talked about his friendship with Bachchan and their subsequent differences. "For the last 10 years, I have not only maintained a distance from the Bachchan family but have also tried to make them hate me. However, yet again, Amitabh .....

HMSI starts delivery of premium Forza 300 scooter

9 hours ago

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Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India on Tuesday said it has started delivery of its flagship premium mid-segment scooter Forza 300 in the country. Honda BigWing, the premium big bike business vertical of the company, has delivered the first lot offour Forza 300 scooters, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) said in a release. "Encouraged by the excitement received from customers for Forza 300 displayed at Honda BigWing, Gurugram (which were pre-booked), Honda decided to introduce it in India. We are pleased to announce that we have delivered the first lot of four units to our customers," HMSISenior Vice President for Sales and Marketing Yadvinder Singh Guleria said in arelease. He said the Euro 5-compliant version of the new offeringwill be announced in financial year 2021. Forza 300 is India's first premium mid-size scooter built on the template of synergizing mobility, the release said. "Honda has a global legacy of fun model line-up. With the introduction of Forza 300 we are ....

Representative of municipal corp part of Sebi's muni bonds development panel

9 hours ago

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As many as 13 members, including representatives of the Union housing and urban affairs ministry and a municipal corporation, will be part of Sebi's committee on 'muni bonds' to suggest the markets regulator on policy matters pertaining to development of such debt securities. The regulator, on Friday, said it constituted a municipal bonds development committee headed by its Executive Director Sujit Prasad. The panel will suggest Sebi on policy matters pertaining to the development of municipal debt securities and facilitate municipalities for issuance of such bonds. The committee comprises representatives from Sebi, municipal corporations, lawyers, professionals and market practitioners. D Thara, joint secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Shekhar Gaikwad, municipal commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation; and G Mathi Vathanan prinicipal secretary at housing and urban development department in the Odisha government will be part of the committee. Other members of ....

1 in 3 adolescent internet users have gone through negative experience: CRY

9 hours ago

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One in every three adolescent internet users queried in a survey have gone through a negative experience, including cyber-bullying, a study has claimed. According to a study conducted by child rights body Child Rights and You (CRY), around 10 per cent adolescent internet users were subjected to cyber-bullying and one out of the two among them reported such incidents. The study named 'Online Safety and Internet Addiction: A study conducted amongst Adolescents in Delhi-NCR' was conducted among 630 adolescents across eight schools in the national capital within the age group of 13 to 18 years. The study revealed that 60 per cent of the boys and 40 per cent of the girls among the respondents owned their own device while almost half of the respondents reportedly used two or more devices to access the Internet. "Three in every five adolescents (63 per cent) said they accepted friendship/connect request only from people they knew, while the rest said they accepted requests from friends of .....

UP Budget loosens purse strings for airport in Ayodhya, metro rail projects, schemes for youth

9 hours ago

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The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday set aside Rs 500 crore for an airport in Ayodhya and Rs 200 crore for the beautification of Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath temple in a budget that is also big on road and metro rail projects. The Budget presented in the state assembly by Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna provides Rs 2,000 crore for the new airport project at Jewar near Delhi. The Kanpur Metro Rail Project gets Rs 358 crore and Rs 286 crore has been allocated for the metro rail in Agra. It has earmarked Rs 200 crore more for metro rail projects in Gorakhpur and other cities. The 2020-21 Budget sets a target for the construction of four lakh houses for the weaker sections within a year and lists schemes to help the youth make a living. New universities will come up in Aligarh, Azamgarh and Saharanpur. Addressing reporters later, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the Budget - the fourth presented by his government - historic, growth-oriented and people-friendly. Opposition .....

Devendra Fadnavis seeks review of 2019 verdict, SC reserves order

9 hours ago

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Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis Tuesday requested the Supreme Court to reconsider its verdict asking him to face trial for allegedly failing to furnish details of two pending criminal cases against him in his 2014 poll affidavit saying it will have "far reaching consequences" for candidates. While seeking review of the 2019 verdict, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Fadnavis, told a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra that there was a "clear error" in the apex court's judgement as the law stipulates for disclosure of details about criminal cases only if charges are framed and on conviction. "I (Fadnavis) had not withheld any information about charges being framed against me or about conviction," Rohatgi told the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose. He said the allegation against Fadnavis is that he had not disclosed in his poll affidavit about a case where cognisance was taken by the court. "It is a matter which requires .....

Gopal Rai to chair high-level meet on Delhi air pollution

9 hours ago

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Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a high-level meeting on Delhi air pollution on February 20 at Delhi Secretariat.The meeting is aimed at chalking out an action plan to tackle air pollution in the national capital.Rai has been given the environment ministry after the landslide victory of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi Assembly elections. AAP has won 62 of the 70 Assembly seats while BJP managed just eight seats.The Congress and others drew a blank...

SAT gives Sebi time till Mar 10 to pass final order in CG Power matter

9 hours ago

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The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) on Tuesday granted Sebi time till March 10 to pass the final order in the matter related to CG Power and Industrial Solutions where former chairman Gautam Thapar and other entities were barred from the securities market. While giving more time, the tribunal also clarified that the regulator can rely only upon documents that are also made available to all the entities for passing the confirmatory order. Apart from Thapar, Avantha Holdings Ltd as well as CG Power's former chief financial officer V R Venkatesh and two former directors -- Madhav Acharya and B Hariharan -- were barred from the securities market. In an interim order passed in September 2019, Sebi barred these entities for alleged misstatement of the company's accounts and diversion of funds. The entities had moved the tribunal against Sebi's order. The tribunal, in its order passed in October 2019, upheld the order and directed Sebi to pass a confirmatory order within four weeks from..

Navi Mumbai to host final of FIFA under-17 Women's World Cup

9 hours ago

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Navi Mumbai will host the final of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup on November 21 for which five host cities, including soccer-mad Kolkata, were unveiled on Tuesday by the organising committee. Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai will play host to 16 teams which will compete across 32 matches to lift the coveted trophy in Navi Mumbai. "As India prepares to host yet another FIFA event, I look forward to the support from the whole country in making this tournament a rousing success. Our Indian U-17 women's team will be playing in a FIFA tournament for the first time. It is a proud moment for the nation and we will provide all possible support to ensure its success," said Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju at the launch event here. "I look forward to the support from the whole country in making this tournament a rousing success. Our Indian U-17 women's team will be playing in a FIFA tournament for the first time. It is a proud moment for the nation and we will provide all..

HC quashes demands raised by GDA against builders, developers

9 hours ago

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The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday held that demanding external development fees from builders or developers under the heads of "elevated road and metro station" and security for the "rainwater harvesting system" was illegal and without jurisdiction. The court quashed the demands raised by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) against builders and developers. A bench comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice VC Dixit passed the order while allowing a writ petition filed by the Raj Nagar Extension (NH-58) Developers' Association, a registered society with 25 real estate developers as its members. The petitioner was aggrieved by the demands raised by the GDA with regard to external development fees, which included development of an "elevated road and metro station", security for the "rainwater harvesting system" and the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), while sanctioning the layout plans of each member of the society. The petitioner's plea was that the demand raised by the GDA was illegal..

Jamia students seek independent probe against Dec 15 police action

10 hours ago

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As Delhi Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe videos that purportedly show its personnel assaulting students of Jamia Millia Islamia campus on December 15 evening, most of the victims of the alleged police brutality on Tuesday rejected the initiative, saying they have no faith on it and demanded an independent probe into the matter.While speaking to ANI, several students, who were present in the library on December 15 when police personnel allegedly carried out a crackdown at Jamia Millia Islamia, sought a fair inquiry under the supervision of court.Minhazuddin, a law student, who lost his left eye in alleged police action said that Delhi Police has lost its reputation for which it was earlier famous."We do not have any faith in Delhi Police. Now, it has become biased police. We have recently seen police action in JNU. We all know what happened there. Role of police has been suspicious. So, we want an independent inquiry, be it under the supervision of Supreme .....

HC seeks Centre's reply on plea to quash policy differentiating rewards to sports persons

10 hours ago

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The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the Centre and the Sports Authority of India to reply to a plea by a differently-abled sports person seeking quashing of a policy which differentiates between medallists of deaf olympics and para olympics events in rewarding them. Justice Navin Chawla issued notice to ministries of youth affairs and sports and social justice and empowerment as also theI on the petition. The petition filed by Virender Singh, a differently- abled sports person and four times gold medallist in wrestling freestyle in International Deaflympics, said the central government has formulated policy for rewards and pensions for Sports persons. The plea said he has been assessed with 100 per cent disability in speaking and hearing by LNJP Hospital. Singh, who is also an Arjuna awardee, claimed the policy is discriminatory for deaf sports persons with those of Para Olympics category. The petition, filed through advocate Ajay Verma, sought direction to the authorities to extend .....

Ashraf Ghani secures second term as Afghan president: final results

10 hours ago

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Ashraf Ghani has secured a second term as president of Afghanistan, according to final results of the September 28, 2019 poll released on Tuesday by the country's election commission. "The election commission... declares Mr Ashraf Ghani, who has won 50.64 per cent of the votes, as the president of Afghanistan," election commission chief Hawa Alam Nuristani told a press conference in Kabul. The results had been delayed for nearly five months after allegations of vote-rigging from Ghani's main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, forced a recount...