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[
"Arnab Ganguly"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Aam Aadmi Party today removed its Punjab convener for allegedly accepting cash but stopped short of expelling him from the party considering the organisational clout he enjoys among Sikh voters. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104780.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Cash stick for AAP leader | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Chandigarh, Aug. 26: The Aam Aadmi Party today removed its Punjab convener for allegedly accepting cash but stopped short of expelling him from the party considering the organisational clout he enjoys among Sikh voters. The decision to remove Sucha Singh Chhotepur on "disciplinarian grounds" was taken at a meeting of the AAP's political affairs committee today. The party has formed a panel headed by Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh and former bureaucrat-turned-AAP leader Jasbir Singh Bir to probe the allegations against Chhotepur. AAP insiders said Chhotepur, who is seen in a video purportedly accepting Rs 2 lakh, would get an opportunity to defend himself and could be reinstated if proved innocent. According to sources, the party could not have risked expelling Chhotepur despite such a demand by some leaders because "it can cause severe damage to the party's prospects at this juncture". The decision to remove Chhotepur came hours after he accused party boss and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of being "anti-Sikh". The AAP, which has projected Kejriwal as the "Hope of Punjab", has not announced his name as the chief ministerial candidate to avoid giving rival parties an opportunity to highlight the "outsider" issue. Chhotepur told a news conference today: "Why don't the party leaders show the video to people? If a deputy CM (Manish Sisodia) conducted a sting on me, he is not a deputy CM but a jasoos (spy)." According to AAP sources, Chhotepur had admitted before Sisodia to accepting the money earlier this month. Chhotepur today said his probity could not be questioned, a day after Congress leader Amarinder Singh described him as a "victim of internal coup" and hinted that his party was willing to keep the doors open for AAP rebels. "Leaders from other parties are praising me for my honesty but my own party has started a witch-hunt. I have built the party brick by brick. From where did I get funds? The party did not give a single penny, the volunteers paid," said Chhotepur, adding that he was ready to face the CBI. Some AAP leaders said Chhotepur's reference to "leaders from other parties" was directed at Singh. Sources said Chhotepur, who was handpicked by Kejriwal to build the organisation in Punjab in 2014, was displeased over the choice of candidates, particularly Durgesh Pathak, an aide of the Delhi chief minister. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104780.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a73ef758fc9c816d59af6d793859408c690500ecebc9db5e5b64e13ba7c56b72.json |
[
"Our Bureau"
] | 2016-08-28T22:59:06 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | A parliamentary panel has rapped the government for abruptly amending the formula for calculating pension, which resulted in "substantial" decrease in the amount of benefits received by employees who retire after September 1, 2014, saying it amounts to "breach of contract". | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104997.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_104997.jsp/../../../images/busTweat.jpg;jsessionid=B04D1A61A6D9F4B4DD1A7511F19A6179 | en | null | Rap for pension tweak | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 28: A parliamentary panel has rapped the government for abruptly amending the formula for calculating pension, which resulted in "substantial" decrease in the amount of benefits received by employees who retire after September 1, 2014, saying it amounts to "breach of contract". The committee on subordinate legislation has said in its report that the amendment is "adversarial and arbitrary in nature" as the persons who retire up to one day before September 1, 2014, will get higher pension on account of a calculation based on a 12-month average salary, while those who retire after that will get substantially lower pension calculated on the average salary for 60 months. At the time of joining the pension scheme, both categories of employees were entitled to receiving pension based on the same formula, the report tabled in the monsoon session said. The committee has now "strongly" recommended restoration of the earlier formula in case of "at least all such employees who became members of the Employees' Pension Scheme before the August 22, 2014 notification effective from September 1, 2014". "The criteria of 60 months for calculation of pension could be made applicable to only those employees who had joined the pension scheme after suitable modifications as the committee finds little justification for such a drastic change in the criteria," the panel said. The report said the government had contended that the amendment was made on the basis of recommendations to curtail deficits in the scheme. "It is prejudicial to the interests of those attaining the age of superannuation after 1 September, 2014," the panel said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_104997.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/0b8607cace183d97159927ea7670be4fc2ab7df01d9a63f2e3d52e283cd01ecf.json |
[
"Our Bureau"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:52 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said "unnecessary cases" filed by "a handful of politicians" had caused the delay in the recruitment of primary school teachers. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104772.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104772.jsp/../../../images/27bengalmamata_190406.jpg;jsessionid=FA2DB316C3A5FE8CD984C25DF35A2CE1 | en | null | CM blames rivals for teacher hiring delay | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mamata at the Mayo Road rally. (Bibhash Lodh) Calcutta, Aug. 26: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said "unnecessary cases" filed by "a handful of politicians" had caused the delay in the recruitment of primary school teachers. The comments came on a day Calcutta High Court said there must not be further delay in the recruitment of teachers and that the verdict on the case filed by some trained candidates who are yet to secure jobs would be delivered on August 31. Speaking at the foundation day programme of the Trinamul student wing on Mayo Road, Mamata said: "A handful of politicians have filed cases against the recruitment (process) because they want nothing good to happen. The same people are now demanding answers on why teachers are not getting jobs.... Ask them, why did you file the 'political interest litigations'?" "If I try to build a road, they move court. If I try to create jobs, they move court. If I try to do anything for development that would benefit people, they move court. This has to stop," she added. The last Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) at the primary level was held in October 2015 with the aim of filling up 30,000 vacancies. Around 20 lakh candidates had taken the exam. However, recruitments could not be made because of court cases alleging irregularities and a question paper leak. The last time recruitments were made was on March 31, 2013. Later today, the case filed by three candidates who had obtained certificates from Primary Teachers Training Institutions, a recruitment pre-condition laid down by the Centre, came up for hearing before the court of Justice C.S. Karnan Justice Karnan said: "There should be no further delay in dissolving the matter. Because of the delay in appointments, students are suffering. So, I want to end the case by this month. I will deliver my verdict on August 31." Lawyers representing the state filed an affidavit today, stating the government would give priority to those candidates who have passed the TET and have either a Primary Teachers Training Institution certificate or a DLed degree. "If any posts are vacant after that, then only will the untrained TET-qualified candidates be recruited," the affidavit said. Soumen Dutta, the lawyer representing the petitioners, sought the court's permission to file an affidavit to counter the proposal. The judge agreed to the request. CPM MLA Sujan Chakraborty alleged the government was not recruiting teachers because it would have to pay them salaries. "The government is not sincere about recruiting teachers as it would have to pay them salaries.... Instead of paying salaries, the government is interested in spending on fairs," Chakraborty said, adding that his party did not file any case. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104772.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/ae47fa570a1bfc3d41345e1207aec2ca8bd7144d1408e8a3dd26c28426166359.json |
[
"Chandreyee Ghose"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:53 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | City doctors are rebuilding bladders for those who have lost theirs to cancer. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104534.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104534.jsp/../../../images/26neoblad.jpg | en | null | Bladder cancer: shot at better life for patients | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | City doctors are rebuilding bladders for those who have lost theirs to cancer. Till a few years ago, bladder cancer patients had to carry an external pouch or stoma bag - used for collecting urine - for life. Now, patients can go for neobladder reconstruction where doctors remove the cancerous bladder and create a new one with parts of the small intestine. A neobladder gives a person the chance to live a less restricted life, doctors say. Bladder cancer accounts for 10 per cent of urological cancers. It has seen a 15 to 20 per cent jump in the number of patients over the past five years and it's rising, they say. Patients are mostly above 40. "We advise neobladder reconstruction to those aged below 60 and have no other ailments," Shivaji Basu, chief urologist, Fortis Hospital and Kidney Institute, said. Patients without bladders lose voluntary control over their urine. So, stoma bags are attached externally to the abdomen to collect urine. They need to be emptied every four hours and replaced regularly. A patient cannot swim or take a proper bath. Travelling, too, is a problem for some, he said. But those with neobladders can swim or travel extensively without any hindrance, he said. There's no need to carry stoma bags as the neobladder is attached to the urethra internally. Patients are expected to regain bladder control within three months of surgery, he said. A non-diabetic patient with no neurological disorder has a better chance of adjusting to the neobladder. "Even then he needs around three months of physiotherapy before he can lead a normal life," consultant urologist R.K. Gopala Krishna who has done many such surgeries at Fortis Hospital and Kidney Institute said. "The neobladder is created from a patient's own cells. So there is no fear of the body rejecting it." Neobladder reconstruction costs around Rs 3 lakh, almost double that of attaching a stoma bag, but doctors claim it is cost-effective in the long run. "In summer, one needs to change stoma bags more frequently and monthly expenses can cross Rs 3,000. A reconstruction surgery is a one-time cost," Gopala Krishna said. Smoking and pollution are the main causes of bladder cancer. The first sign is blood in urine, Basu said. "Five years ago, mostly men were detected with this cancer. Now, women are as susceptible to it." | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104534.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/29766a282526a570acb69e7bd3bbf6e189546fa4571cbd23c8a3bd306aac5c20.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:33 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Brexit is beginning to have an impact on non-IT companies, too, with Tata Motors today reporting a 57 per cent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,236 crore for the first quarter ended June 30 over Rs 5,231 crore a year ago. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104738.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104738.jsp/../../../images/27bag.jpg;jsessionid=462B38B40DE4439FCCCA96E74D3D79A9 | en | null | Currency shock for Tata Motors | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 26: Brexit is beginning to have an impact on non-IT companies, too, with Tata Motors today reporting a 57 per cent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,236 crore for the first quarter ended June 30 over Rs 5,231 crore a year ago.
The earnings of the company, whose consolidated results include that of its arm Jaguar Land Rover, came under pressure after Britain's decision to leave the EU led to a depreciation in the value of the pound sterling.
The results were mixed, falling short of the expectations of a few brokerages. Some others, such as Karvy, however, expected the net profit to be around Rs 2,153 crore.
During the period, consolidated net revenues came in higher at Rs 66,005 crore compared with Rs 60,451 crore in the year-ago period.
While the quarter witnessed higher volumes in both the standalone and JLR's business, it was offset by an adverse foreign exchange impact of Rs 2,296 crore and a commodity derivatives impact of Rs 167 crore, mainly in the operating profit of the European arm.
"The operating performance in the quarter reflects overall higher wholesales, offset by an adverse foreign exchange impact of £207 million, including revaluation of £84 million," Tata Motors said.
Operationally, JLR maintained its good performance with revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 2016, standing at £5,461 million against £5,002 million for the corresponding quarter last year. Operating profit came in lower at £672 million compared with £821 million in the year-ago period.
On a standalone basis, all the segments put up a good show with medium & heavy commercial vehicles growing 7.8 per cent, light commercial vehicles 11.6 per cent and passenger vehicles rising 6.3 per cent year-on-year. The strong response to Tiago pushed up car sales by 15 per cent.
Moreover, cost cuts and other initiatives helped the margins rise 60 basis points. Net profits, however, came down to Rs 26 crore from Rs 290 crore a year ago. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104738.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d7657854b9de23dc2d80315f806013690a9c53b3f061adac8afd8daa0cbef6ae.json |
[
"A.S.R.P. Mukesh"
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:37 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A zoology scholar and former professor has warned the state fisheries department of the possible presence of an omnivorous species of fish in reservoirs that can wreak havoc with river ecology if not contained. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104459.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104459.jsp/../../../images/26fact.jpg;jsessionid=AD8A03B4A57DC0C41F16C1E44D03373D | en | null | Prof raises red piranha alert | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A zoology scholar and former professor has warned the state fisheries department of the possible presence of an omnivorous species of fish in reservoirs that can wreak havoc with river ecology if not contained. Firoz Ahmad, who was vice chancellor of Nilamber Pitamber University, Daltonganj, claims to have spotted the red-bellied piranha ( Pygocentrus nattereri), native to the Amazon river basin in South America, being sold at the Hatia fish market in Ranchi earlier this week. "When I asked the fish vendor where he got his fascinating catch from, the man said Chandil Dam (in Seraikela-Kharsawan). The fish were big and had razor-sharp teeth. The half a dozen red piranhas on sale weighed around a kilo each. If I am not entirely mistaken, this is the first time the piranha has been seen in Jharkhand. And, remember, it is not a migratory species," he told this correspondent on Thursday. But state fisheries director Rajiv Kumar, whom Ahmad had contacted after doing some Internet research, said he doubted red piranha presence in Chandil or elsewhere in Jharkhand. "Some exotic species are common in aquariums and are perhaps also raised in isolation in Bengal waters. As far as I know, the ones seen at Hatia market are locally called Bengal pacu," said Kumar. Nevertheless, Ahmad maintained that introducing curbs on the breeding and sale of piranha were necessary to prevent extinction of indigenous species. The typical diet of red-bellied piranhas includes plants, insects, worms, crustaceans and other fish. In packs up to hundreds, piranhas are known to feed on birds and animals as large as egrets and capybara. "Aquariums often illegally import piranhas. Someone may have released these fish into a river from where it reached Chandil Dam. If piranha sale is a growing trend here, it is bad news," Ahmed warned. "These fish are foragers and are known to destroy biodiversity. We already have a precedent. Indigenous magurs (catfish) have vanished from here after the invasion of Thai magurs. Also, one no more sees pathar chattas, a local variety of fish that used to be abundant at waterfalls," he pointed out. Referring to a similar sighting of the piranha in India a year ago, he said though distribution and habitat studies suggest that the omnivorous fish is native to South America, it has been seen in other continents too. "The fish were spotted by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, in Godavari river. It was locally known as Roop Chand and was a common item in market stalls." Wildlife expert and zoologist D.S. Srivastava, who saw a couple of photographs clicked by Ahmad at Hatia, also told this correspondent that the fish appear to be the red-bellied piranha. "The silver flecked body with red tinge near the belly suggest they are adult red piranhas. Juveniles have darker spots instead of the flaming tinge. However, morphological study can confirm what it is," Srivastava said, adding that the best way to stop piranha infestation in rivers was to launch a crackdown on unauthorised aquariums. But fisheries director Kumar, a former student of Ahmad, claimed there was no evidence that indigenous fish were vanishing. "Thai magur is banned here, but I don't know if pacu is," he said. The pacu is said to be related to the piranha, but does not have similar teeth. While the piranha have razor-sharp teeth, the pacu have squarer ones that look uncannily human and have a less severe underbite. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104459.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/e0e2c65c5d5e9138dd2bc19aaadffe5721054aa888f672845b7ac03f5b16c82b.json |
[
"Amit Bhelari"
] | 2016-08-27T22:51:43 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | "Let me check the quality of dal (lentils) first. Is it thick or not? Just show me." The first words of district magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal on his arrival at the Patna Law College relief camp left little to imagination. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104864.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104864.jsp/../../../images/bhr1.jpg;jsessionid=9F03410AB1211A006E6770ACC0A8A04A | en | null | After floods, food remains a challenge | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | (Clockwise from top) Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal shares a meal with the flood victims at Patna Law College, people move to safer places travelling by boats and youths at Bhagalpur's Ghoshpur village try to provide khichdi and drinking water jars despite the district administration's ban on NGO or voluntary bodies offering relief material. Pictures by Ranjeet Kumar Dey and Dilip Kumar Patna, Aug. 27: "Let me check the quality of dal (lentils) first. Is it thick or not? Just show me." The first words of district magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal on his arrival at the Patna Law College relief camp left little to imagination. The Telegraph, in its edition dated August 26, had reported about watery dal and vegetable curry being served to flood victims at BN Collegiate School relief camp. The DM is scheduled to visit BN Collegiate School camp on Sunday The people had just started eating their lunch when Agarwal had reached in the camp during the inspection to check the quality of food being served to flood victims. Though it was not the same relief camp, the mission was to check the quality of food. Agarwal also tasted it in front of the flood-hit people. Agarwal asked the volunteers serving the food to bring what the flood victims were served -rice, dal and mixed vegetable curry (potato and brinjal). "Show me the dal bucket. Yes, this is thick," exclaimed Agarwal, before lunch was served to him on a steel plate. While eating the meal, he asked a child standing in front of him whether he had food or not. The child replied in the affirmative. After eating the meal, Agarwal said: "I tasted the food to check its quality and also to boost the morale of the flood-hit people. I also want to say that the food served in the relief camp is not inferior in quality. It is food for common man and it tastes like home-made food." Even the flood-affected people praised the quality of food served to them. They are served meals twice a day apart from chuda (beaten rice) and jaggery for breakfast. "Food is good in this camp, we are here for almost 10 days. Sometimes it is just okay but mostly, the quality is proper. We have heard that even boiled egg is served. Let's see but we are not bothered about eggs as long as we are getting proper meals in the relief camp," said Ajay Rai, who has come from Sabbalpur diara (riverine area). Another flood victim, Ameer Lala, praised the quality of food and said the district administration had made good arrangements at the relief camp. The DM also distributed gamcha, dhoti, sari, petticoats, mirror and coconut oil apart from washing detergent and bath soap. Agarwal inspected 22 of 35 relief camps, including five on Saturday. "I am trying my best to visit all relief camps in Patna district to check the food quality and important relief materials distributed among flood-hit people. I have directed officials concerned, including the sub-divisional officers and block development officers, to eat the meals served in relief camps to check their quality," said Agarwal. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104864.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/e2bf16b3eecab17deadd32047d51ff281b8ea065854330a30103ce243f4f113a.json |
[
"Sambit Saha"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:51 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Prospective investors said environmental clearance, access to land and dredging cost-sharing would hold the key to the development of the proposed port in Tajpur, on a day industries minister Amit Mitra announced that the Bengal government would float bids inviting private players to develop the facility. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104769.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104769.jsp/../../../images/27list.jpg;jsessionid=CDF9F2FAEE7242AD03E97C16D7AA4C59 | en | null | Tajpur port fate hinges on 3 factors | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Calcutta, Aug. 26: Prospective investors said environmental clearance, access to land and dredging cost-sharing would hold the key to the development of the proposed port in Tajpur, on a day industries minister Amit Mitra announced that the Bengal government would float bids inviting private players to develop the facility. The government is keen to find a private partner for the project in East Midnapore and the bids would be floated in six months, Mitra, who is also the finance minister, said at a seminar on Opportunities in the Maritime Sector in West Bengal in the run-up to the Bengal Global Business Summit in January. "The chief minister wants to create an industry hub around the port. Around 10,000 people will be employed at the port. Another 30,000-40,000 will get jobs in associated industries. The Bengal government will create allied infrastructure such as rail and road links for the port, which will be developed by a private party," Mitra said. Some of the companies operating in the port and shipping sector, such as the Apeejay Surrendra Group, Adani Ports and Essar Ports, participated in the seminar. The investment in the first phase will be around Rs 4,900 crore. In the second phase, another Rs 890 crore could be pumped in. The cost of dredging to create an 18km shipping channel to the port will be part of the investment. Private players said they would look into the state's proposal and await further details before making a financial commitment. "We got to know about Tajpur today. We will have to evaluate available documents and take a call," said Jai Khurana, the vice-president and head of business development at Adani Ports. Investors usually look for a detailed feasibility report incorporating aspects such as environment and hydraulic studies, access to land and waterfront, availability of land for port-based industries and sharing of the dredging cost with the government, among others issues. Government officials said a detailed feasibility report had been prepared by CRISIL, appointed by the state as a consultant for the project,and an executive summery would be circulated when the initial bids are invited. "We have started environment and hydraulic studies. This may take six to nine months," an official said. A government official said a committee of secretaries had been set up to decide on the concession model. Calcutta Port Trust, which is under the Union shipping ministry, has expressed interest in participating in the Tajpur project. However, the CPT is yet to make a concrete proposal to the state. CPT chairman M.T. Krishna Babu recently expressed fears that the proposed port could eat into the pie of the harbours in Calcutta and Haldia unless a holistic approach was taken. Speaking at the seminar, K.K. Sinha, the CEO and director of Essar Ports, highlighted the importance of an environment study. "It should be initiated soon because environment clearance takes time," he said. Khurana of Adani Ports cited the example of the Mundra port the company developed in Gujarat. "We initially had no idea how many industries would come up when the port was built. As we had land to expand, many industries could come up. So there has to be a clear policy on land. The developer should know if the government is going to provide it. If the developer has to acquire (land), he has to know what kind of assistance it (the government) will provide," Khurana said. Minister Mitra said no land acquisition was needed for the proposed Tajpur port. "There are around 1,500 acres of low-lying land, which can be utilised by dredging silt," he said. Apart from land for industry, access to the waterfront is also of crucial importance for future expansion. Port and shipping experts said the government must spell out how much of the dredging cost it would shoulder. After the dredging to create the channel, dredging needs to be done every year to maintain navigability. "A sea port on the eastern coast of India is more challenging than a similar facility on the western coast because the sea is turbulent here. We have to build a breakwater (a structure to protect a beach or a port) or a harbour to provide berthing facilities to ships," one of them said. Several issues relating to ports may be resolved when Bengal comes out with its maritime policy. Karan Paul, the chairman of the Apeejay Surrendra Group, said his shipbuilding project in Kulpi, South 24-Parganas, would be launched after the policy was made public. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104769.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/c0dac799dd1856cc1a483b69f4743fe724ebce487b20ef351da837b22977c245.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:05 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | India's flagship diaspora outreach initiative, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), has yielded no outcomes over its 13 editions so far, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said today, in a criticism that struck at three governments including her own and clouded other efforts at bipartisanship. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104779.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104779.jsp/../../../images/27newssushmacut.jpg | en | null | Sushma takes swipe at Pravasi outreach | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Sushma Swaraj with junior foreign minister MJ Akbar at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas announcement in New Delhi. (PTI) New Delhi, Aug. 26: India's flagship diaspora outreach initiative, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), has yielded no outcomes over its 13 editions so far, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said today, in a criticism that struck at three governments including her own and clouded other efforts at bipartisanship. Sushma had minutes earlier credited Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah for his support in organising the 2017 event, which will be held in Bangalore in January. But her comments chastised all previous efforts at the event that was started in 2003 by the first BJP Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but has been held most by the Congress-led UPA - each year during its decade-long rule from 2004-2014. The government of Narendra Modi, of which she is a part, held the 2015 edition - the 13th - of the diaspora meet in Gandhinagar to celebrate 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa. The Prime Minister and his team oversaw that effort, and Sushma was not as involved as she plans to be in the organisation of the 2017 edition, officials said. The government had after the 2015 edition decided to make the event biennial, and instead hold a series of "panel discussions" on different sets of diaspora concerns in the in-between year. "I didn't see any outcomes from the earlier PBDs," Sushma said, when asked whether the government had compiled the outcomes of the earlier editions. "It will become relevant only after this PBD." Vayalar Ravi, former minister for overseas Indian affairs in the Manmohan Singh cabinet who was in charge of eight of the 13 PBDs held so far, countered Sushma. "I don't want to join an argument but the diaspora communities know what we did," Ravi said. "I can tell you, our diaspora communities were very happy in the years I was minister in charge." But Sushma, who made the comments while officially launching the logo of the 2017 PBD - designed by Calcutta postal officer Debashish Sarkar who sketches as a hobby - with Siddaramaiah, didn't limit her criticism to just one statement. Asked about efforts to use the PBD to convince affluent sections of the Indian diaspora to invest in India, Sushma was blunt. "The attempt itself was not made till now to draw investments from NRIs," she said, before softening a bit towards the 2015 event. "Only in 2015 was there some effort." Sushma did praise Modi for his diaspora outreach events while travelling overseas, claiming that "no leader ever" had drawn the kind of response he has at his addresses to Indian communities in New York, Sydney, London, Dubai, Johannesburg or Nairobi. She also referred to evacuation efforts undertaken by her government and her ministry's prompt response to calls for help from Indians trapped in crises abroad. But the foreign minister also pointed to the detailed panel discussions she is leading with different sections of the diaspora leading up to the January 2017 event to argue that the coming edition will be different form the ones in the past. "This time, people will not just come, take selfies, eat and go," Sushma said. "There will be deliberations on the recommendations made in the panel discussions, and there will be outcomes." Ravi, however, disagreed with Sushma's suggestion that past attendees were non-committed to India. "I can tell you, the Indian diaspora has always contributed to this country, in whatever way they can," he said. "I am sure they will continue to do so." The PBD in Bangalore will include a special event for youth members of the diaspora - the 2014 and 2015 editions had also had this session - on January 7, followed by the main programme over the next two days. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104779.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3fa864086fbbaf97900b3e06ee48e3875cb82f2ade7e2ba4ca281df98164604d.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:38 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Authorities in a south Karnataka district have started keeping tighter watch on rumour-mongering and hate messages on social media platforms ahead of religious festivals. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104570.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104570.jsp/../../../images/26newsphone.jpg;jsessionid=000D6F8B41F1A2B72E9223A1A24C4DE9 | en | null | Festival scan on social media | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Tight watch Bangalore, Aug. 25: Authorities in a south Karnataka district have started keeping tighter watch on rumour-mongering and hate messages on social media platforms ahead of religious festivals. Police in the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district have cautioned people not to start or circulate any hate message or rumours that could affect law and order. "Anyone spreading rumours or hate messages can be charged under IPC Section 505 as we have all the technical capability to find out the origins of such messages," said Mangalore city police commissioner M. Chandra Sekhar. This section is applied in the event of any statement or rumour with the intent to cause alarm among the public. "We do get several messages that later turn out to be a hoax," the officer said, citing instances of false rumours. The officer exhorted citizens to alert the police the moment they get any such messages so that it could minimise or even prevent any damage, especially if the content is communally sensitive. The district authorities have already ramped up police presence to prevent anything untoward in view of the activities of cow vigilantes who recently lynched a BJP worker for transporting calves in neighbouring Udupi district. A source in the state police department hinted the measure could be replicated across the state, although other districts are not as communally sensitive like Dakshina Kannada. The district - Mangalore is its administrative headquarters - had been in the thick of communal tension for decades. Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, superintendent of police in charge of the Dakshina Kannada rural district, that is the rest of the district except Mangalore city, said keeping a watch on social media had become imperative. "Rural people may be using social media less frequently. But even then we need to be careful," he said. Cow vigilantism by Hindutva groups is a major concern. He said people could land in trouble for a seemingly harmless message if it causes some serious issue. "It is better not to start such messages. But it's also important not to forward if one receives them," said Borase. Sunil Abraham, executive director of The Centre for Internet and Society, had a word of caution, although he appreciated the intent behind the police move. "It's a reasonable approach if they stick to the scope of the law (Section 505). The problem is only if police overstep their limits, like we have seen on several occasions." But he agreed there was a need to keep an eye on what goes on in social media since many users abuse messaging platforms like WhatsApp. "What we don't want is a Nazi Germany where the wife is asked to spy on her husband and the son on the father. But we also don't want the opposite when citizens just ignore everything," he said, asserting that it was the duty of civil society to inform the police if they found anything dangerous being circulated. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104570.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/82d69890276eb59755921a6d1b61ba3f13c0ceeb730ecbb24354bec2c18d099c.json |
[
"Roshan Kumar"
] | 2016-08-26T13:01:09 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Nalanda University, holding its first convocation on Saturday, has officially adopted khadi for its academic robes. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104486.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bihar/story_104486.jsp/../../../images/bhr3.jpg;jsessionid=5687BA6573650189B46D323B68B033A2 | en | null | Khadi's the way for Nalanda varsity robe | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The Nalanda University, holding its first convocation on Saturday, has officially adopted khadi for its academic robes. President Pranab Mukherjee, who happens to be the varsity's Visitor, will confer the degrees on students and also lay the foundation stone of the new campus on August 27. The President, along with chief minister Nitish Kumar, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, varsity chancellor George Yeo and vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, would attend the function all attired in khadi robes. The university will award degrees to 12 students from the first batch. The Chancellor's Gold Medal will be awarded to Shaashi Ahlawat from the School of Historical Studies and Sana Salah from the School of Ecology and Environment Studies. The university's governing board member, Lord Meghnad Desai, who is looking after the preparations of convocation, told reporters: "The university wanted its academic dress to be broadly in line with internationally accepted guidelines on academic dress but also have a distinctively Indian touch. The university experimented with fabrics that are woven in and around Nalanda and in Bihar, and made a choice of trying to innovate with regalia made of khadi, the fabric at the heart of Indian identity with multiple symbolism." "While opting for khadi for our regalia, Nalanda University has become the first and the only Indian university to have its entire academic regalia in the national fabric," Desai added. Academic costume is a part of identity of every educational institution. By going for use of khadi in its academic regalia, the institution wants to give an ethnic touch to it. In the recent past, many educational institutions across the country have moved away from graduation ceremony caps and velvet gowns and replaced them with attire that has an Indian essence. Even IIT-Patna, which hosted its convocation early this month, went for kurta and pyjama for male graduates, while girl students were asked to wear sari or salwar kurti. While attending the IIT-Patna convocation in October 2013, chief minister Nitish Kumar had urged President Pranab Mukherjee to end the tradition of wearing gowns at convocation ceremonies of educational institutions. Nitish Kumar had made the request at the second convocation of IIT-Patna, where the President along with then Governor D.Y. Patil, faculty members and students of the institute were in traditional academic regalia. The President, along with other dignitaries, will reach Rajgir on Saturday morning. The function will be held at the upcoming campus. University vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal said the academic procession will walk to the orchestral composition titled Swagtam, literally meaning welcome, composed by Veena maestro and composer late Emani Sankara Sastry. The administration will present a unique memento to the guests, including the President, the chief minister and the governor. The memento is a replica of the Compressed Stabilised Earth Block, which is going to be used instead of bricks in building Nalanda, and carries the Nalanda logo. Unlike burnt brick, the Nalanda brick is produced from soil compressed at high pressure and the embodied energy is almost half that of the burnt brick. Nalanda University lies 110km south of Patna and presently runs from the makeshift campus on the premises of a health care and research unit near Rajgir bus stand. It started operations from September 1, 2014, over 800 years after the ancient seat of learning was destroyed. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bihar/story_104486.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/4d5b6344f0bd8e859184bc916a4381bfce67e2eea4d3e1355f8db1111f48ec1e.json |
[
"R. Balaji"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:15 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Supreme Court today suggested that a person inciting violence should be "put behind the bars" as such instigation was against the "national interest". | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104788.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104788.jsp/../../../images/27newssrinagar.jpg;jsessionid=CAABDC36868B6DE9968BB6E349F2F4BB | en | null | Top court in Valley jail signal | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A protester throws back a tear gas shell lobbed by a policeman in Srinagar on Friday. (Reuters) New Delhi, Aug. 26: The Supreme Court today suggested that a person inciting violence should be "put behind the bars" as such instigation was against the "national interest". A bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur made the suggestion while dealing with a PIL filed by J&K Panthers' Party founder Bhim Singh. The petition has sought governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of violence in the Valley following the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani. The Chief Justice, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, told solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar: "Don't detain him (Bhim Singh), if he goes to help restore law and order and peace. If he goes to foment trouble and create a law and order problem, put him behind the bars, there is no problem. Inciting people is certainly against the national interest, you should immediately put him behind bars." The bench, which includes Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, made the observation while asking Singh to visit the Valley to get first-hand information on the prevailing situation and file an affidavit on his assessment. "We will ask Mr Ranjit Kumar to provide you necessary security and arrange a meeting with the divisional commissioner. You can see the ground situation for yourself and report back to the court," Justice Thakur said. Singh, a senior advocate, replied: "To walk into Kashmir, I don't need any security." Justice Thakur said: "That is your political angle. We will not allow you to make any such statements here. We will not give you any licence or authorisation. But if you want to go there, you can go. You want to talk to the Hurriyat Conference or any other person, you are free to do so. This is a free country you can talk to anybody you want." Singh told the court he apprehended detention if he tried to enter Kashmir. In response to a query, solicitor-general Kumar said the Kashmiri leader had never broached the topic earlier with the government or any authority concerned. Singh, however, said he had been detained 52 times in the past whenever he tried to enter the Valley. In a lighter vein, the Chief Justice asked the Centre not to detain him for the 53rd time. The court later adjourned the matter for two weeks. The Centre had earlier told the court that Wani was a Hizb-ul Mujahideen militant, whose killing on July 8 by security forces led to a backlash. Over 65 people have died and 6,439, including 3,783 security personnel, injured. A teenager succumbed to pellet injuries and several were wounded today in Kashmir in a clash between protesters and security forces. Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 18, suffered pellet injuries in his chest while security forces were trying to disperse protesters in Pulwama in the afternoon. Ganai was taken to a hospital where he was declared "brought dead". With this death, the toll in the ongoing 49-day unrest has reached 67. Curfew was extended to the whole of Srinagar, Pulwama and the south Kashmir towns of Shopian and Anantnag. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104788.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d845f0f62bda789fa0396017e35f786e950e7e9463f82e8fa2f33360f8fd19de.json |
[
"Shuchismita Chakraborty"
] | 2016-08-26T22:51:28 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Raghunath Prasad (73), a patient at the Rajendra Surgical Wing of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), on Friday claimed he had not been served lunch or dinner even once in the eight days he has been admitted there. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104723.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bihar/story_104723.jsp/../../../images/27bhrPMCh_203752.jpg | en | null | Too many mouths to feed at government hospital | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Patients queue up to receive lunch at PMCH on Friday.
Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey Raghunath Prasad (73), a patient at the Rajendra Surgical Wing of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), on Friday claimed he had not been served lunch or dinner even once in the eight days he has been admitted there. "I only received breakfast of an apple, a banana, an egg and milk. Sometimes there was no milk," Raghunath said. Noorul Hoda, husband of Ahmida Khatun, a patient admitted at PMCH's Tata ward, said his wife, too, was being served only breakfast. "The nurse never asked if she was required to be given lunch or dinner," Huda rued. "This might be another scam." He pointed at other patients in the ward and said he had never seen them receiving lunch or dinner either. Most patients and their attendants at PMCH claimed on Friday that the hospital had failed to maintain the free meal service meant for patients. Shailesh Kumar, nephew of Bhura Ram, another patient admitted to the Rajendra Surgical wing, however, said his uncle was getting three meals a day. PMCH patients are entitled to a breakfast, lunch and dinner. Earlier, the health department was providing Rs 50 per patient for the three meals. Around a fortnight ago, this amount was raised to Rs 100. Sources said that according to the earlier diet chart, patients were supposed to get food containing 2,400 calories a day. The revised diet chart says they should get 3,500 calories a day. For children, the calorie requirement was revised from 2,000 to 2,775 calories. Asked about the hospital's failure to provide meals to every patient, hospital superintendent Lakhendra Prasad said he was helpless. "There are 1,675 beds in the hospital, but on most days there are close to around 2,000 patients in various wards," Prasad said. "So food for 1,675 patients is distributed among all the patients." He admitted that as per norm, patients in all wards, except emergency and intensive care units, were supposed to get free meals at the hospital. A senior doctor of the medicine department, who did not wish to be named, said one of the reasons behind providing free food to the patients was to meet their nutritional requirements, necessary to ensure their speedy recovery. "The hospital administration has to ensure that each and every patient is given food as per hospital guidelines," said the doctor. "If the hospital lacks funds for it, it should ask for extra funds from the health department." | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bihar/story_104723.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/929d68a208744e89d8e75f43d3b387da623a87988fd0c0d270d7f9dfe228329f.json |
[
"Alok Kumar"
] | 2016-08-27T22:51:49 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | The Bodhgaya visit of Myanmar president U Htin Kyaw and first lady Su Su Lwin today was relishing for them, quite literally. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104871.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104871.jsp/../../../images/28bhrGaya_192542.jpg;jsessionid=2AE012CB9B3AA2E93DF67DFDFCED34C5 | en | null | Prez savours visit | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | INDIAN SPREAD FOR MYANMAR FIRST COUPLE Myanmar president U Htin Kyaw and wife Su Su Lwin in Bodhgaya on Saturday.
Picture by Suman Gaya, Aug. 27: The Bodhgaya visit of Myanmar president U Htin Kyaw and first lady Su Su Lwin today was relishing for them, quite literally. During an hour-long stay at the World Heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara, the couple offered prayers before the statue of Lord Buddha, accepted the holy Bodhi tree woodpowder as gift, also offered prayers at the Burmese monastery, had a glimpse of the ancient inscriptions in Burmese on the Bodhgaya Math premises and got a taste of the Indian food. The president preferred non-vegetarian Indian spread. He had chicken noodles, fish curry, fish rice and fish fries. He did not ask for any drink. After his visit to the Mahavihara, he was served light refreshments that included cashew bite sweet, fried cashew, cookies and juices of pomegranate, apple, litchi and orange. The president filled in the visitors' book, stating: "As devoted and faithful believer of the Theravada Buddhism, I am very delighted to have an opportunity to visit Bodhgaya during my state visit to India. It also gives me great pleasure to pay homage to the sacred Bodhi tree, under which the Lord Buddha attained the supreme enlightenment. On behalf of the Myanmar delegation and on my own behalf, I hereby place on record my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the government and the people of India for making necessary arrangements for us to visit this sacred place of Bodhgaya." | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104871.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/0da4029214c7370d14abce31aa081610cd196b902b27c155958982bee9b93451.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:51 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Life's a stage and you only get one performance. Make it a good one... | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104663.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104663.jsp/../../../images/27jamjeevan2.jpg;jsessionid=9E140016BA69896CDD87939602C18C2B | en | null | Suicide watch on centre stage | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The office of Jeevan in Bistupur. (Bhola Prasad)
Life's a stage and you only get one performance. Make it a good one...
Inspired by such philosophy, the state's lone suicide prevention centre Jeevan will use the medium of theatre to help people turn around their lives.
The centre in Bistupur, which has been working to curb the death wish in people since 2007, will organise a nukkad natak contest on Saturday in a suitable build-up to World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.
Based on the theme Communicate, Connect and Care, children of more than 20 city schools will participate in the street play competition at Maharashtra Hitkari Mandal in Bistupur. The best five will be felicitated at a function at Narbheram Hansraj English School on September 10.
"We have been observing the day every year, but this time we thought of involving schoolchildren to spread the message," said Jeoraj Jain, director of Jeevan.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has notified all pro-life outfits and social workers across the world, engaged in spreading awareness on suicide prevention, to observe September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day.
On the day, schoolchildren along with members of Jeevan will also take out a rally. A Jeevan trophy will be awarded to the school that will take pro-active steps to provide emotional support to its students.
According to WHO, more than 800,000 people commit suicide across the globe every year, which means one person dies every 40 seconds.
In 2016, Jamshedpur alone witnessed as many as 114 suicides. Many schools in the steel city have appointed professional counsellors to guide children through emotional ups and downs.
Jeevan is a member of Befrienders Worldwide, UK, that works with suicidal people. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104663.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a20d2bacbbd7eb3159cabd0f672ab059a7f8a6ab7b8de2326068e317e2168889.json |
[
"Rajiv Konwar"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:31 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Songs like Jilika jilika or Ki nam di matim have got an eternal life. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104719.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104719.jsp/../../../images/27regBaruah_180117.jpg;jsessionid=35529AAEE22ABB898D8A8627D14B45E6 | en | null | Ramen Barua songs get 'life' | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Ramen Barua addresses the gathering in Guwahati on Friday. Picture by UB Photos Guwahati, Aug. 26: Songs like Jilika jilika or Ki nam di matim have got an eternal life. The state-run Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University today launched a project to preserve the works of music director Ramen Barua. The university will collect all the original songs composed and sung by Barua in his musical career to facilitate proper research. Vice-chancellor Hitesh Deka said the project was a part of the university's effort to connect with society rather than confining itself only to a degree-awarding institution. Deka said they would take steps to publish a transcripted autobiography of Barua who "witnessed many important incidents and development" in Assamese cinema. "Barua has taken Assamese songs to a different level," he said. Barua, a household name in the state, composed some evergreen tracks like Soku meli nasaba, Ga ga aji gai ja and Ekhon nedekha nodir xipare. He begun his career as a singer in Smitir Porox in 1955. Later, he moved towards music direction, which began with Amar Ghor (1959) as an assistant music director. His songs like Jilika jilika, Ki nam di matim and Moina kon bidhatai xajie from the film, Dr Bezbaruah, are still very popular. Registrar (in-charge) Arupjyoti Choudhury said the university has started work on preserving Nangeli geets, Ojhapali songs and Holi songs and they would build a library of the songs of other music directors or singers too. The university has no commercial purpose behind the project, he added. Barua, who was present at the event, recalled growing up in a musical family and his inspirations. "Among others it was Lakhyadhar Choudhury who had helped me to be what I am today. When I was a class II student, he gave me an opportunity to perform in a programme at Latasil playground. It made an indelible impact on me," he said. "I started to sing at All India Radio in Okonir Mel, a programme for children. I continued to sing in AIR till 1960. Outside the state my first performance was at a conference of India People's Theatre Association in Mumbai in 1953. After Dr Bezbaruah, I stopped singing and took up music direction," said the 76-year-old. Singer J.P. Das suggested the university should collect the songs of Barua which are available only with AIR. Singer Pahari Das recalled how Barua had provided her with the platform to sing in Assamese films. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104719.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/eb5fef4f8541fdd2dd8fa7f74622a38f38d5f24a120a08b882a5e09897adff7b.json |
[
"R. Balaji"
] | 2016-08-27T20:58:58 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Calcutta High Court is poised to have one of its own judges, Justice Girish Chandra Gupta, as its full-time chief justice - a rare occurrence witnessed just once before in the country in the past 18 years, sources have told The Telegraph. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104928.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bengal/story_104928.jsp/../../../images/28bengaljudge.jpg;jsessionid=ACC5F879FE49E4F4F0CD903A24672213 | en | null | A 'rare' chief justice moment | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Justice Gupta New Delhi, Aug. 27: Calcutta High Court is poised to have one of its own judges, Justice Girish Chandra Gupta, as its full-time chief justice - a rare occurrence witnessed just once before in the country in the past 18 years, sources have told The Telegraph. Justice Gupta has been officiating as acting chief justice for Calcutta High Court since Chief Justice Manjula Chellur was transferred to Bombay High Court on August 11. Sources close to the Supreme Court collegium - a panel that appoints, promotes and transfers high court and apex court judges - said a formal decision had been taken to elevate Justice Gupta as the chief justice. The current policy on judges' appointments, evolved in 1998, bars the elevation of a high court judge as chief justice of the same high court, the idea being to ensure judicial independence and avoid allegations of judges developing vested interests. However, the sources said, the policy allows an exception if an acting chief justice has less than a year left to retire. Justice Gupta, born on December 1, 1954, is due to retire within a year. A high court judge retires at the age of 62 and a Supreme Court judge at 65. The only instance so far, since 1998, of a judge being appointed chief justice of a high court where he has served came in 2007 when Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan was elevated as chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Justice Khan held the post between January 25 and March 31, 2007, before he retired. Justice Khan had been a judge at Jammu and Kashmir High Court between 1990 and 1997 before being shifted to Madhya Pradesh and then to Delhi High Court. He had returned to Jammu and Kashmir as acting chief justice in 2005. Justice Gupta was enrolled as an advocate on September 20, 1982, and practised at Calcutta High Court for 17 years in civil, constitutional, company, arbitration and commercial matters. He was appointed a judge of the high court on September 15, 2000. Under Rule 4 of the memorandum of procedure evolved in 1998, "a puisne judge (a judge who is not the chief justice) in a high court who has one year or less to retire when his turn for being considered for elevation as chief justice arrives, may be considered for appointment as chief justice in his own high court if vacancy is to occur in the office of the chief justice in that high court during that period". | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bengal/story_104928.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/045c2e2ca941abd8f3c893dacc00acbe48669f18a34e221cc3882f3884bf2a3f.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:09:46 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Eight men, who police believe are part of an inter-state gang, were arrested from Raysa More in Namkum on Thursday for pilfering spirit used in the manufacture of Indian made foreign liquor from tankers. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104476.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | 8 men held for pilfering spirit | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Eight men, who police believe are part of an inter-state gang, were arrested from Raysa More in Namkum on Thursday for pilfering spirit used in the manufacture of Indian made foreign liquor from tankers. Ranchi police said they apprehended the men as soon they reached Sudama Hotel, where the tankers were parked, at 5am but three members of the gang managed to escape. "Police recovered 435 litres of spirit that they had pilfered. Besides, we also recovered nine LPG cylinders, four of which were empty. They seem to have been taken them from an LPG truck parked nearby. As many as 28 empty containers, one car and two bikes were also recovered," said DSP Amit Kacchap. Assistant excise commissioner Rakesh Kumar said the spirit, or extra neutral alcohol, was highly inflammable. "It is transported in tankers used to carry petroleum products. We refer to these as spirit tankers," he said. FIRs have been lodged against all 11 members of the gang since those who were apprehended gave out the names of those who fled. Those caught were identified as Md Samim, Dilip Sahu, Shailendra Mahato (from Tamar), Md Nisar (Bundu), Mitthu Bedia (Ramgarh), Ajay Kumar (Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar), Arun Kumar and Anup Kumar (Meerut, UP). The men who fled were Md Azad Hussain (Ramgarh), Dharmaveer Singh (Sidraul, Ranchi) and the owner of the hotel, Kapil Manjhi who is suspected to be part of the racket. CCL worker missing Anil Mahto (30), a grade-IV CCL employee, was reported missing on Thursday. He is suspected to have been kidnapped at 5am from Malmadu, barely 2km from his house, while on way to his Darbhanga House office near Raj Bhavan. His motorbike was found abandoned at the spot. "Mahto's mobile phone is switched-off. We are verifying his location and call records," said DSP (headquarter 2) Sandeep Kumar Gupta. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104476.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/4eecbca3917cfa30f83f0b8609384edb86d700660026ea1498086a07b2550229.json |
[
"Snehamoy Chakraborty",
"Alamgir Hossain"
] | 2016-08-28T22:59:22 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Police have started a case of sabotage, criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in connection with the fire at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital that claimed three lives. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_105062.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Cops smell cigarette-or-matchstick smoke | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Behrampore, Aug. 28: Police have started a case of sabotage, criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in connection with the fire at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital that claimed three lives. The police are probing if someone threw a lit cigarette or a burning matchstick on the carpet of the room in which the fire broke out. The room has multiple duplicate keys, which are in the possession of several doctors and other staff members. Police sources said the fire might not have started from the air-conditioner in the room, a cabin reserved for VIPs, as had been suspected yesterday. They said there was no evidence of a short circuit. According to the sources, it did not appear that the AC had caught fire because its shell merely had soot marks and the casing of the machine's wire had melted because of the heat generated by the blaze. The police have handed over the case to the CID, which has been tasked by the government to probe the possibility of sabotage. A fourth charge - "mischief by fire and explosive substance with intent to destroy house" - is being investigated. The CID has detained a Congress activist who is perceived to be close to state unit president Adhir Chowdhury. The police sources said that in a complaint lodged last night, medical college principal Ajay Kumar Roy had mentioned the possibilities of sabotage and conspiracy by unknown persons. "We are investigating whether someone had opened the cabin door, thrown a lit cigarette or a burning matchstick on the carpet, locked the room and fled," a police officer said. A fire brigade official spoke on similar lines. "I examined the AC and its switches but did not find any short circuit," he said. Some Trinamul leaders in Murshidabad said they "would not put it past" the Congress to "resort to sabotage" to "defame" the government. "The Congress can always claim that the incident happened because of negligence on the part of the health administration," a Trinamul leader said. Congress leaders alleged a "conspiracy with Trinamul backing" as many staff members of the hospital are associated with the Opposition party. When this newspaper contacted medical college principal Roy, he said he was busy in a meeting and would not be able to talk. Bharat Lal Meena, the deputy inspector-general of the CID, visited the hospital today. He went to the room where the fire broke out and held meetings with the hospital authorities. The CID has questioned a doctor and some other staff members who had allegedly used the room on Friday night. Nurses said the room had multiple duplicate keys that were in the possession of doctors who entered it every day. "The cabin is meant for VIPs, but I can't recall the last time such a person had been kept there. We know it is used as a rest room by doctors," a nurse said. Congress MPs Abhijit Mukherjee and Pradip Bhattacharya have demanded a CBI probe into the fire. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/bengal/story_105062.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/828560d8d852fede6f519f6758bfb2a5cf9ffcc4d7599c6ae25b9fc5ce968f8f.json |
[
"R.N. Sinha"
] | 2016-08-27T22:51:36 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Aryan (11) died during treatment today at a private nursing home in Motihari after four bike-borne criminals fired at six people in Sirha village yesterday evening. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104872.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104872.jsp/../../../images/28bhrMoti.jpg;jsessionid=6182306DC4613A554B3201F1C1DCD22C | en | null | Murder count reaches four, investigations on | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Bhikhari Sahni’s daughter-in-law at Sirha village on Saturday. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma Motihari, Aug. 27: Aryan (11) died during treatment today at a private nursing home in Motihari after four bike-borne criminals fired at six people in Sirha village yesterday evening. Three people - the secretary of Pakridayal fishermen's cooperative Bhikhari Sahni, his wife Champa Devi and one of their neighbours Rajkishor - were killed last evening itself. Sudan Miya, a domestic help of the family is still struggling for life at the nursing home. The criminals reached the victims' house and opened fire on them. Soon after the incident, the assailants sped away towards Chaita village, said an eye witness who saw the incident from a window of his house. After getting information, the police reached the spot. The village has turned into a fortress and policemen in groups can be found on duty at every nook and corner in and around Sirha village. Besides East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Jitendra Rana himself, several DSPs of the district are also camping at Pakridayal. Initial investigations have revealed that the murder is linked to the earlier life of Bhikhari Sahni when he was associated with Maoists and his two sons were made accused for the murder of Bhola Singh's son of the same village around 15 years ago. According to sources, there is a long history of enmity between the families which has so far claimed around 7 to 8 lives. The police nabbed two motorcycle-borne suspects along with two country-made pistols late on Friday night and one more on Saturday, said Rana. The police were interrogating them and trying to ascertain their identity. "Prima facie, it seemed to be an incident owing to old rivalry and some Naxalite incidents," said Rana. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104872.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/8d5179169ade6bbc2f65695794bce243ee0a438aaac69692ebbe875bd3e5b5c2.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:41 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ramped up efforts for a more sustained connect with his party, the BJP. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104571.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Modi builds bridge between govt, BJP | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ramped up efforts for a more sustained connect with his party, the BJP. After interacting with members of the BJP's state core committees on Monday, Modi will join a day-long session with chief ministers of states ruled by the party on August 27. The following week, he will participate in a meeting of the BJP's Rajya Sabha MPs. The conferences, convened by BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi, are meant to ensure "better" government-party coordination - a statement of intent that used to be iterated when the BJP was in power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee but not quite fulfilled. Explaining the difference in circumstances between the Vajpayee and Modi regimes, a party official said: "When Atalji was the Prime Minister, there was a sort of demarcation between the government and the party. "It was not as sharply accentuated as the division between the two segments in the UPA's time where Manmohan Singh had virtually nothing to do with the Congress, led by Sonia Gandhi. "But by and large, Atalji kept a distance from the BJP and left matters to Advaniji (L.K. Advani) although Advaniji was the home minister and later the deputy Prime Minister too.... "For Modiji, the party-government distinction is meaningless because he knows unless the party is alive and robust, the government will be just a shell." The official recalled that Shah was made BJP president so that Modi could keep a real time tab on the party. Their association goes back to the days when the Prime Minister was an RSS " pracharak" (whole-timer) in Gujarat and Shah was an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Sangh's student wing. Sources say Modi took Shah, who is 14 years younger, in his tutelage and honed his organisational skills. When the chief ministers gather at Delhi's Maharashtra Sadan on Saturday, they are expected to be first briefed about the deliberations and outcomes of the state core committees' meet to "make them aware of the flaws and gaps, if any, between the BJP and their own governments and think up ways of filling them in". Sources said Modi and Shah were "serious" about institutionalising the chief ministers' meet. A panel headed by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was set up with central BJP officials Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Arun Singh and Saudan Singh as members. Arun Singh though dismissed this as a "routine procedure". | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104571.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/f31d9cba8c0884d9c531c7c67e8f782427614acdae7185096a9b742e9b01feb5.json |
[
"Sudhir Kumar Mishra"
] | 2016-08-26T13:06:26 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The monsoon this time has reached almost every corner of the state, showering its largesse on rain-shadow areas too and thus, promising good agriculture yields. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104453.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104453.jsp/../../../images/26RanSimdega2_174601.jpg;jsessionid=FF218FE0BF1BF9F7245A36861806C162 | en | null | Rain sows hopes in highland | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A farmer works in a pulses field in Pakartand block of Simdega district. Telegraph picture Ranchi, Aug. 25: The monsoon this time has reached almost every corner of the state, showering its largesse on rain-shadow areas too and thus, promising good agriculture yields. According to sources, sowing of crops has been completed in large tracts of highland and barren fields, thanks to active monsoon and back-to-back low pressure troughs that triggered massive downpours across the districts. Farmers even in Palamau, considered one of the driest districts of Jharkhand due to its geographical location, have already completed sowing in 90 per cent paddy fields. This apart, cultivation of pulses, maize, oilseeds and other coarse grains is also going on in full swing in highland areas of the district. "Though the survival of paddy crop would largely depend on the rainfall in the area in coming weeks, good harvests are expected this year," said Palamau district agriculture officer Edmund Minz. "Tribals prefer to live in highland areas, which often remain deprived of good farm yields due to poor rainfall. But this year, the monsoon has been widespread, bringing cheers to tribal farmers too. They are sowing pulses, maize, oilseeds and among others in highland areas and may expect bumper crops," he explained. The bumper yield is expected despite the fact that flash floods and heavy rain have destroyed paddy crop on 261 hectares of low-lying land in the district so far. Sources claimed around 95-98 per cent sowing had been completed in most districts. Farmers seem hopeful even in areas where nothing was cultivated in the past several years. "We have provided seeds to villagers under the Arya scheme for farming on barren land. The ground work is going on in full swing," said Lohardaga DC Bhuvanesh Pratap Mehta. His Simdega counterpart Vijoy Kumar Singh said 98 per cent of sowing had been completed in the district. Achieving the 100 per cent target is also possible if the area receives rainfall in the next few days too, he added. "It is heartening to see that people in highland areas have begun sowing maize, pulses, oilseeds and coarse grains following good showers a couple of days ago. These crops don't need much water for survival. Most of these highland farms belong to tribals," he stressed. Agriculture director Jata Shankar Choudhary maintained that cultivation was likely to be done in 25 lakh hectare land across the state this year, up from 22 lakh hectares during 2011-12 which is considered to be the highest for Jharkhand till now. The average total agriculture productivity is also likely to go up by 10-20 per cent from that recorded during the past five years, he added. Agriculture department principal secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni also said that bumper harvest was likely this year. "There may be isolated cases of crop damages in some areas, but the overall scenario is quite heartening. Let us hope for the best," he added. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104453.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/b0d3ca6b4bed1c885a7bdb3fbfddcd189f12387c0bfc890d059df95c610d9c9c.json |
[
"Anshuman Phadikar"
] | 2016-08-28T22:59:12 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The East Midnapore administration has put up a 2km barricade to prevent vehicles from using the Mandarmani beach, a week after three youths died in a car crash on the shore. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_105064.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Barricade to stop beach revellers | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Tamluk, Aug. 28: The East Midnapore administration has put up a 2km barricade to prevent vehicles from using the Mandarmani beach, a week after three youths died in a car crash on the shore. After the August 21 collision between a BMW and a Ford EcoSport, the administration blocked with guardrails all bylanes that connect the beach to a road that has been built to protect the shore from revellers on vehicles. However, 2km of the 10km road is yet to be laid. The barricade blocks off the portion of the beach that runs parallel to this 2km. The barricade is 300 metres from the low-tide line, which leaves a sliver of the beach in front of the resorts for vehicles to ply on till the 2km road stretch is laid. A police officer said anyone venturing into the barricaded portion in vehicles would either be arrested under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) or fined Rs 500. Section 188 carries a punishment of a month in jail or a fine of Rs 200 or both. "The restrictions will be enforced from Monday," a police officer said. "Around 100 CCTV cameras will be installed along the beach within a month and the local police station will take action if vehicles flout the rule," he added. District superintendent of police Alok Rajoria said the barricades were a temporary arrangement. "Once the entire road is built, no vehicle will be allowed on any part of the beach," he said. BDO Pritam Saha said land-related problems had held up the construction of the 2km stretch of the road. "The problems have been solved. The road will be completed in two-three months," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/bengal/story_105064.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/fc3eb1c66b0f7d1d8cda2a8382f2299c5c15d1c504c4cf1faf69b417d38760ce.json |
[
"Joy Sengupta"
] | 2016-08-26T22:51:26 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Vikas, the arrested storekeeper-cum-clerk of the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), knew how to keep his masters happy, police sources privy to his interrogation have told The Telegraph. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104729.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Clerk who helped scam bosses score | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Vikas, the arrested storekeeper-cum-clerk of the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), knew how to keep his masters happy, police sources privy to his interrogation have told The Telegraph. He was former board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh's trusted aide and also served as Man Friday to former secretary Harihar Nath Jha. Vikas never disappointed them, filling their pockets with cash almost every week . Sources in the special investigating team (SIT) probing the intermediate result scam said Vikas, who was arrested in connection with the Rs 8.5 crore answer paper scandal, knew how to clinch jobs for his bosses. "The police had taken Vikas, Lalkeshwar, Harihar Nath and another teacher of an intermediate college on two-day remand to question them simultaneously and face-to-face in connection with the answer sheet scandal. The statements made by Vikas are startling. According to him, Gujarat-based Bindiya Enterprises, the firm given the fake tender and work order to publish blank answer sheets, had first met Lalkeshwar and Harihar Nath Jha through Vikas. It was Vikas who had arranged a meeting and Lalkeshwar had asked the company officials to stay in touch with Vikas and talk to him in detail about the tender. Vikas also used to arrange meetings between Lalkeshwar and different people. Lalkeshwar had given him a free hand to do anything he liked. Vikas planned the entire scam, intimated Lalkeshwar about it and executed it," said an SIT officer. The police had stumbled onto the answer sheet scam while investigating the intermediate result scam which rocked the state around three months ago. Representatives of the Gujarat firm had come down to Patna around two weeks back and lodged an FIR in this connection. According to the FIR, the company was awarded a false tender as well as work order to print 400 tonnes of blank answer sheets worth Rs 8.5 crore. The answer sheets were delivered at Patna in 28 trucks. However, the papers had mysteriously gone missing after they entered the state. The company had lodged the FIR against BSEB stating that they had not been paid for the work they carried out. Later, it was found that BSEB had not awarded any tender to the company to print the papers. "When the trio (Vikas, Lalkeshwar and Harihar) was made to sit face to face, they began blaming each other. Lalkeshwar and Harihar refused to recognise him at first. However, the police believe that a scandal of such a huge scale couldn"t be executed by Vikas without the consent of his bosses," the officer said. Police said Vikas used to give money, ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000, to Lalkeshwar and Harihar regularly. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bihar/story_104729.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/989b45ce14451e2c0a3ad9be448e8f1e8c68395fbfadeaeef6243864f420518e.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:19 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Group, has appointed Venu Srinivasan and Ajay Piramal as non-executive directors with effect from today. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104505.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104505.jsp/../../../images/26face.jpg;jsessionid=F69F7AB871A89D70E582D4658A2FB4C4 | en | null | New faces on board of Tata Sons | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 25: Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Group, has appointed Venu Srinivasan and Ajay Piramal as non-executive directors with effect from today.
The new appointments will raise the strength of the company's board to eight.
Srinivasan is the chairman of Sundaram-Clayton Ltd and TVS Motor Company, while Piramal is the chairman of Piramal Group.
Srinivasan, one of the country's leading industrialists, has served as the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) during 2009-10, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers during 1999-2001, and chairman of the National Safety Council.
Piramal, also a leading industrialist, serves on the Harvard Business School's board of dean's advisers.
He is also the former chairman of the board of governors of IIT Indore.
Board basics
The Tata Sons board so far had six members - Cyrus P. Mistry, Ishaat Hussain, Vijay Singh, Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen and Farida Khambata.
Among them, Vijay Singh and Nitin Nohria were appointed as non-executive directors in 2013.
Ishaat Hussain took over as the finance director in July 2000. He had joined the Tata Sons board as an executive director in July 1999. He is also a director of various Tata companies, including Tata Industries, Tata Steel and Voltas.
Vijay Singh is a retired IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, while Nitin Nohria is the dean of faculty at Harvard Business School.
Ronen Sen, who was India's ambassador to the US from 2004 to 2009, is an independent director.
Farida Khambata, also an independent director, is a global strategist of investment advisory firm Cartica and a member of its investment committee. Before joining Cartica, Khambata was a member of the International Finance Corporation's management group. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104505.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/4d1ec9bf41e9ba84d86c6ea7c81746c90af196625b467ecef781268614554654.json |
[
"Roshan Kumar"
] | 2016-08-26T13:01:36 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Wednesday's incident on the premises of Patna College, in which a student was shot at, has exposed the university and city police's failure to check illegal boarding at Patna University hostels. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104484.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bihar/story_104484.jsp/../../../images/bhr1.jpg;jsessionid=8BEBD9276DB4C296FCF1AE16B40A04AB | en | null | Violence triggers blame game | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Wednesday's incident on the premises of Patna College, in which a student was shot at, has exposed the university and city police's failure to check illegal boarding at Patna University hostels. Even though Minto and Jackson hostels of the college are undergoing renovation and rooms have not been allocated to anyone, several students are living there. Those who got injured in Wednesday's violence, too, happen to be unauthorised occupants. Unidentified men from Saidpur hostel had entered the Patna College campus on Wednesday and shot at Neeraj Kumar, injuring him seriously. Neeraj, a sophomore, is a student leader associated with Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik). Raja Kumar, a second-year history student, also suffered serious head injuries in Wednesday's violence. Both students are undergoing treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). Patna College sources said Neeraj was living in Jackson hostel. "Everyone knows that Minto and Jackson hostels are undergoing renovation for over a year, but some students are living there illegally," said a senior teacher at the college on condition of anonymity. "We have on several occasions asked the police administration to evacuate illegal boarders who create trouble for the college and university administration, but to no avail." The university washed its hands of the issue. Officials said they had no mechanism to check illegal boarders. "A year ago, Patna University had handed over the two hostels to Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation (BSEIDC) for renovation work," Patna University registrar Sanjay Kumar Sinha said. "It is very difficult to find out who is living illegally there when renovation work is on." He also said that it is the duty of the police to keep a tab on illegal boarders at hostels. The BSEIDC started renovation work on the two hostels at Rs 2 crore each last year and was expected to complete it by June but work got delayed because of irregular supply of sand. But the police blamed the university and college administration. "The police cannot evict illegal boarders without the university and college administration's cooperation," Pirbahore police station house officer Nisar Ahmed said. "If the college is so serious about removing illegal boarders, then why don't they cut supply of water and electricity to the illegal boarders." The officer also said raids were on at Saidpur, Jackson and Minto Hostels to nab students who were behind Wednesday's violence. Students suffer the most. "There have been regular group clashes and anti-academic activity on the Patna College and university campus regularly, but neither the college administration nor police are able to check them," said a final year economics student at Patna College. He said the college, established in 1863, was considered a prestigious institution for the entire state, but its condition has failed on all fronts in the past three years. He said boarders of Minto and Jackson hostels used to end up in the civil services in the past, but now their progress is hardly noteworthy. Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, former additional director-general of police Rajyavardhan Sharma, JDU Rajya Sabha MP and former bureaucrat RCP Singh had all lived and studied at the Patna College hostels. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bihar/story_104484.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/efa69141c842aef03ced82f75c328f895666462c890c9539144a318ecfab1f24.json |
[
"Dev Raj"
] | 2016-08-27T22:51:40 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Chief minister Nitish Kumar today asserted his government's plan to replace toddy (fermented palm tree sap) with neera (unfermented sap) and other palm tree products in the state from the next financial year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104865.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104865.jsp/../../../images/28bhrCM9.jpg;jsessionid=325F75ECEFD814D85617F98FB1F8C322 | en | null | Govt stress on palm | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurates a workshop on palm-based industry in Patna on Saturday.
Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey Patna, Aug. 27: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today asserted his government's plan to replace toddy (fermented palm tree sap) with neera (unfermented sap) and other palm tree products in the state from the next financial year. He announced that the government will regulate the share of toddy tappers as well as palm tree owners in the income. "We will have to regulate the share of the Pasi community (toddy tappers) and the tree owners in the income. It has to be done now. A committee chaired by development commissioner will look into it. People who take care of the trees and the tree owners will get their share. Our aim is to replace toddy with neera from next Baisakh (March-April)," Nitish said. The announcement came after a practical problem in the implementation of the plan to establish palm tree-based industries in Bihar came to light. The people on whose land the trees stand own the majority of trees. They allow toddy tapping on a fixed share or rent. The chief minister said palm-trees and toddy tapping had been a part of share-cropping agriculture in the state. Normally, the income under this is divided in the ratio of 1:1. Baisakh is the Hindu calendar month, when palm tree flowering reaches its peak. It roughly corresponds with March-April. Nitish and his industries minister Jai Kumar Singh have announced that palm tree-based industries will be set up from April 2017. He was speaking at the first state-level training workshop on palm-tree based industries at Adhiweshan Bhavan in Patna, at which scientists and experts demonstrated products like neera, jaggery, sugar, jam, juice, squash, candy, mat and other handicraft products and spoke of their manufacturing techniques before people who depend on palm trees for income. Help from scientists from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University is being taken to establish palm-based industries in Bihar. Invoking the industries department to expedite work on this front, Nitish called for the branding of palm tree products and also asked the Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation, better known as COMFED, to set up neera collection centres on the lines of milk collection centres. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/bihar/story_104865.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/51dfbcb2b89d1db1217321bb72cbd967d9de7e92d2f652354a9608f776fdf0ee.json |
[
"Barnali Handique"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:30 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | People across the state will have to wait for a few days for the rain to arrive to bail them out of the scorching heat, the Met office said today. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104481.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104481.jsp/../../../images/26regwomen.jpg;jsessionid=52B1A37D12F5C9833E944D89D476A28C | en | null | Hot and dry spell to stay, warns Met office | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Women take shelter under umbrellas to beat the sun in Guwahati on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos Guwahati, Aug. 25: People across the state will have to wait for a few days for the rain to arrive to bail them out of the scorching heat, the Met office said today. A few minutes of light showers in the afternoon today gave the much-needed relief to the city, enabling residents to celebrate Janmashtami comfortably. Met officials have predicted that the temperatures will remain high in the next few days, though it is likely to rain towards the end of the month. During the day, people were busy preparing for the festivities but the sweltering heat exhausted them. Today, the city, along with a few other places, recorded the highest temperature so far this year. While Guwahati recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius, North Lakhimpur recorded a maximum temperature of 39.9 degrees Celsius followed by Silchar at 37.4 degrees Celsius, Dibrugarh at 37 degrees Celsius, Tezpur and Dhubri at 36.7 degrees Celsius and Jorhat at 36.4 degrees Celsius. "August happens to be the hottest month of the year. Although the temperature is rising, rain is likely to occur in most places of the state within three or four days. During the past few days, because of low moisture incursion over the northeastern region, rain has been subdued in the Northeast," said Sanjay O' Neil Shaw, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre here. "Today, Guwahati and North Lakhimpur have recorded the highest maximum temperature so far this year. Though it has not rained much, except light showers in isolated places, there is forecast of rain during the end of August," said another Met official. "I am happy that it rained today. It was so hot since the past couple of days that I did not go out much. I hope it will rain more, otherwise the temperatures will rise again," said Richa Sarma, a city resident. The searing heat outside is making it very difficult for people to venture outdoors as they become susceptible to heatstroke. However, there were few cases of heatstroke this year, according to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital records. "We have been receiving patients suffering from usual ailments like high fever, diarrhoea and other infections, but have not received much cases of heatstroke," said Ramen Talukdar, superintendent of GMCH. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104481.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/76d59a466fea22f4e5d5cc623636f72e7be3fd09d0183c14c734740b8d5e31b1.json |
[
"Our Bureau"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:45 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Bengal Congress today decided to recommend the suspension of Manas Bhuniya, boycott the veteran MLA if he entered the party's room in the Assembly and take no responsibility for possible "untoward incidents" if he tried to sit on his chair there. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104773.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104773.jsp/../../../images/27manas_221324.jpg;jsessionid=FB91098E3676617903181F26ADC99895 | en | null | Now showing, Cong circus | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Manas Bhuniya Calcutta, Aug. 26: The Bengal Congress today decided to recommend the suspension of Manas Bhuniya, boycott the veteran MLA if he entered the party's room in the Assembly and take no responsibility for possible "untoward incidents" if he tried to sit on his chair there. At a meeting attended by 39 of the Congress's 44 MLAs, it was unanimously decided that the state unit would recommend to the high command the suspension of Bhuniya for his refusal to step down from the post of chairman of the Assembly standing committee on public accounts. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury and leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan also put their seal of approval on a proposal to boycott the six-time MLA from West Midnapore's Sabang inside the Congress Legislature Party room in the Assembly. MLA Mannan said Bhuniya would not be allowed to sit in his chair in the room till the high command took a decision on the proposal to suspend him. "If he tries to forcibly occupy the chair, I cannot take responsibility for any untoward incident thereafter," Mannan said. Chowdhury said the recommendation for suspension had been sent to A.K. Antony, the chairman of the Congress's disciplinary committee. "We have unanimously proposed the suspension of Manas Bhuniya to the AICC and the decision was taken in the presence of the state president," Mannan said. If Chowdhury and Mannan appeared hell-bent on washing dirty linen in public, Bhuniya did not shy away from participating in the slugfest. "It is criminal intimidation. I will complain to the Speaker against this," he said, referring to Mannan's comments on the possibility of any "untoward incident". Asked if he would switch to Trinamul like his younger brother, Bhuniya said he would take a decision at the right time. Congress sources said Bhuniya was allegedly in talks with Trinamul and was biding time and trying to push the party into expelling him so that he could formally defect to the ruling party. In case of expulsion, he would not have to face a bypoll. Asked about the Congress's decision to boycott Bhuniya, panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee laughed long and hard. "How can Abdul Mannan stop Manas's MLA friends from talking to him? It is really funny and childish. There is no provision in legislative rules to boycott an MLA. Manas has all the right to sit in the room and in that chair for as long as he is not expelled," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104773.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/9f426685a9e3036d5e9536e89fa5ca9035de6fdae1b8e571e30eb6684c9a3c24.json |
[
"Vishvendu Jaipuriar"
] | 2016-08-26T13:06:44 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Shankar Shukla on Thursday shot missives to various banks, asking them to release Rs 5,000 to the villagers for the construction of toilets on providing supportive photographs of the dug up area in their houses, verified by block officials. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104451.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104451.jsp/../../../images/26HazDC2.jpg;jsessionid=962332D278A65388DB2100E5FBAA5CF3 | en | null | DC push for toilet fund release | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Deputy commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla at the meeting in Suchana Bhavan in Hazaribagh on Thursday. Picture by Vishvendu Jaipuriar Hazaribagh, Aug. 25: Deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Shankar Shukla on Thursday shot missives to various banks, asking them to release Rs 5,000 to the villagers for the construction of toilets on providing supportive photographs of the dug up area in their houses, verified by block officials. Shukla said the block development officers (BDOs) and circle officers would verify the photographs before the release of the sum. "Once the villager utilises the sum, he or she will have to show the picture of the under-construction toilet and after a verification by the officials, the concerned bank will release the rest Rs 7,000," he said. Shukla was addressing a meeting with the BDOs and the circle officers at Suchana Bhavan in the Hazaribagh collectorate on Thursday, during which he said the administration was leaving no stone unturned to make the district open defecation-free by 2017. He asked them to create awareness about the open defecation-free campaign among the villagers in their respective areas. "Tell them that defecation in open results in health problems, which is an extra financial burden on the family," said the DC. Shukla added their objective was not only to get toilets constructed at each and every household but also to encourage the family members to use them, besides proper treatment of the waste. "For the purpose, the waste needs to be discharged in a pit, constructed nearby, with proper drainage facility, for converting it into fertiliser," said Shukla. Apart from this, he has also asked all the BDOs to hold janata durbars every Tuesday. "I hold janata durbar on Mondays. The block, from which maximum people turn up, will be the one where the concerned BDO is not working properly," he added. Besides, he asked them to submit their tour plans every month in advance followed by a report after the visits. "We will then verify the facts," he told them. Shukla also talked about anti-encroachment drives in Hazaribagh town. He has constituted a team of three officials - probationary IAS officer Ramniwas Yadav, sub-divisional officer Anuj Kumar Prasad and executive magistrate Kumud Jha - to find out a solution to the issue of regular jam in Hazaribagh town. "Vehicles, illegally parked along the roadside, cause most of the traffic snarls. So, we are working on three parking zones in the town," said he. Later talking to the news persons, he promised to bring positive changes in the town by September 15. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104451.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/50fc0f2bde034d1f1889555679bb560b43bb80fb6b462226c31fc273d2bfa48c.json |
[
"Animesh Bisoee"
] | 2016-08-26T13:09:57 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Annual revenue: Rs 30 lakh | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104456.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104456.jsp/../../../images/26jamtraffic2.jpg;jsessionid=80ADB75F99D810910A36B0A67DA4F0D0 | en | null | Do diligent traffic cops deserve this? | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | HORROR WORKPLACE IN BISTUPUR The crumbling cornice and (below) dank exterior of Bistupur traffic police station in Jamshedpur on Thursday. Picture by Bhola Prasad • Annual revenue: Rs 30 lakh • Amenities and infrastructure: crumbling cornices, leaking roofs, dank chambers The Bistupur traffic police station in Jamshedpur is quite a study in contrast, with crackdown on road offenders filling up coffers on the one hand and government apathy offering the three-storey building the look of a haunted house on the other hand. Operating from the premises of one of the steel city's oldest thanas on Bistupur Main Road for the past five months, the men in uniform manage traffic on some of the busiest stretches in Circuit House Area and Northern Town. They bring road hogs to book while cautioning helmet-less bikers and motorists without seat belts. Ironically, at the end of a hard day's work, they return to a condemned building where their own life and limb are at risk. "Rain or shine, we have to issue prosecution slips to offenders at the police station. There have been instances of chunks crashing from the damp ceiling, but what choice do we have?" said a traffic constable, requesting anonymity. During every checking drive, around 50-100 offenders are fined. So, the traffic police station easily collects a revenue of more than Rs 30 lakh for the police department annually. However, the thana building never mirrors the jingling coffers. "The building is old and run-down. It needs immediate repairs. We have brought the matter to the attention of our superiors, but no action has been taken so far. Danger lurks overhead. The building must be condemned. It is not safe for our staff or visitors," said Bistupur traffic inspector Suman Nag. According to police records, Bistupur is the second oldest police station in the city (after Jugsalai in 1912) and has been functional since 1935. The dilapidated building was allotted to traffic police five months ago after Bistupur police station was shifted to a new building on the same premises. Apart from inspector Nag, three ASIs, 17 constables, one reader and one lady constable are on daily duty. Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president and Bistupur businessman Suresh Sonthalia deplored government neglect. "Bistupur traffic police station is in the heart of the city and near leading industrial and commercial establishments. The poor condition of the old thana building puts lives at risk, besides leaving a bad impression on visitors. When will the department wake up?" he asked. East Singhbhum SSP Anoop T. Mathew claimed they had plans to shift the traffic thana to the new building on the premises. "The old building will be renovated, but before that we plan to shift traffic thana operations to the new building. The facelift will take a year or so," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104456.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/78f11f6cb9781944e78a5d9459320e399ad2147d36a7db9adbf87361de8973b4.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:22 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The 100MW thermal power plant at Monarchak, 70km southwest of Agartala, cannot start production because of the delay in supply of natural gas by the ONGC. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104438.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Gas supply delay hits power plant | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Agartala, Aug. 25: The 100MW thermal power plant at Monarchak, 70km southwest of Agartala, cannot start production because of the delay in supply of natural gas by the ONGC.
Commissioned by the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco), the Rs 1,007.57-crore plant will export power to Bangladesh. The delay is costing Neepco dear as it is incurring heavy losses.
According to Neepco general manager Samar Ranjan Biswas, in view of the delayed commercial generation of power from the project, the corporation has been incurring a loss of Rs 13.20 crore every month.
"ONGC's repeated dilly-dallying on supplying gas has delayed the commencement of commercial generation of electricity from this power project and this has already resulted in huge losses," Biswas said.
"Conceived in 2000 with an installed capacity of 500MW, the power plant's capacity was reduced to 280MW in 2003-04 after the ONGC reduced its gas allocation by half. By May 2004, Neepco had established all infrastructure for the 280MW plant," Biswas said.
"The ONGC further cut the gas allocation in 2008, forcing Neepco to scale down the installed capacity of the project to 101MW," said Biswas, who heads the project.
"The commercial generation of electricity of this combined cycle power plant (65.42MW gas turbine and 36.25MW steam turbine) would start as and when the ONGC starts supplying gas," he said.
Assigning no reasons for the delay, ONGC executive director S.C. Soni said they would be able to supply 0.50 million standard cubic metres per day gas to the Neepco project by December or January next year. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104438.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a4b2a7705c9d62e3167129d8c533f9a49bd421365aea281690045790832636f0.json |
[
"Andrew W. Lyngdoh"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:30 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Truck owners from Meghalaya's mineral-rich Jaintia hills might seek help from the Assam government if the Meghalaya government fails to stop the operationalisation of a weighbridge set up along the inter-state border. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104748.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Truckers want Ri Bhoi weighbridge shut | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Shillong, Aug. 26: Truck owners from Meghalaya's mineral-rich Jaintia hills might seek help from the Assam government if the Meghalaya government fails to stop the operationalisation of a weighbridge set up along the inter-state border. Incensed by the decision of the state government to set up the weighbridge at 13th Mile in Ri Bhoi district, which is close to the inter-state border, the Jaintia Hills Truck Owners' Association today said the weighbridge of the Meghalaya transport department was creating problems for the truckers. "The new weighbridge set up by the Meghalaya government at 13th Mile is creating problems as it is located opposite the 13th Mile Assam lower primary school. The students are exposed to a great risk as there is huge traffic congestion in the area," association general secretary Enrico D. Pasi said in a statement. The association claimed the weighing of trucks at 13th Mile weighbridge, which started its operation today, was "highly unjust" as trucks transporting goods to Byrnihat industrial area are not weighed at all as they do not have to pass through the weighbridge. "There are several trucks that transport materials to the industries at Byrnihat. But since they do not have to pass through the weighbridge, they are not weighed," Pasi alleged. However, he pointed out that trucks emerging from East Jaintia Hills and travelling towards Guwahati are first weighed at Byndihati. "The same trucks are again weighed at 7th Mile in Jaintia Hills and then again at 13th Mile. We have to pay at least Rs 200 per truck at these weighbridges," Pasi alleged. From Jaintia Hills alone, he said, around 700 trucks ply to Guwahati on a daily basis. The association requested the Meghalaya government to stop the "bias and illegal action" of weighing only Assam-bound trucks whereas the Byrnihat industrial estate-bound trucks are exempted from paying taxes and weighing at 13th Mile. Moreover, he said for no fault of the truckers, the Assam police have detained truck drivers and compounded heavy fines on their vehicles for parking their trucks on the roadside while queuing up before reaching the weighbridge. "There is neither a lay-by facility nor an approach road to the weighbridge. This is illegal as the guidelines for setting up a weighbridge speak about proper permission from the NHAI and a lay-by is a must," Pasi added. He said the government should set up integrated check points as decided in 2010. Urging the Meghalaya government to stop the operation of the weighbridge at 13th Mile within a week, he said the association would be compelled to appeal to the Assam government for help in relocating the weighbridge if the state government failed to act. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104748.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/1cd6a1d10379ff0e5f6c985e3a0ba2e6f4fc1689d0248db0498cc68c2b1897b0.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-27T20:58:37 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Tata Sons has appointed Amit Chandra, managing director of Bain Capital, as a non-executive director with immediate effect. The Tata Sons Board will now have nine directors. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104885.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104885.jsp/../../../images/28bus-tata-(dc).jpg;jsessionid=350E2E3038FAECE8F9A67887FDC2CA83 | en | null | Tata Sons board rejig | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Chandra: New role
Mumbai, Aug. 27: Tata Sons has appointed Amit Chandra, managing director of Bain Capital, as a non-executive director with immediate effect. The Tata Sons Board will now have nine directors.
Chandra joined Bain Capital as managing director in early 2008 and is part of the company's leadership team in Asia.
He holds a degree in electrical engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, after which he had worked at Larsen and Toubro.
Before joining Bain Capital, Chandra spent most of his professional career at DSP Merrill Lynch and retired as its board member and managing director in 2007.
He serves as a trustee on several Tata trusts, besides being on the boards of Genpact, L&T Finance, Tata Investment Corporation, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Akanksha Foundation and GiveIndia. He is also the founder and board member of Ashoka University.
On Thursday, Venu Srinivasan and Ajay Piramal joined the Tata Sons board as non-executive directors.
Chairman Cyrus P. Mistry, Ishaat Hussain, Vijay Singh, Professor Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen and Farida Khambata are the other members on the Tata Sons board.
Professor Nitin Nohria is the dean of the faculty at Harvard Business School.
Ronen Sen was India's ambassador to the United States from 2004 to 2009.
Farida Khambata is a global strategist of investment advisory firm Cartica and a member of its investment committee. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104885.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/8b18c16e0ee1c74f663690b9aafbf5e05fdae2b49e2eff615692ab4463eeb436.json |
[
"Aurelien Breeden"
] | 2016-08-26T22:48:20 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | France's highest administrative court today suspended a ban by a Mediterranean town on bathing at its beaches in so-called burkinis, the full-body swimwear used by some Muslim women that has become the focus of intense debates over women's rights, assimilation and secularism in France. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fforeign%2Fstory_104793.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/foreign/story_104793.jsp/../../../images/27burkini_194518.jpg | en | null | Burkini relief in French town | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A burkini protester outside the French embassy in London on Thursday. (Reuters) Paris, Aug. 26: France's highest administrative court today suspended a ban by a Mediterranean town on bathing at its beaches in so-called burkinis, the full-body swimwear used by some Muslim women that has become the focus of intense debates over women's rights, assimilation and secularism in France. The Council of State, the highest court in the French administrative justice system, ruled that the ban, enacted by the town of Villeneuve-Loubet on August 5, violated civil liberties. At least 20 other municipalities, most of which are on the French Riviera, have imposed similar bans, and although the decision today does not apply directly to them, it can be seen as a warning that their bans are likely to be similarly struck down if challenged in court. The largest such community is the city of Nice. Critics of the bans have said they unfairly targeted Muslims. The bans recently provoked a backlash in France and abroad, after photographs spread online showing armed police officers enforcing them. The bans have also fuelled an intense political debate and split the French government, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressing support for them and several female ministers opposing the restrictions, even as they expressed distaste for the garments. Anti-discrimination and human rights groups challenged the restrictions in local courts, but the rules were upheld, leading the groups to appeal to the Council of State, which heard arguments from lawyers on both sides yesterday. Villeneuve-Loubet, a seaside resort of about 14,000, is between the larger cities of Nice and Cannes, where the first ban was enacted in July. Most of the prohibitions are temporary and run until the end of the holiday season. The restrictions in Villeneuve-Loubet end on September 15. The ordinances target bathing attire that is not "appropriate", that is not "respectful of good morals and of secularism", and that does not respect "hygiene and security rules". The wording makes no mention of a specific religion or type of clothing, but it is widely perceived to be aimed at Muslim women who are trying to dress modestly while at the beach. The mayors of the towns with such prohibitions have argued that burkinis pose a threat to public order after multiple terrorist attacks in France in the past months, including one in Nice on July 14 that killed 86 people. New York Times News Service | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/foreign/story_104793.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d813a27a08f5d1777f92fb02b03c5e016f3af0461aad075ef800d2a1c9d0a4f8.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:09 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Only six of the 40 ICSE and CBSE schools of Ranchi have so far implemented a dress code for bus drivers and conductors and provided them identity cards besides purchasing breathalysers to check drink-driving cases in compliance with a district administration order, but the other diktat of installing global positioning system (GPS) on all vehicles is yet to find any taker. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104657.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104657.jsp/../../../images/27RanBus_191920.jpg;jsessionid=88F88A0F70B09C520A17EEE414D4813E | en | null | Yes to dress code, no to GPS tab | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Bus staff of Surendranath Centenary School, Ranchi, in their new uniforms. Telegraph picture Only six of the 40 ICSE and CBSE schools of Ranchi have so far implemented a dress code for bus drivers and conductors and provided them identity cards besides purchasing breathalysers to check drink-driving cases in compliance with a district administration order, but the other diktat of installing global positioning system (GPS) on all vehicles is yet to find any taker. This week, four CBSE cradles - Surendranath Centenary School at Dipatoli, Gurunanak Secondary High School at Pee Pee Compound, DAV Kapil Dev-Kadru and DAV Public School-Hehal - have submitted details of the drivers and conductors along with their photographs to the administration, which has set the new guidelines to streamline the school bus service in Ranchi and make students' travel safe and secure. Sapphire International School and Manan Vidya, both affiliated to CBSE, have already carried out the district administration's directive. The state capital has 1,800 school bus drivers and conductors. Ranchi district transport officer (DTO) Nagendra Paswan said: "Till now, we have received applications from six schools, giving details of drivers and conductors. The schools have also purchased breathalysers. We were planning to start a crackdown early this week, but most principals sought another two weeks to toe the line." Ranchi DC Manoj Kumar had issued the July 16 deadline for all city-based schools to adopt the guidelines after a series of meetings with principals of CBSE and ICSE-affiliated cradles. But the schools missed the deadline, prompting the district authorities to first extend the date till July 31 and then August 15. "Principals are facing practical problems for installing GPS on school vehicles. This is because GPS cannot be installed without effecting a hike in bus fees. But the schools can't increase transport fees in the middle of the session as it will create unrest among parents. Hence, we directed them to first implement the dress code for drivers and conductors and arrange breathalysers, latest by September 10," the Ranchi DTO added. Surendranath Centenary School's principal Samita Sinha said their five drivers and as many conductors had started wearing uniforms. "The dress code is navy blue shirt and trouser for drivers and grey shirts and trouser for conductors as prescribed by the administration. We have purchased two breathalysers, but informed the district officials that GPS cannot be installed right now as it would entail huge costs." Principal of DAV-Hehal T.P. Pati said the drivers and conductors of their 12 school buses had uniforms. "We have made arrangement for three breathalysers that are used every day before the drivers and conductors set out to pick up the children," Pati added. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104657.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/0fb99b0fac3202695b17b63cd40555f31076ae5d838c283b90c6192315970445.json |
[
"R. Suryamurthy"
] | 2016-08-28T22:58:52 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) is likely to have a negative impact on the petroleum sector because the new regime will cover only some of the products. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_105002.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Oil faces GST conundrum | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 28: The implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) is likely to have a negative impact on the petroleum sector because the new regime will cover only some of the products. Products such as kerosene, naphtha, fuel oil and LPG will fall under the GST ambit, while crude, natural gas, aviation fuel, diesel and petrol will be left out for the time being. Industry sources said the concerns of the sector would be highlighted at a meeting of the empowered committee of state finance ministers, headed by Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra, on August 30. India Inc said the petroleum sector would operate under a hybrid tax regime and would be unable to claim GST credit because of temporary non-inclusion of some of the products. This will lead to an increase in costs. The anomaly has been recognised by the government, too. Revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said, "Some of the inputs to the petroleum sector might carry the GST burden, which can stay as accumulated duty, which is not VATable. We will look into this issue in due course." Abhishek Jain, tax partner, EY India, said, "Five petroleum products are excluded from the coverage of GST for the initial years, while the rest are covered by GST. Because of this peculiarity, this industry will be pained to comply with both the current tax regime as well as the GST regime. "Also, it will result in non-creditable tax costs. For example, a refinery producing diesel and petrol will pay GST on the procurement of plant, machinery and services. GST will not be creditable against the excise duty and VAT, which will be levied on petrol and diesel. The said tax costs will have an inflationary impact on the economy," he said. Under the proposed GST regime and the current VAT structure, tax on inputs is deducted from the tax payable on the final product. Besides plant and machinery, crude oil and natural gas, which are processed to get various petroleum products, do not attract GST. For instance, LPG is produced both from natural gas and crude oil. While LPG will be part of GST, crude oil and natural gas won't. Icra analyst K. Ravichandran said, "The exclusion of crude oil and gas from GST has an inflationary impact on the prices of other downstream products manufactured from these feedstocks such as naphtha, kerosene and petrochemicals. "Because of non-creditable tax costs, profits of refining and marketing companies could be modestly hit unless the Centre allows them to pass on the tax-related under-recoveries to consumers. As regards the upstream industry, non-creditable tax costs on goods and services (such as pipes, compressors, platforms, mud chemicals, seismic surveys, logging) will increase the capital intensity of exploration and development projects," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_105002.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/35fdaf3f4cb47817b173e64f03cfac938c010127c104e3188dca6fb6a1412be1.json |
[
"Pankaj Sarma"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A 14-year-old girl from Assam, who was taken to Delhi by her boyfriend with false promise of marriage and then sold to a middle-aged man in Haryana for Rs 1 lakh, was rescued on Tuesday night. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104522.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Assam teenager rescued | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Guwahati, Aug. 25: A 14-year-old girl from Assam, who was taken to Delhi by her boyfriend with false promise of marriage and then sold to a middle-aged man in Haryana for Rs 1 lakh, was rescued on Tuesday night. The girl, who hails from Chaygaon in South Kamrup district, was rescued from Mahenda village in Haryana's Hisar district in a joint rescue operation conducted by Haryana police and anti-trafficking NGO Shakti Vahini based on a tip-off by Guwahati police. "The girl is currently lodged in a shelter home for children in Hisar while the person who had bought her, Dharmendra Kumar, has been detained by Haryana police," Rishi Kant, a member of Shakti Vahini, told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi. A team of Guwahati police will reach Delhi tonight to bring her and Dharmendra here. Assistant commissioner of police (Jalukbari) Madhurima Das said the girl's boyfriend, Safiqul, 35, had taken her to Delhi promising marriage in June this year and had sold her to Dharmendra. "We arrested Safiqul from Chaygaon yesterday," she added. Das said the victim, who belongs to a poor family, had come to her elder sister's house at Bharalumukh in Guwahati. When she was returning home, she met Safiqul at Adabari and he took her to Delhi promising marriage. "When the girl did not reach her home from Guwahati, her elder sister filed a missing person's report at Jalukbari police station on June 27 and we started an investigation." That the girl was sold by Safiqul for Rs 1 lakh came to light when the victim somehow managed to call her elder sister from the telephone of one of Dharmendra's neighbours in Hisar a few days ago. "We traced the call and came to know that she was in Hisar and immediately contacted Shakti Vahini and Haryana police and the girl was finally rescued on the night of August 23," Das said. According to Rishi Kant, Dharmendra sexually exploited the girl and also forced her to do all the household chores from mending buffaloes to cleaning and cooking. "She told us that Dharmendra used to beat her, scratch her hand with blade and pour hot water on her besides sexually exploiting her. She wants to go back home," he said. "She has revealed that Safiqul, who got physically intimate with her on the pretext of marriage, initially kept her in a hotel near Jama Masjid in Delhi for a week. After that he sold her to Dharmendra, who took her along with him to Hisar," Rishi Kant said. He said during counselling, the girl kept shivering, tears rolled down her eyes and she repeatedly said, "Moi eyat nathaku" (I won't stay here). "Trafficking of minor girls from places like Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha for the purpose of forced marriage in Haryana is rampant," he said. Das said there is a well-organised racket in Dhubri district of Assam, which is involved in trafficking of girls to Haryana. Skewed sex ratio in Haryana has fuelled the trafficking of brides to the state. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104522.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/5ec4ede1f4e2a6a3f662ebf0d9f6aa1fcd8d627a90d07ac65261d6f710606cfc.json |
[
"Sanjay Mandal"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:57 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Calcutta airport will finally have a full-fledged retail facility - spread across 11,300sq ft - more than three years after the integrated terminal became operational in 2013. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104540.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104540.jsp/../../../images/26airport.jpg | en | null | Finally, get set to shop before you fly | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The Calcutta airport will finally have a full-fledged retail facility - spread across 11,300sq ft - more than three years after the integrated terminal became operational in 2013. A consortium led by a Gurgaon-based company has won the bid to become the master concessionaire for the retail hub, where passengers can pick up apparel, accessories and other items at market rates. As part of the arrangement, the consortium headed by Travel News Services India Pvt Ltd will have to pay the airport Rs 10.3 crore or 23 per cent of the gross sale proceeds, whichever is higher, annually. Currently, the airport's earning from retail is Rs 4.5 crore. "The retail contract has been awarded to a consortium of which the lead member is Travel News Services India Pvt Ltd. We are expecting them to bring in some of the big brands to the airport," airport director Atul Dixit told Metro on Thursday. According to sources, the Gurgaon-based Travel News partners UK retail brand WHSmith in India and they have a presence in several cities, including in the Delhi airport's Terminal 3. Aviation experts said an airport gave the first impression of a city and Calcutta's new terminal lacked charm. Flights are few and shops fewer. Most of the 2.35 lakh-sq m terminal looks barren compared with the airports in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. Once the stores are set up, officials hope, the airport would have more buzz. The Calcutta airport now has a handful of retail stores spread across 5,000sq ft, offering limited shopping options to fliers. Once the consortium takes over the retail space will expand to 11,300sq ft, covering both departure and arrival areas. In comparison, Mumbai's Terminal 2 has 20,000sq ft of retail area. Changi airport in Singapore has more than 350 retail and 120 F&B outlets across its three terminals. Private airport operators said retail and other non-aeronautic revenues were key determinants of profitability. Non-aeronautic revenues are commercial earnings of an airport from sources other than operation of flights. "Non-aeronautical revenue is critical for an airport's viability. We don't see investor interest in airports with nil or limited non-aeronautic revenue," said Kapil Kaul, CEO, south Asia, Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (Capa), a Sydney-based aviation consultant. At Changi, the retail and F&B outlets contribute about 50 per cent of the airport's revenue. At Calcutta airport, director Dixit said, non-aeronautic sources account for 30 per cent of the revenue. Though the new terminal had become operational in January 2013, it was only in 2015 that the Airports Authority of India gave the go-ahead for floating tenders for managing the proposed retail space. Certain technical problems delayed the process further. The Mumbai airport had started a passenger survey five years before Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 2014. Most of the retail and F&B outlets were ready before the facility was unveiled. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104540.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/399e6bd77068ab50af31dbba47e78beff033b77584f4b2ecf8d6ae9b7b48df25.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:40 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police sealed off some of the centuries-old Buddhist pagodas around Myanmar's ancient capital of Bagan today, a day after at least 187 of the brick temples were damaged in a powerful earthquake. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fforeign%2Fstory_104553.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/foreign/story_104553.jsp/../../../images/26pagoda.jpg;jsessionid=266AB3FC33ED7BA8FE0C5B3A7D19BB68 | en | null | Ancient pagodas sealed | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The entrance to a collapsed pagoda in Bagan. (Reuters)
Bagan, Aug. 25 (Reuters): Truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police sealed off some of the centuries-old Buddhist pagodas around Myanmar's ancient capital of Bagan today, a day after at least 187 of the brick temples were damaged in a powerful earthquake.
President Htin Kyaw flew to Bagan to meet local residents as authorities scrambled to assess the full extent of the damage from the 6.8 magnitude quake that shook buildings across the Southeast Asian country and beyond yesterday.
"The earth shook for about five minutes," said Soe Lwin, who was inside the Sulamani temple or "Crowning Jewel", one of Bagan's most visited sites, with about 15 other tourists. "One Spanish girl got lightly injured, so we helped her. After that, we ran outside of the pagoda and saw some parts falling down." | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/foreign/story_104553.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/9a8d8cb29e60be9992778956ca9915304cfca8dbd013bb1364910ba14a7b538b.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:27 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), a wing of Swadeshi Jagaran Mancha (SJM), will be back with Swadeshi Mela after more than 18 months this October with an aim to promote the concept of start-ups. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104462.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104462.jsp/../../../images/26jamswadeshi1.jpg.jpg;jsessionid=14411E5B9DA2646B6AF9A62D0F392298 | en | null | Fair to promote desi start-ups | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The members of Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development launch the Swadeshi Mela souvenir at their office in Jamshedpur on Thursday. (Bhola Prasad) The Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), a wing of Swadeshi Jagaran Mancha (SJM), will be back with Swadeshi Mela after more than 18 months this October with an aim to promote the concept of start-ups. This year it will promote the start-ups, especially related to Indian concepts and products, through seminars and panel discussions during the fair, which will be held from October 18 to 25 at Gopal Maidan in Bistupur, Jamshedpur. “CBMD is concentrating on efforts to instil swadeshi thoughts to provide further impetus to the movement. We work towards guiding Indian enterprises to become self-reliant by competing globally, thus promoting the national economy,” said an SJM member. The SJM disclosed the date and venue during the release of Swadeshi Mela souvenir at its office in Bistupur on Thursday.
“Swadeshi Mela is very popular in Jamshedpur but we couldn’t organise it last October as Gopal Maidan wasn’t available. It has been a tradition to organise the fair between Dussehra and Diwali. So this year we planned it in advance. However, we are yet to finalise this year’s theme,” said SJM member Manoj Singh. The fair is expected to have 300 kiosks, promoting locally-made handloom items, handicrafts and accessories apart from pickles and papads. “In the past 10 years, CBMD has successfully organised above 250 Swadeshi Melas across the country on various themes and almost 100 million people have visited these. We also used the platform to organise seminars and training programmes,” added Singh. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104462.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/6f5ae7a02d8829c136beef0592b330aa953184d394ba9df5c1248f6d4c590614.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:23 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Infosys, one of the first companies to feel the impact of Brexit, today said it is witnessing a "softness" in spending by some clients after Britain decided to leave the European Union and the cancellation of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) contract proves how key clients are becoming cautious. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104745.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104745.jsp/../../../images/27tense.jpg;jsessionid=E2DC7463A2FC4520631FB119FF32E7EE | en | null | Companies feel Brexit heat | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 26: Infosys, one of the first companies to feel the impact of Brexit, today said it is witnessing a "softness" in spending by some clients after Britain decided to leave the European Union and the cancellation of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) contract proves how key clients are becoming cautious. RBS has recently called off plans to set up a separate bank in the UK (under the Williams & Glyn flagship) following Brexit. Infosys had been appointed a programme technology partner in the project for consulting, application delivery and testing services. Considering such developments, analysts fear that Infosys may again lower its annual guidance. In July, the country's second largest software services provider, had forecast that revenues in constant currency terms will grow 10.5-12 per cent during this year, down from its earlier projection of 11.5-13.5 per cent estimated in April. Speaking to analysts at the Pune campus, the top management of Infosys, led by chief executive Vishal Sikka, said the company would give a clearer picture on its revenue guidance after the September quarter. Sikka was, however, quick to add that the July-September quarter would be better than the preceding three months. "There are uncertainties across sectors, geographies. We did not see the RBS ramp down coming at the start of the quarter. We are seeing softness in some clients now, post Brexit, which was not anticipated at the start of the second quarter. We want to see if the RBS is a one-off case or there are more like it," Sikka said. Chief financial officer Ranganath D Mavinakere said a more "accurate picture on guidance" will emerge after the second quarter. Sikka, who spoke of renewing the core business and also innovating, said the company continues to see a healthy deal pipeline, though one has to be cautious about large deals. Responding to queries on layoffs, Sikka said while attrition was one major area of concern, it was not laying off any employees. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104745.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/adb1e9c6e08dcfc7b6e5cb1928be0c6c01fdcd9d570a247537f986ee8c08005c.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:07 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Centre has decided to tighten its grip on the way money is spent on a programme devised by the UPA for districts with minority concentration and rename it the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Yojana. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104786.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Tighter govt rein on minority scheme | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 26: The Centre has decided to tighten its grip on the way money is spent on a programme devised by the UPA for districts with minority concentration and rename it the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Yojana. The multi-sectoral development programme - as the scheme is now known - was conceptualised after the Sachar committee report identified the reasons for the social, economic and educational backwardness among Muslims and seeks to improve basic amenities and reduce imbalances. The minority affairs ministry has now revised the guidelines for implementing the scheme. Minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the primary aim behind keeping a tighter rein was not to centralise the scheme but ensure that it was implemented evenly across the country. "Some states are doing a good job but others are not," he said. However, he did not want to name the laggard states for fear of generating a controversy. Currently, states are allocated funds under the programme and expected to file utilisation certificates. Soon, the Centre will seek proposals for projects from the state governments, Naqvi said. Establishments that come under the broad purview of the central government, like cantonments and railways, will be persuaded to allow the use of their surplus land for development projects in these districts and blocks. Around 90 districts in the country fall in the category of minority concentration districts. Although the programme targets minority concentration districts and blocks, the facilities built under the scheme are open to all as the primary aim is to uplift the area and, thereby, every community living there. One proposal about which the ministry is sounding all state governments is building multi-purpose " sadbhav mandaps" in the minority concentration districts and blocks. They will be modelled on community halls that can be used by all communities for weddings, other family events, sporting activities and craft bazaars. The minister said disaster management authorities had suggested to the government that there should be built-up common spaces at regular intervals to accommodate people in case of a natural or man-made disaster. The "sadbhav mandaps" will be designed in a manner that they can double as shelter during emergencies. According to the scheme, identified "development deficits" would be plugged with district-specific plans for provision of better infrastructure for school and secondary education, sanitation, pucca housing, drinking water and electricity supply, besides beneficiary-oriented schemes for creating income-generating activities. The development plans under the programme also includes critical infrastructure like roads, basic health facilities and marketing centres for multiplying avenues for livelihood. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104786.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/f18b1d891800ea7db7dff3e00ff0e293da137f8b1056b5e1b5849fa100d1fad7.json |
[
"Arti S. Sahuliyar"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:45 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | It was a full house though no superstars were seen on the lighted screen. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104654.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104654.jsp/../../../images/27RanPartyavartan_193711.jpg;jsessionid=8C523FE99391D912B1725C352A3E98C7 | en | null | Rebel film rides on love | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Film buffs at Plaza Cinema in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Hardeep Singh It was a full house though no superstars were seen on the lighted screen. Screen 1 of Ranchi plex Carnival, with a seating capacity of 162, was packed for the Friday release, Pratyavartan-The Homecoming, a Hindi film with English subtitles where love triumphs over Naxalism, commissioned by then Jharkhand DGP Rajiv Kumar. Directed by Bengal's Nimu Bhowmik and starring Bengal actors Ishan Majumdar and Moushumi Bhattacharya in lead roles of a young couple caught in the Naxalite world in Latehar, it also features Daltonganj-based actor Saikat Chatterjee as a rebel commander. But, that's not all. This two-hour film has small cameos by former DGP Rajiv Kumar, IG (organised crime) Sampat Meena, IG (prisons) Suman Gupta IG and some others. It explained the enthusiasm of Kumar, who came with former chief secretary Sajal Chakraborty and some 60 policemen to catch the 2.30pm show at the Carnival. The rest of the audience comprised mostly college-goers. "I am glad to see a packed hall. It shows not only our police but also ordinary cine-goers are keen to see how we are trying to weed out the Naxalite problem and urging youths to join the social mainstream," Kumar, who during his tenure tried to popularise the state's rebel surrender policy, including housing benefits, said. "I hope the film is screened in rural areas. It can create a huge impact," he said. In the story, a village girl is gang-raped. A youth who has strayed into the Naxalite movement rescues her and they fall in love. They want to make a future together but don't know how to, as his leaving the rebel fold appears risky. Then, the girl encourages the boy to opt for the rebel surrender policy and join the social mainstream without fear. Director Bhowmik said they took almost a year to make this Rs 34-lakh movie extensively shot in Netarhat, Latehar. "Drop the gun for love and law, that's our theme." Management student of Ranchi University Priyanka Kumari, who came with her friends, said they were curious about the film after seeing newspaper ads. "Youths should watch it," she said. The film was also screened in Fun Cinema from 7.30pm. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104654.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/bdb81207599e5c2ab2062ff5c5ad7dbf60b57e081d665da7fbe976ad94fb8be7.json |
[
"Rining Lyngdoh"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:21 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | After the cabinet reshuffle which saw the exit of two Congress ministers from the Mukul Sangma government in Meghalaya, the axe is likely to fall on "non-performing" office-bearers of the party's state unit as the Congress plans a revamp ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104753.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104753.jsp/../../../images/lapang.jpg;jsessionid=342D4559B5185E957C6BC6142EC5094E | en | null | Axe hangs on 'laggard' PCC office-bearers | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | D.D. Lapang Shillong, Aug. 26: After the cabinet reshuffle which saw the exit of two Congress ministers from the Mukul Sangma government in Meghalaya, the axe is likely to fall on "non-performing" office-bearers of the party's state unit as the Congress plans a revamp ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls. A meeting of the Meghalaya PCC chaired by its president D.D. Lapang at Congress Bhawan here today unanimously resolved that "active members who wish to devote time to the party" would replace all non-functioning office-bearers. Lapang also conveyed the decisions taken by the PCC to the AICC. A statement by PCC general secretary Manash Das Gupta also warned that all non-functioning PCC committees will be soon reconstituted and those willing to work for the growth of the party would be inducted. It was also decided that the next PCC meeting would be held at Tura in West Garo Hills in the fourth week of September. Gupta said after the meeting, the PCC president had a long talk with AICC general secretary C.P. Joshi and briefed him about the induction of two new ministers in the Congress-led state government. Lapang also informed Joshi about the decisions taken by PCC office-bearers according to the directives of the AICC. Lapang today exuded confidence that the Congress would emerge as single largest party in the Assembly polls in February 2018. "No other party can emerge as the single largest except the Congress and we will form the government," Lapang told reporters at Congress Bhawan soon after he returned from the swearing-in of the two new ministers. On the removal of health minister A.L. Hek, Lapang denied that an adverse report was sent to the AICC against him. Hek was reportedly dropped for showing inclination towards the BJP, on whose ticket he had won three consecutive terms from Pynthorumkhrah constituency. Hek won on a BJP ticket from 1998 to 2008 but joined the Congress in July 2009. He again got elected on a Congress ticket in 2013. Lapang, however, said outgoing deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh's age and health were the main reasons for his exit from the cabinet. Asked if the cabinet rejig would end any grumbling within the Congress, Lapang said differences in the party may be there but if there are people who want to break the party, they cannot be prevented. On government action that might spoil the image of the Congress, including bringing of an "ineffective" Prevention of Disqualification (Members of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya) Amendment Act, 2015, which bars MLAs to become members of district councils, Lapang admitted that damage had been done though he was not sure if the act should be recalled. Whether another round of cabinet reshuffle would happen, the PCC chief said he could not say at the moment though Mukul had last year wanted to replace four ministers. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104753.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/f6be64512e5c694922fab32e1b3ca685646ca95b2127ed0ea025da47f8c30820.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:58 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A 10-bed eye hospital without any ophthalmologists or paramedical staff was inaugurated recently by Dhubri health department in Bilasipara town of Dhubri district. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104441.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Dhubri eye hospital opens without doc | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Dhubri, Aug. 25: A 10-bed eye hospital without any ophthalmologists or paramedical staff was inaugurated recently by Dhubri health department in Bilasipara town of Dhubri district. Though the people of Bilasipara sub-division heaved a sigh of relief following the inauguration of the eye hospital, they resented the non-existence of basic infrastructure, ophthalmologists and paramedical staff. The construction of the building for the eye hospital was completed in 2013 at a cost of Rs 75 lakh but the necessary furniture and fittings have not been done yet. "On the occasion of the 70th Independence Day, the eye hospital was inaugurated as local legislator of Bilasipara (East) Ashok Kumar Singhi wanted it to be opened, but things will improve soon as Singhi too is taking an interest in it and the necessary requirements for the hospital will be met soon," an official of Bilasipara said. Dhubri joint-director of health services Nil Madhav Das said he had to inaugurate the eye hospital in a hurry with the strength and resources available in the district. "On purely temporary basis, two ophthalmologists, two assistants (ophthalmic) and one nurse for the OT were posted to run the out-patient department (OPD) and in case of complicated cases, they are to be treated here in Dhubri civil hospital," Das said. He also said the equipment for the hospital has arrived and he had written to the state health department for permanent posting of ophthalmologists, assistant ophthalmologists, OT nurses, grade-IV staff, ward boys and girls. Moreover, a senior ophthalmologists of Dhubri civil hospital was asked to supervise the eye hospital, Das added. There are seven ophthalmologists in Dhubri district but because of lack of proper posting, the eye patients are deprived of their services. Secretary of Dhubri Lions Club Sanjay Sethia said the number of cataract patients is on the rise and a well-equipped eye hospital is the need of the hour. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104441.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/b1490ff6714cb073c2de043c7afd42d71a974c376fa329654abeebf8ebff9eec.json |
[
"Jayati Ghose"
] | 2016-08-28T22:59:04 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The government wants to provide financial incentives to soften the impact of mandatory dumping of old and polluting heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses that are in use for more than 15 years. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_105001.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_105001.jsp/../../../images/busScrap.jpg;jsessionid=FAC8086940E635AAF59988EBB9142591 | en | null | Offer to ease old vehicle parting pain | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 28: The government wants to provide financial incentives to soften the impact of mandatory dumping of old and polluting heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses that are in use for more than 15 years. This subsidy will be provided instead of an excise duty relief that was earlier proposed under the draft vehicle fleet modernisation policy. The financial benefit will be provided through the budget, finance ministry officials said. The draft policy had earlier made it voluntary for vehicle owners to scrap old trucks and buses. The road ministry had further proposed that users getting rid of their vehicles will get monetary incentives to buy a new one in three forms: scrap value of old vehicle, special discount from automobile manufacturers and partial excise duty exemption. The ministry will now rework the proposal according to the suggestions of the finance ministry. These incentives are likely to reduce the cost of buying a vehicle by 15 per cent on an average. Under the proposed policy, vehicles bought before April 2005 or those below Bharat Stage-IV emission standards will be eligible for the incentives. The government expects the move will help to replace 28 million vehicles. "Reduction in oil consumption by new vehicles will help save nearly Rs 7,000 crore in oil imports," said a concept note on the policy floated by the transport ministry. The policy also recommended full excise exemption for state transport buses to encourage the purchase of new buses with higher capacity. The draft policy had suggested that those opting for voluntary modernisation will have to deposit vehicle documents at the recycling centre. After verification, the owner will get a certificate - to be provided to the dealer for a discount on the new car - and the price for scrap. This certification scheme may not be continued if the government makes it mandatory to junk old vehicles. According to government estimates, around 28 million vehicles will have to be taken off the road if the scheme is implemented and it will generate steel scrap worth Rs 11,500 crore every year. There are also plans to set up industrial zones at ports to recycle such scrap, from India as well as abroad, providing a boost to employment. The policy was put out for public comments in May. The policy is also expected to boost auto sales and improve capacity utilisation. It is expected that auto makers will support the government in this initiative financially by giving special discounts to customers buying vehicles under the scheme. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_105001.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/4c9c32f504e66f9f8908cd91f7c7ec9b9623b7848a846781db937f5ee7b7c828.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:11 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Three former chief ministers - Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Hemant Soren - today expressed unhappiness with Jharkhand's development graph, punching holes in the Raghubar Das government's tall claims depicting a rosy picture of the state. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104649.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104649.jsp/../../../images/27RanSkill4.jpg;jsessionid=1480A877F55A5986959EBA00393FB71A | en | null | Ex-CMs critical of govt initiatives | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Former chief ministers Arjun Munda (extreme left), Hemant Soren (next to him) and Babulal Marandi (extreme right) and state minister Neera Yadav at the summit in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Prashant Mitra Ranchi, Aug. 26: Three former chief ministers — Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Hemant Soren — today expressed unhappiness with Jharkhand’s development graph, punching holes in the Raghubar Das government’s tall claims depicting a rosy picture of the state. Attending Skilling India, a summit organised by Assocham, Jharkhand chapter, at a Ranchi hotel, state’s first chief minister Marandi appeared to be the most scathing among the three in criticising the government initiatives, raising doubts over their effectiveness. “I do not understand much about jargons like ‘Skill India’, ‘Stand Up India’, ‘Start Up India’ etc. I only wonder why aren’t these initiatives benefiting people at large,” he said. “There is a lot of hype about skill development these days. But the fact is people are losing their age-old skills. Jo thora pada woh hal chhora, jo zyada para woh gaon-ghar chhora (those who study a little leave the plough, those who study more, leave their homes and villages),” the JVM boss said. Munda of the ruling BJP, however, did not ruffle many feathers. He said the state had plenty of natural resources, but needed long-term planning to set things right. “Unfortunately, instead of growth, we are witnessing deterioration in every sector. A company (read Tayo Rolls) in Jamshedpur with technology of Japan and expertise of Tata group is on the verge of closure. This is a big challenge for us,” he added. Munda’s successor and Raghubar Das’s predecessor Hemant said he was confused with contradictory news reports. “I read in a newspaper that Jharkhand is one of the fastest growing economy. Another newspaper suggests that many mines are closed here for quite some time. Isn’t the government trying to exaggerate things?” the JMM working president asked. State HRD minister Neera Yadav, the chief guest of the function, admitted that the state was yet to do much on skilling its people. But, she added that the Raghubar Das government was committed to provide skill training to the masses. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104649.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/bbd2e42a029544cfd0c6b6be7ebfb6973f7be8789579ca2735691641a2e15b17.json |
[
"Wasim Rahman"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:37 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (Abita) has requested the largest and oldest tea workers' union in the state - the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) - to consider payment of bonus to workers in two instalments. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104684.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104684.jsp/../../../images/27regTea2_183905.jpg;jsessionid=9E247E224069123903AE88D8CB67AA9C | en | null | Abita for bonus in two instalments | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A tea graden in Assam Jorhat, Aug. 26: The Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (Abita) has requested the largest and oldest tea workers' union in the state - the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) - to consider payment of bonus to workers in two instalments. Tea industry sources said Abita is the oldest and largest tea growers' association among the five such bodies in the state with over 270 tea gardens, most of which are owned by well-known companies. The Abita gardens are spread across 15 districts, produces about 230 million kg of made tea (according to 2013 statistics) covering an area of 1,34,474 hectares. There are altogether over 800 organised and registered tea estates in Assam, according to the government records. About five lakh permanent workers and two lakh temporary labourers are employed in these estates, with total plantation area estimated at 312,210 hectares in the organised sector. Abita secretary S. Ghosh, in a letter from its Guwahati office on August 20 to the ACMS general secretary Dileshwar Tanti, has sought the union's approval in paying bonus to the workers of Abita's member-gardens in two instalments. The letter reached ACMS office in Dibrugarh in Upper Assam today. The letter is in response to Tanti writing earlier this month to all the five major tea growers' associations of Assam for bonus at the rate of 20 per cent to be declared and paid to workers three weeks before Durga Puja, which begins on October 7. Tanti had demanded that the individual gardens and companies pay the bonus at one go rather than splitting it in two instalments, a method which a section of individual gardens and companies were employing in the past few years. The second instalment was paid in January next year or before Holi, which generally falls in March. Ghosh said some companies might pay bonus in one instalment but some would find it difficult because of the "poor cash flow". "We trust your union will extend full co-operation and assistance to such gardens/companies in this regard. We also request you to sensitise your branches and workers in general on the current tea industry scenario in order to address the rising cost of inputs in the industry," Ghosh said in his letter. The secretary added that some Abita gardens might not have finished computation and finalised the accounts of the previous fiscal year, the period of which the bonus is paid to the workers. Ghosh said such gardens should be allowed to pay an advance payment and the due amount in second instalment after working out the profits of the last fiscal after Puja. Tanti, a former minister in a Congress government, said the union would be considering the request from Abita provided that they pay 15 per cent bonus to the workers in the first instalment and rest 5 per cent in January or before Holi. The ACMS leader said the quantum of bonus should not be less than the maximum rate of 20 per cent. Payment of bonus to industrial employees is mandatory under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. Under the act, employees earning up to Rs 10,000 (now up to Rs 21,000 after an amendment by the Centre last year) per month have to be paid bonus at a minimum rate of 8.33 per cent and a maximum of 20 per cent on the basis of the employers' earnings the previous fiscal. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104684.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/e6ab1296043ffc49600e289e86afd655c41586c8f6dc54097b304d8580014ea0.json |
[
"Jayanta Roy Chowdhury"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:15 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A bilateral investment treaty between India and the US is unlikely to fructify during US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker's visit next Monday as the treasury officials of both the countries continue to bicker over the courts that will have the arbitration rights in case of disputes. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104502.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104502.jsp/../../../images/26view.jpg;jsessionid=75D67B66269C2E51F3A73EE49B48C154 | en | null | Treaty with US faces delay | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 25: A bilateral investment treaty between India and the US is unlikely to fructify during US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker's visit next Monday as the treasury officials of both the countries continue to bicker over the courts that will have the arbitration rights in case of disputes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama had been pushing for the treaty, crucial for a future free trade pact, raising hopes that it could come through in August before the US presidential elections. However, top finance ministry officials said, "We continue to have differences over who will get the right to arbitrate in case of an investment dispute. We have swallowed bitter pills in the past, such as in the Vodafone case. We have taken a policy decision that all future bilateral investment treaties will have arbitration clauses that limit it to Indian courts as the court of first resort." India's new model bilateral investment protection agreement (BIPA) states that international arbitration can be resorted to only after all legal remedies have been exhausted in domestic legal courts. It also makes it clear that international arbitration cannot re-examine any legal issues settled by the Indian courts. The US has rejected such limitations. It only wants international arbitration as it fears that the Indian courts will take a lot of time without resolving any differences. The US negotiators also do not accept an Indian clause, which potentially blocks attempts to drag India into tax-related arbitration by taking advantage of investment treaties. The clause states that the treaty shall not apply to any taxation measure... for example where a host state asserts as a defence that a conduct that is being seen as a breach of its obligations under the treaty is a subject matter of taxation. India has been facing a spate of tax disputes where BIPA has been brought into play. Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia invoked an investment treaty to resolve tax liability claims, both existing and anticipated, for seven years from 2006-07. More recently, Cairn Energy demanded a compensation from the Indian authorities for the Rs 10,200-crore tax notice slapped on its Indian arm. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104502.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/915237cc2b1974873c0e17b445f83ccf0813fb4ea9af19e481430c166fc6bd29.json |
[
"Wasim Rahman"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:12 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Dibrugarh University's attempt to launch a post-graduate course in Hindi from the current academic year (2016-17) is hanging in balance for lack of eligible candidates. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104442.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104442.jsp/../../../images/26hindu.jpg;jsessionid=25519FC0EA13A5B9952AB882FC753BFE | en | null | Few takers for PG course in Hindi | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Jorhat, Aug. 25: Dibrugarh University's attempt to launch a post-graduate course in Hindi from the current academic year (2016-17) is hanging in balance for lack of eligible candidates. The university has issued an advertisement for the second time hoping to get eligible candidates to attend the course. The Centre for Studies in Languages under the School of humanities and social science, which runs several short and long-term courses on different Indian and foreign languages, decided to launch the course. Director of Centre for Studies in Languages Bhimkanta Boruah told The Telegraph that according to university rules, a minimum of 10 students were required to run any course, but for the proposed MA in Hindi course, the university received 17 applications, of which seven candidates were found to be eligible. Boruah said of the seven who were short-listed, only six took admission. With four seats remaining vacant, the fate of starting the course remains uncertain. "Last week, we issued the advertisement (for MA in Hindi) again asking eligible candidates to apply by August 29," the director said. He said an eligible candidate should have a bachelor's degree, with major in Hindi, securing at least 45 per cent or a bachelor's degree in any subject, securing at least 50 per cent in Hindi as an elective subject and also securing minimum 45 per cent aggregate. Boruah said the centre has, in the past five years, tried twice to launch PG in Hindi, but because of the lack of minimum requisite of eligible students the course was stalled. He said two teachers, who have been selected for launching of the course, were awaiting appointment as the fate of the course hangs in the balance. He said the course would start if four eligible students enrol by August 29. A research scholar and a college teacher of Hindi department in Upper Assam, who did not want to be named, said the advertisement for the course was issued in the last week of July, which was late compared to other universities of Assam and the northeastern region and hence most of the eligible students took admission in other universities. The teacher lamented that though there are bright career prospects for pursuing bachelor's and master's degree in Hindi, the scenario in Upper Assam was not encouraging with only less than 10 colleges, out of over 150 colleges affiliated to Dibrugarh University, having Hindi as a major subject and about 20 colleges having the subject as an elective. He said with all central government department having a post for a Hindi officer and the private sector seeking people knowing both Hindi and English, job prospects are bright. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104442.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/55b6c86afab2563de42998c6a2dbe80b4140774724aa79c88a95ac726e5f9b50.json |
[
"A Staff Reporter"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:41 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Opposition Congress today criticised Assam minister of state (independent charge) for power Pallab Lochan Das for his alleged attempt to blame the previous government for the dismal power scenario in the state. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104716.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Cong fires power crisis salvo at BJP | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Guwahati, Aug. 26: The Opposition Congress today criticised Assam minister of state (independent charge) for power Pallab Lochan Das for his alleged attempt to blame the previous government for the dismal power scenario in the state.
A press communiqué, issued by Assam PCC spokesperson Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya this evening, accused Das of blaming the Congress "without any study of the ground situation". The Opposition alleged that it had become a fashion of the BJP-led state government to blame the Congress for its every failure.
"The BJP promised the people of Assam that would provide 24X7 power supply if it came to power. What happened to that promise?" asked Bhattacharya. He claimed that the previous government provided 1,500MW of power during peak hours by improving infrastructure.
Bhattacharya said when the Congress came to power in Assam in 2005, the peak hour demand was 545MW. He said measures initiated by the previous government would enable the new government to provide power round the clock. "So the BJP should be thankful to the Congress."
Das yesterday said the process of laying transmission lines across the state was being impeded by the Rs 650-crore liability inherited from the previous government.
"Because of this reason, despite having adequate electricity with us, we are not being able to streamline the transmission system throughout the state," Das said yesterday. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104716.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3b160478c9b36e2b7f4dd374f2fa07e5350e990059e55419b6df00344b4c3830.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:13 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | A worker died of carbon monoxide poisoning while eight other employees, including two officers, fell ill following a gas leak at a sponge iron factory in Seraikela-Kharsawan, some 40km from Jamshedpur, around Friday noon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104661.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104661.jsp/../../../images/27jaminjured4.jpg;jsessionid=371F3E778E0577134CB45278A0939452 | en | null | Gas leak claims iron firm worker | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The blast furnace at Narsing Ispat in Kandra, where the mishap took place on Friday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta A worker died of carbon monoxide poisoning while eight other employees, including two officers, fell ill following a gas leak at a sponge iron factory in Seraikela-Kharsawan, some 40km from Jamshedpur, around Friday noon. The incident at Narsing Ispat in Khunti village under Kandra thana has turned the spotlight on inadequate safety measures in industrial units, which SP Indrajeet Mahatha has promised to probe notwithstanding claims of the factory management. The worker who died after being taken to Tata Main Hospital has been identified as Budhram Mahto (30). Seven others, including project manager (mechanical) M. Sai Kola Ravi (40), are admitted to the high dependency unit of the same hospital while operations in-charge Paritosh Hazra (42), whose condition is stable, is recuperating at a private nursing home in Chandil. According to the company's senior accounts officer Ajay Singh, the leak occurred around 11.45am when a team of 10 were engaged in maintenance of a blast furnace. "We have two blast furnaces. One is operational and the other was shut down for maintenance. Project manager Kola Ravi and operations in-charge Hazra were on a platform with the others when suddenly they all collapsed," Singh said. Established in 2008, Narsing Ispat produces iron ingots and has a daily capacity of 100 tonnes. Production was stopped after the gas leak. "We take all necessary safety measures before maintenance of a blast furnace. How carbon monoxide leaked is subject to probe," Singh added. SP Mahatha, who met the victims at hospital, refused to buy the claim. "So many people, including two officers, were exposed to a poisonous gas during a maintenance job; negligence of safety seems obvious. We will thoroughly investigate the case," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104661.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/6faf97425fe0351d68fd45c1693585fee18c03391cb8555d3fd335c13514ca92.json |
[
"R. Suryamurthy"
] | 2016-08-27T20:58:35 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | The government plans to come out with a new pricing formula for coal bed methane as part of the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104884.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104884.jsp/../../../images/28gas.jpg;jsessionid=20B321631045C137D84D7952721AC2CC | en | null | CBM pricing tweak | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 27: The government plans to come out with a new pricing formula for coal bed methane as part of the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP).
"A new pricing and marketing policy for the CBM would soon be made to make it attractive for investors," a senior oil ministry official said.
In 2014, the new domestic natural gas pricing guidelines also covered CBM blocks. This resulted in CBM gas beyond this date to be priced at natural gas rates, which is now about $3.06 per mBtu on gross calorific value (GCV) basis.
According to latest estimates by the ministry the gas price could drop to a low of about $2.25 or $2.50 per mmBtu from October 1.
CBM is natural gas trapped within coal formations and commercially unviable for mining. It is extracted by drilling holes into the seams.
Officials said the ministry plans to hold consultations with stakeholder on pricing and marketing of CBM before coming out with a specific policy as part of HELP.
The government is still in the process of working out the nuances of HELP contracts, and a fresh round of hydrocarbons auctions will be conducted under this regime.
The sector also has differential pricing, which would be addressed, officials said.
The existing pricing regime has created a divide in the industry with two firms - Essar Oil and GEECL - being able to sell CBM gas at pre-approved (high) prices of $6 and $15/mBtu, respectively.
However, RIL and ONGC, which are gearing up to start production, would have to follow the natural gas pricing formula. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104884.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/1cd295884d7345bd439c5b048fabc9d240d8af2862728159c2a55f6c3e01ff19.json |
[
"Our Bureau"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:03 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Government agencies have neither owned up to the gap in Howrah's Chandmari bridge through which an elderly man fell on Wednesday and sustained life-threatening injuries nor made any effort to repair it. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104535.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104535.jsp/../../../images/26metanup01.jpg | en | null | Mind the gap even after man falls through bridge hole | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The gap in Howrah’s Chandmari bridge through which an elderly man fell on Wednesday. Picture by Anup Bhattacharya Government agencies have neither owned up to the gap in Howrah's Chandmari bridge through which an elderly man fell on Wednesday and sustained life-threatening injuries nor made any effort to repair it. Police had cordoned off the 4ft x 3ft hole after the accident in the evening and it remained like that throughout Thursday. A smaller gap, a few metres away, has not even been cordoned off. The man who slipped through it and fell about 25ft could not be identified till late on Thursday. He has been battling for his life at Howrah District Hospital. A hospital official said: "He appears to be in his 70s and his condition is critical. There is internal haemorrhage in his brain and a fracture in his ribs. He is unconscious." Every day, thousands of pedestrians cross the bridge that is less than a kilometre from Howrah station and links south and north Howrah. The gap through which the man fell spans the entire width of the sidewalk. A pedestrian cannot bypass it without stepping on to the carriageway, which is again fraught with the risk of being hit by a passing vehicle. A local resident had told Metro on Wednesday that complaints to the PWD and the Howrah Municipal Corporation about the missing slab on a bridge footpath did not yield any result. "We had informed the public works department about the missing slab but they said it was the responsibility of the Howrah Municipal Corporation. When I contacted the civic authorities, they said the bridge was the responsibility of the railways," said Ahmed Tanvir Akhtar, who lives in the area. He is one of the several people in the area who failed in their attempt to get the bridge repaired after government wings dissociated themselves from the maintenance of the structure. According to the residents, the bridge was painted blue and white last year but not repaired. Metro tried on Thursday to solve the mystery of a bridge without a maintenance agency. PWD This state government arm is the custodian of several bridges across the state. When asked who was responsible for the bridge's upkeep, urban development minister Firhad Hakim said: "It is the PWD's responsibility. Ask them." But a senior PWD engineer said they maintain only the carriageway of Chandmari bridge and not the footpaths. "I have checked with our engineers and we were never in charge of maintenance of the bridge's sidewalks. We are only maintaining the blacktop on which vehicles move for the past two years," said Sudhish Kumar Nandi, the chief engineer (south zone). But several retired engineers of state government agencies told Metro that it was unlikely that one agency was given the responsibility of maintaining the carriageway of a bridge, and another of maintaining its footpaths. Railways Since the bridge was built in 1933 and also because it runs over railway tracks, many state government agencies said railways is responsible for its maintenance. But a senior official of Eastern Railway's Howrah division said the railways maintains only the part of the bridge that is exactly over the tracks. "The state government maintains rest of the bridge," said Badri Narayan, the divisional railway manager, Howrah. Police Sumit Kumar, deputy commissioner (traffic), Howrah City Police, said he did not know who maintained the bridge. A senior officer of Howrah police station too pleaded ignorance. "I have told the local councillor to do something so that the gap is fixed," he said. The police had cordoned off the gap with guard rails on Wednesday evening. A guard rail was laid across the gap and another was placed to stop anyone from coming close to it. Ropes were also used to cordon off the zone. Howrah Municipal Corporation Mayor Rathin Chakraborty said he had tried to find out who was responsible for the maintenance of the bridge but failed. "I tried today but couldn't find out who maintains the bridge. I will try again tomorrow," said Chakraborty on Thursday. Howrah Improvement Trust Chairman Sital Sardar did not take calls on Thursday. Calls to a senior engineer too went unanswered. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104535.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/97f49e89e26c67d5fbfcca4de984051cc1cecaca35604cb72cd3048e674f1cfe.json |
[
"Vijay Deo Jha"
] | 2016-08-26T13:04:48 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Taking a break from textbooks, boys and girls from various schools and colleges across the state are donning the National Cadet Corps (NCC) uniform for some extensive field work. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104470.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104470.jsp/../../../images/26RanNCC2.jpg;jsessionid=5ACD9C739EEA6C094EF4F9F9532D04EB | en | null | Aviation training for NCC cadets | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Learning aircraft basics, pitching tents fast NCC cadets display an aircraft model at Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Hardeep Singh Taking a break from textbooks, boys and girls from various schools and colleges across the state are donning the National Cadet Corps (NCC) uniform for some extensive field work. Around 600 cadets from the air wing of NCC (Jharkhand) are taking part at the 10-day pre-Vayu Sainik camp from August 20 to 29 at Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Morabadi. Aged between 14 and 22 years, the cadets are being groomed to join the air force and develop leadership and crisis management skills. "Two more NCC camps are likely to be held in September and October in Jharkhand itself. A total of 34 cadets will be selected from Bihar and Jharkhand to take part in the All-India Vayu Sainik camp to be held in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in October-end," said Gulabchand Saini, NCC's warrant officer-cum-camp adjutant. Looking dapper in their badges, caps and NCC uniforms, cadets start the day from 5am sharp to undergo rigorous physical training. "Out of 600 cadets who are taking part, 505 are boys while rest are girls. In Jharkhand, there are 1,450 NCC cadets in the air wing division out of which 200 belong to the senior division," said Saini. The camp is also aimed at instilling a sense of discipline among the youngsters and encouraging them to take up social services. "Many of the cadets may join the Indian Army or Air Force in future. Here, they are being imparted military training that will help them become perfect combatants. They are also taught the basics of aeronautical engineering. We also keep them constantly updated about modern warfare. They also getting to take part in mock drills," said one of the trainers. For instance, as part of their training, five cadets had to raise a makeshift tent in less than 10 minutes. Then, a portion at the pavilion on the football grounds was converted into an aero-modelling unit where cadets created miniature aircraft powered by fuel. They also designed models of advanced fighter planes of Indian Air Force like Mikoyan MiG-29, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 and SEPECAT Jaguar. Earlier, remote-controlled miniature aircraft were operated from Birsa Munda football grounds. But, after one crashed due to inappropriate radio frequency interference, cadets were taken to Namkum military grounds to learn the operation of fighter jets. Cadets Mukesh Kumar Sharma of Marwari College and Roushan of Bangalore Aeronautical Engineering College might have not have yet entered the cockpit of a fighter plane but when asked about their working, they spoke like defence experts. "We have fixed 2.5cc engine powered by fuel. The body of the aircraft is made of wood so it weighs around 2.5kg. We operate it with the help of a transmitter used to navigate it similar to a pilot operating a plane from the cockpit," said Mukesh, who holds a senior rank in the NCC. "In the crowd of thousands, a personnel in uniform, army, navy or air force, always stands out. NCC has given us the sense of responsibility, leadership skills and being a fighter in the long run," said Roushan, the lone cadet to take part in the camp from outside the state. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104470.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/882b84076fce6cb7f2dd2c8fc88485291547ff292cd8b68d69a8a7f2580c312d.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:17 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Unified Payments Interface (UPI) - a mobile application to enable transactions via smartphones - was launched today for customers of 21 banks. The interface is being put in place by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104503.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104503.jsp/../../../images/26bank.jpg;jsessionid=554BCE8D1D90BE8E462C846DA67C6249 | en | null | Big leap towards cashless comfort | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 25: Unified Payments Interface (UPI) - a mobile application to enable transactions via smartphones - was launched today for customers of 21 banks. The interface is being put in place by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Once you register for UPI with a bank, a virtual payment address such as [email protected] or a mobile number [email protected] will be created. This unique ID is all that you need to send and receive money, eliminating the use of details such as bank account numbers or IFSC codes. To make payments, you will need the receiver's unique ID. After opening the UPI app, a user has to select the amount to be paid, add the unique ID of the beneficiary and send the money. The app will ask for a mobile PIN to authorise the payment and then the money will get debited from the UPI-linked bank account of the individual. A customer can have multiple virtual addresses for multiple accounts in various banks. One can use the UPI app instead of paying cash-on-delivery for products bought online and can pay for miscellaneous expenses such as utility bills, over-the-counter purchases, donations, school fees etc. In April, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had announced the soft launch of the app. The system was on a pilot run for the last few months to ensure that technical glitches were fixed. Only the banks with 1,000 pilot customers, 5,000 transactions and a success rate of around 80 per cent have been allowed to go live. The UPI app of 19 banks will be available at the Google Play Store within the next two to three working days. Customers of two other banks - IDBI Bank and RBL - can download any UPI-enabled app and link it to their account. "Real-time sending and receiving money through a mobile application at such a scale has not been attempted anywhere else in the world," said P. Hota, managing director & CEO of NPCI. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104503.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/8fa6da66155b37dcf1f6a816aff2dd65b387a094036f09b385245dc58888eda9.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:07:58 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | National Institute Technology (NIT) in Adityapur is now under the vigil of ex-servicemen round the clock. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104463.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104463.jsp/../../../images/26jamnit2.jpg.jpg;jsessionid=83584C5F5A59DD93B72DEFB33DE9799A | en | null | 24/7 special force for NIT | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Ex-servicemen at NIT in Adityapur on Wednesday. Telegraph picture National Institute Technology (NIT) in Adityapur is now under the vigil of ex-servicemen round the clock. The cradle, which does not have its own boundary wall yet, has roped in 51 former army personnel to beef up security on the porous campus. The ex-servicemen - four supervisors and 47 security guards - have been provided by the Zilla Sainik Board. While 16 already joined duty from Wednesday, the rest will join from the first week of September. The NIT already has 125 Home Guard jawans to man its premises, where around 550 girls and over 3,700 boys reside in different hostels. Confirming the development, NIT spokesperson Deepak Chourasia said the tech cradle was concerned over the firing incident in February this year in which the owner of an eatery frequented by students was shot at and injured. "We wanted to step up campus vigil after that incident. So, after getting an approval from the NIT Board of Governors, we decided to recruit ex-servicemen, who had a minimum of 15-year stint in defence. We had then sent a requisition to Rajya Sainik Board and Zilla Sainik Board, which function under the ministry of home affairs, and made the appointments in mid-August," he said. He added that they had now asked the Rajya Sainik Board to supply armed guards. Chourasia said a control room, which would be manned by a supervisor, had been set up on the campus. The security guards at the control room, equipped with a jeep and two motorcycles, will monitor other security personnel posted at different points of the 345-acre campus. "We are also planning to coordinate with the RIT thana, under whose jurisdiction the institute falls," he added. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104463.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d3bb100767cbac7f9ef5c13d8ea8b2c9eaa4d5d8e93886e2fc8f6326f7d2ae1d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:10:18 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Women RPF personnel take part in 100-metre run at the All India Inter Railway RPF Athletics Championship at Indian School of Mines lower grounds in Dhanbad on Thursday. More than 2,000 RPF personnel from across 16 zones of Indian Railways participated on Day One of the four-day event. Organised by Dhanbad division of East Central Railway, the championship had 63 events such as 200-metre run for men and women, long jump, triple jump, 1,100-metre hurdle race, pole vault and javelin throw, among others. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104474.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104474.jsp/../../../images/26Dhanath16_195114.jpg;jsessionid=8E343DE3885ADEBFA5DB2621C633B4B4 | en | null | Sprint of will | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Women RPF personnel take part in 100-metre run at the All India Inter Railway RPF Athletics Championship at Indian School of Mines lower grounds in Dhanbad on Thursday. More than 2,000 RPF personnel from across 16 zones of Indian Railways participated on Day One of the four-day event. Organised by Dhanbad division of East Central Railway, the championship had 63 events such as 200-metre run for men and women, long jump, triple jump, 1,100-metre hurdle race, pole vault and javelin throw, among others. Picture by Gautam Dey | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104474.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/fe2b9aead6fc27e83f05e1aa6a25dd2e1f2897a1c461c4165cb89db71c823128.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:35 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | France and India today played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38-billion contract with Australia. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104544.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104544.jsp/../../../images/25newsscorpene_202633.jpg;jsessionid=ADCDE193691B2DDE6F926FD652E6F217 | en | null | Fears of Scorpene data being stolen | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The Kalvari, the first of India’s six French-built Scorpene-class submarines, off Mumbai in April. Picture courtesy: Indian Navy Aug. 25 (Reuters): France and India today played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38-billion contract with Australia. More than 22,000 pages of data about six submarines that France's DCNS is building for India's navy looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a subcontractor who was fired while providing training in India, the source said. India's defence ministry said it saw no immediate security risk and the French government said the information in the documents only showed how the submarines operate and did not compromise their security. India and France are investigating after The Australian newspaper published yesterday details about its Scorpene submarines being built in India by contractor DCNS - 35 per cent owned by Thales and 65 per cent by the French state. "It is not a leak, it is theft," the source said. "We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual." The French government source said security procedures would be strengthened for all employees going to work in Australia to ensure one person did not have access to so many documents. The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on how the submarines are operated not how they are built and whether they can be detected, the source said. "The Indians can object to the fact that these documents show the Pakistanis how to maintain their submarines and that's annoying, but it doesn't tell the Pakistanis how to detect an Indian ship, or how we build a submarine in France. Not at all," the source said. The newspaper published only a fraction of the documents, and these had been redacted, meaning that sensitive details relating to the Scorpene's design and stealth capabilities did not enter the public domain. "The documents that have been posted... have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out," an Indian defence ministry statement said. The submarines are being built at a state-run shipyard in Mumbai. The first is expected to enter service by the end of the year as India seeks to rebuild its dwindling fleet and assert its dominance in the strategic waters of the Indian Ocean.# The leak has raised doubts about the security of a separate DCNS submarine project in Australia where it is locked in negotiations after seeing off rivals on a contract to build the Barracuda next generation of submarines. DCNS said it was working to determine if any harm had been caused to clients and whether commercial espionage was to blame. French officials have sought to play down the impact on the Australia contract. "The dialogue with Australia has not been cut at all. There is mutual confidence and I don't believe at all that this contract will be put into question," Patricia Adam, the head of France's parliamentary defence committee. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104544.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/841b2d885979843f612079ce06144ac6e3aa9e8698823140c5f1955c4ec13585.json |
[
"Swapan Dasgupta"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Like many countries, even those enjoying a large measure of social cohesiveness, India lives in many self-contained echo chambers where group-think prevails. This is partly a consequence of sheer size and socio-economic diversity but what adds to the muddle is the willingness of people to believe what they hear in everyday conversations and imbibe received wisdom from the media. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fopinion%2Fstory_104427.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/opinion/story_104427.jsp/../../../images/26edittop1.jpg;jsessionid=0B3C1541602EF862F498AFD2A81154B7 | en | null | India is moving | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Like many countries, even those enjoying a large measure of social cohesiveness, India lives in many self-contained echo chambers where group-think prevails. This is partly a consequence of sheer size and socio-economic diversity but what adds to the muddle is the willingness of people to believe what they hear in everyday conversations and imbibe received wisdom from the media. The pressures and strains of everyday life rule out the luxury of taking a step back and reflecting on their own experiences as either individuals or members of a community. The only time there is a greater willingness to reflect on either the region or the nation is during the election season when opinions are crystallized. Occasionally, but only very occasionally, this introspection happens during moments of national crisis, so grave as to affect the daily life of a citizen. India is nowhere close to a general election. The Narendra Modi government elected in May 2014 has not even run halfway through its term. The bouts of political instability that gripped India, particularly during the nightmare years of 1989 to 1991 and 1996 to 1999 seem a long time ago. The prime minister's position is secure and his leadership of both the Bharatiya Janata Party and National Democratic Alliance is unchallenged. Not since Rajiv Gandhi stepped into his mother's shoes and won a resounding five-year mandate in 1984 has India witnessed such predictability at the top. More to the point, the Modi government shows absolutely no sign of either floundering or running out of steam. Much was rightly made of the likely difficulties in governance that would arise from the government not having a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Indeed, there were times when the Congress gave the impression that it would use its Rajya Sabha numbers to stall the normal functioning of the government. However, the unanimous passage in the Rajya Sabha of the constitutional amendment to facilitate the goods and services tax was an indication that political tact and resilience pay dividends. The Congress is not an ineffective Opposition; it has merely shifted tack away from being a disruptive Opposition. Equally, the gamut of powerful regional parties such as the Samajwadi Party, AIADMK, Biju Janata Dal and Trinamul Congress appeared to have matured to the point where they can combine political opposition to the BJP with constructive cooperation. The Kashmir crisis is another example of the political class as a whole playing a constructive, rather a non-disruptive, role. Despite the apparent show of indignation directed against the government's inability to stem the stone-pelting and the flamboyant display of pro-Pakistan sentiment, there appears to be a private understanding among the government and Opposition that the hands of the executive should not be tied and that the political dialogue involving various stakeholders in the troubled Kashmir Valley cannot precede the reassertion of State authority. There is also recognition that the disturbances following the killing of the terrorist, Burhan Wani, have little to do with a yearning for greater regional autonomy, but is an assertion of a new form of Islamism. Do the trends suggest a suspension of politics in the mid-term? To believe so would be facile. Even if the political class is in a mood to keep its powder dry at this juncture, the positioning game has neither ceased nor become less intensive. The past few weeks, for example, have witnessed renewed interest in the atrocities against Dalits and the vigilantism of gau rakshaks. The unfortunate incident in the Una village of Gujarat became the trigger for widespread concern over cow protectors taking the law into their own hands and settling private scores. The phenomenon was significant enough for the prime minister to break his silence and launch a frontal attack on the "anti-social" elements who were using the cover of Hindutva to launch private wars. It would seem that the BJP leadership was sufficiently alert to the possibility that the very impression that it was somehow anti-Dalit would be politically catastrophic. Moreover, there was the learning experience from last year's "intolerance" kerfuffle that led to the revolt of the intellectuals and earned the government a great deal of unfavourable international publicity. For many commentators, the defining hallmark of the Modi government is identity politics or, in plain language, Hindu nationalism. They are inclined to over-interpret the importance of the intemperate comments by "bhakts" on the social media, and these examples of posturing as the government's priorities. Every little dispute over appointments to academic and quasi-academic bodies are magnified into sinister plots, and TV talking points in contrived studio debates converted into policy pronouncements. The media, ruing their loss of privileged access to the corridors of power, have been in the forefront acting as the custodian of liberal democracy, even at the cost of wanton misreporting. Occasionally, politicians have bitten the bait and foolishly pursued the media agenda. Earlier this week, for example, Omar Abdullah (always quick with his Twitter posts) and the Congress spokesman, Manish Tiwari, flayed a purported comment by the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, on the Kashmir stone-throwers, only to realize that the reportage was spurious - and subsequently admitted to be so by the publication. The point that the prophecies of impending fascism appear to miss is that the single-minded focus of the Modi government is on the economy and on strategies to make India an economic powerhouse in the region. Regardless of how the pundits have interpreted the 2014 verdict, the prime minister seems reasonably clear in his mind that it was a vote to get India moving in full throttle, including finding meaningful jobs and opportunities for the one million Indians who enter the job market each month. The flurry of activity on Make in India, Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana, Skill India and other programmes may appear to be showmanship for the sceptics, but the undeniable reality is that there is a spurt of energy that is propelling state governments to try and get their act together. The Centre, on its part, has notched up successes in road building, power generation and improving the ease of doing business. Most important, corruption at the top has come down exponentially. Some of these achievements may be gradual and the benefits may be felt in the medium term but, in political terms, the real message is that India is moving. In 2019, Modi is certain to be taunted by his opponents over the extent of achchhe din he has succeeded in bringing to families and communities. What will sway the electorate is not so much what has not been achieved, but the overall impression that India is on the right track and very much in the race for a better future. In this game of perception, Modi's sincerity, single-mindedness of purpose and leadership qualities will count for a great deal in distinguishing him from a dispirited, amateur-led Congress and the fractious Third Front or Federal Front alternative. What will not help the prime minister is any impression that the BJP's real interest lies in identity politics. Modi has to battle on many fronts, not least of which is the hothead wing of his party that sees India's glory in narrowly sectarian terms. He also has to guard against any repetition of the triumphalist India Shining plank that rebounded so horribly on the BJP in 2004. But most important, he has to also neutralize those forces that have painted the government in the most offensive of colours. These forces see Modi as a five-year passing show, after which India will revert to its plodding and corrupt ways. In the run-up to 2019, Modi will have to ensure that optimism prevails over despondency and disgust. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/opinion/story_104427.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/b4b3451a6be692bf1a1f853f88c3ec863ac0d294f059a11ff0fcb38bf89991ce.json |
[
"A Staff Reporter"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:43 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The people of Manipur have not turned their backs on Irom Sharmila after she broke her fast recently, Manipuri author and activist Binalakshmi Nepram said during an interactive programme here today. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104682.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104682.jsp/../../../images/27regAuthor.jpg;jsessionid=340CDE8563F79E66908ADA658DD5D6B2 | en | null | Manipur people are with Sharmila: Author | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Binalakshmi Nepram in Guwahati on Friday. Picture by UB Photos Guwahati, Aug. 26: The people of Manipur have not turned their backs on Irom Sharmila after she broke her fast recently, Manipuri author and activist Binalakshmi Nepram said during an interactive programme here today. There are many who would take up her cause, she added. "It is not true that the people of Manipur have shunned Irom Sharmila after she broke her 16-year-long hunger strike. The fact is they were unable to provide her with shelter on the day she ended her fast because they were ill-equipped to take care of her. For 16 long years she had not eaten a morsel and was nose-fed. Since she has started eating solids again, she requires medical care so that her body can recuperate and regain strength. The people who had refused to take her in did so out of fear. The Manipuri government too did not handle the issue well," Nepram said. "Sharmila had sacrificed much in her fight against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and we are glad that she ended her fast. It is painful to see someone not eating for so long. But since her movement for repeal of AFSPA did not yield result, she has decided to change her strategy. We all support her cause and will continue to do so. All we said was she should take some time before joining politics. She first needs to take rest and then visit different villages in Manipur, meet the people and see how things have changed during the past couple of years," Nepram said. She also spoke about the need to empower women in conflict-ridden areas so that their rights are not infringed upon. "It is very important to speak out against violence in any form. Even today women are oppressed in many ways. History tells us that Manipuri women have come forward to successfully oppose violence in all forms. If all women of the Northeast get together to demand a safe and secured society, one day we can make it a reality. People should defy bandhs called by different militant outfits and come out of their houses. These militants play on fear psychosis to oppress the public," Nepram said. During the interaction, the activist said while Manipur definitely wants AFSPA to be repealed, it is not the only problem the people of the state face. "The public there needs development, peace and security to their lives and property," she said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104682.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/014456d754b8f91cd3964c87068902be3d03311b4511e8e2f5074b479723ecd5.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:07 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Paramedical staff stayed away from duty at Sahebganj Sadar Hospital for a few hours this morning, demanding action against those police personnel who allegedly manhandled some of their colleagues last night. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104651.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Hospital staff protest | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Ranchi, Aug. 26: Paramedical staff stayed away from duty at Sahebganj Sadar Hospital for a few hours this morning, demanding action against those police personnel who allegedly manhandled some of their colleagues last night.
Though the emergency facility remained unaffected, the staff's agitation paralysed OPD and other healthcare services for over three hours, prompting the civil surgeon and the police bosses to intervene and promise prompt action.
Sources claimed that a policeman posted in Rajmahal area had gone to the hospital for the treatment of one of his relatives around 10pm yesterday. However, health personnel on duty allegedly did not pay due attention to the patient, angering the cop who allegedly assaulted an ambulance driver and misbehaved with nurses there.
His colleagues, who were on duty at the prisoners' ward of the hospital, also joined him to "teach paramedical staff a lesson".
Civil surgeon Ambika Mandal got the news and rushed to the hospital to take stock of the situation.
"An ambulance driver, Vijay Kumar Minz, was injured (in the assault). I advised my colleagues to restrain patience. But, this morning, they went on a strike, demanding action against the erring police personnel, who, according to them, went on the rampage on the hospital premises," Mandal added.
Unable to pacify the protesters, civil surgeon Mandal then called on deputy commissioner Umesh Kumar Singh this morning. Later, a DSP visited the sadar hospital for inquiry, and promised appropriate action against the cops if found guilty.
Though DC Singh could not be contacted for comments, SP P. Murugan maintained that the situation was under control.
"We are waiting for the DSP's inquiry report, which is likely to arrive soon. No one will be allowed to take law in his/her hands," the SP said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104651.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/1ad4f286c086c83db2fcfe973c22eb0470d03d687f80d4bcd8bb438d79bd7938.json |
[
"Our Legal Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:11 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The National Human Rights commission (NHRC) has sought an action-taken report from the secretary, health and family welfare, Mizoram, over a complaint that the state has recorded the highest number of cancer-related deaths in India during the past five years. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104523.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | NHRC seeks report on cancer | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 25: The National Human Rights commission (NHRC) has sought an action-taken report from the secretary, health and family welfare, Mizoram, over a complaint that the state has recorded the highest number of cancer-related deaths in India during the past five years. The NHRC issued the notice to the authorities concerned for a reply within four weeks on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. The petition alleged that the growing number or cancer deaths in the state was on account of the "failure" of the Mizoram government to take adequate steps to prevent the spurt and facilitate clinical intervention. The petitioner claimed the state's nodal officer for non-communicable diseases (NCD) Dr Eric Zomawia had said Mizoram has a very high incidence of stomach, oesophagus, lung and cervical cancer. At least 3,137 people died because of cancer in the state in the past five years, while 5,888 people suffered from cancer during the same period. A petition the cancer registry report of Mizoram, states, "Of the 3,137 deaths, 1,290 were women, while out of the 5,888 new cancer cases, 2,659 were women."# Tripathy alleged the general quality of life of the people in the state has been deteriorating due to lack of primary health care, education, connectivity by road, electricity, lack of livelihood and social welfare schemes. "These facts and circumstances amount to horrendous violation of human rights. This must be independently and impartially investigated thoroughly by the special task force of the NHRC or by the special rapporteur of the commission," the petition said. "Right to food and health are considered basic human rights," the petition said urging the NHRC to depute the special rapporteur of the commission to visit the area and assess the plight of these victims and direct the state to act over the issue on a war footing," it added. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104523.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/c96a216b7a6eae4fdac7a5a777278d449c58ea1db5e055e1bb360f253cc16c05.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:12 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A warden at Alipore jail was arrested on Thursday afternoon after he allegedly tried to sneak in a cell phone and ganja. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104536.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Jail guard held with phone | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A warden at Alipore jail was arrested on Thursday afternoon after he allegedly tried to sneak in a cell phone and ganja.
Nirmal Das was allegedly caught while being frisked before starting work.
Wardens, who guard the cells and keep an eye on prisoners when they are allowed to roam on the premises, are supposed to deposit their cell phones before entering the part of the jail where prisoners are kept. They are routinely frisked.
"Das deposited his personal cell phone before frisking. Another cell phone and some packets of ganja were found tied to his thigh," said a jail employee.
The jail authorities alerted Alipore police station and Das was arrested.
Cell phone, SIM cards and other contraband have often been found in jail cells during surprise searches in the recent past. Police complaints on extortion calls by inmates are also common.
In February, police arrested an extortionist, Ajay Mishra, from Alipore jail after he had allegedly made calls to a garment trader in Burrabazar demanding money.
"We cannot deny that criminals access cell phones because of their nexus with a section of jail wardens. Some jail employees too allow wardens to sneak in cell phones," said an official of Alipore jail.
A 24-year-old undertrial was found hanging in a bathroom of the Alipore jail early on Thursday. Azhar Khan, in custody in connection with a case under Ekbalpore police station, was found hanging with a towel around 5.20am.
Diren Nayek, 55, died after being hit by a truck on GT Road near Malipanchghara on Thursday morning. Police said the Bhotbagan resident was cycling to work when the accident occurred. Nayak was taken to TL Jaiswal Hospital, where he was declared dead. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104536.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d4c63348f6e4ceafaf0eec7bff982c7b77f7fa20ed56935d117a87f15fe47896.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:55:18 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Supreme Court today directed attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi to assist the court in enhancing the punishment for deaths caused by rash and negligent driving. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104774.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Tough on driving | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug 26: The Supreme Court today directed attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi to assist the court in enhancing the punishment for deaths caused by rash and negligent driving.
The bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C. Nagappan said Section 304A of the IPC, which involves a maximum punishment of imprisonment of up to two years in such cases, is "absolutely inadequate".
According to Save Life Foundation, an NGO, 1,36,834 people died in road accidents across India in 2011. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104774.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/2290f3b3ad4eb9657af7f6b37f54d81b2d30e34d35772ad6749292bd7b9e8a3d.json |
[
"Sunanda K. Datta-Ray"
] | 2016-08-26T22:57:01 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Siddhartha Shankar Ray was startled when the man who became the world's highest paid head of state appeared at his house in Delhi's New Friends Colony in an autorickshaw. Others calculated how to turn Sellapan Rama Nathan's modesty to their own advantage. A Bengali academic with a European wife who was promoting an art exhibition in Singapore boasted of suddenly spotting the president whom he hadn't even invited quietly going round the room looking at the pictures. Asked for his opinion of them, Nathan replied, "I haven't seen them yet but am being pressed to go." The academic had invented his visit. On another occasion, a Tamil socialite visiting Malaysia from London announced she didn't have time to stop in Singapore but the president was insisting she attend a dance performance there. Nathan was astounded. "I have never even met the lady!" he exploded. "I knew her father in Malaya 40 years ago." | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fopinion%2Fstory_104641.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/opinion/story_104641.jsp/../../../images/27edittop1.jpg | en | null | An astute innocent | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Siddhartha Shankar Ray was startled when the man who became the world's highest paid head of state appeared at his house in Delhi's New Friends Colony in an autorickshaw. Others calculated how to turn Sellapan Rama Nathan's modesty to their own advantage. A Bengali academic with a European wife who was promoting an art exhibition in Singapore boasted of suddenly spotting the president whom he hadn't even invited quietly going round the room looking at the pictures. Asked for his opinion of them, Nathan replied, "I haven't seen them yet but am being pressed to go." The academic had invented his visit. On another occasion, a Tamil socialite visiting Malaysia from London announced she didn't have time to stop in Singapore but the president was insisting she attend a dance performance there. Nathan was astounded. "I have never even met the lady!" he exploded. "I knew her father in Malaya 40 years ago." Nathan, who died last Monday aged 92, was an astute innocent. Born in straitened circumstances, he rose to be Singapore's longest-serving (12 years) president after starting out in 1955 as a humble medical social worker. In the years between, he was Singapore's first foreign secretary, high commissioner to Malaysia and ambassador to the United States of America (two countries that have always been crucial to Singapore's survival), and security and intelligence director. Short, plump and cheerful, he was an unusual super spook. But though supremely unheroic in appearance, he offered himself as hostage when Japanese Red Army terrorists bombed offshore petroleum tanks in 1974, taking civilian prisoners. He was also executive chairman of Singapore's main newspaper group, but before I joined it as editorial consultant. Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister, rightly called him "warm and approachable". His election plank was as the people's president. He put me to shame the first time I had lunch with him in the magnificent colonial palace, the Istana, that he treated as his weekday office, preferring to continue living in his unpretentious East Coast bungalow. I wore a suit. The president received me in white cotton short-sleeved shirt and trousers. But he loved it when later I would take the metro to nearby Dhoby Ghaut station and walk up to the Istana's ornamental wrought iron gates. "I wish more people came to see me by public transport," he murmured. A buggy was always waiting for the uphill drive to the palace. No detail was too unimportant. Instead of the usual man-woman-man seating at the farewell dinner he gave at the Istana when my wife and I were leaving Singapore, the men were seated round one half of the two large round tables and the women round the other. "The men always get together, so do the women," he explained, "I spared them the trouble!" We had to change tables mid-meal so as to dine with all the guests. His wife's loose tunic and baggy trousers gave sartorial meaning to the people's president commitment. Affable and considerate, as first lady of a country of Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians, Urmila Nathan carefully avoided identification with any community. Her parents belonged to Burdwan's Nandey family whose boys the maharajas adopted. Born and brought up in colonial Malaya, it was something she refused to discuss and I only hope this tangential reference doesn't upset a kindly woman of whom we have such affectionate memories. It was amusing to hear Nathan mimic his eventual father-in-law's angry rejection of a "Madrassi" son-in-law. They had to wait 16 years before he relented. Sikkim provided the unlikely link between us. P.N. Dhar, Indira Gandhi's principal secretary, surprised no one by confirming in Indira Gandhi, the 'Emergency', and Indian Democracy, that R.N. Kao of the Research and Analysis wing personally supervised all the seemingly spontaneous events that led to the Chogyal's overthrow and his kingdom's annexation. But it did surprise me greatly when Nathan said at our first meeting that Kao - dead by then and only a name to me - had strongly recommended me for a senior job in his Singapore media empire. Nathan tried to follow up the spook-to-spook proposal. He missed me in Calcutta - I had been sent to a Minoo Masani event in Bombay - but met my paper's managing director. No one told me of his visit and inquiries. He no longer had any media connection when we met, when I had already joined his erstwhile company after my Indian editorship had been usurped while I was on sabbatical leave. His disclosure intrigued me. Though Nathan insisted Kao had praised my professional skill, I wondered if the recommendation by someone I had never met was another ploy to thwart my Sikkim coverage. Like Lee Kuan Yew, Nathan wanted to foster Singapore-India ties. Conscious of India's towering proximity, he was worried in 2007 that Manmohan Singh's mild disapproval of race discrimination in Malaysia where Hindu temples had been demolished and community leaders jailed might have a fall-out in Singapore. He wasn't blind to India's failings. Strolling along Calcutta's wharves with a Japanese visitor on his first visit in 1957 on a Colombo Plan award to study ports and seamen's welfare, they saw scattered grains of rice. "These Indians don't understand the value of food," the Japanese remarked. "After the war we had nothing. If we saw something like this we would scoop it all up, clear the sand, wash it and cook it." Noting India's poverty and waste, the Japanese asked, "What kind of people are they?" Returning with Lee in 1970, Nathan too felt "it was sad to see the gradual run-down of the country, visible even in the Rashtrapati Bhavan." I enjoyed getting both men separately to describe the same event. Lee was always diplomatic. Nathan didn't pull his punches, especially about Air India and the privileges its chairman enjoyed. When the Nathans travelled as ordinary passengers, "the crew, the staff, the stewards and stewardesses, they couldn't be bothered with us. Lolling away behind, drinking, chatting, having tamasha!" But he had none of the superciliousness of the local Indian who entertained Badr-ud-din Tyabji, the patrician diplomat, to a sumptuous meal Tyabji thought vulgar, and commented, "You see, sir, you only exist in India, we live in Singapore!" Nathan told me that on his first visit to China, Lee Kuan Yew snubbed Hua Guo Feng, the premier, by rejecting his gift of Neville Maxwell's India's China War. It was China's version, he said. Nathan was responsible for changing Singapore's attitude to Subhas Chandra Bose, whose July 1943 Padang rally he attended. When Lee Kuan Yew spoke dismissively about the Indian National Army, which Urmila's brother had joined, Nathan persuaded him to read Breakthrough in Burma: Memoirs of a Revolution, 1939-1946, by Ba Maw, a highly-connected Burmese who had studied in Calcutta and Cambridge before joining Gray's Inn. "Bose was a man you could not forget once you knew him; his greatness was manifest," Ba Maw wrote. He thought Bose was the real architect of India's independence. "Only the usual thing happened: one man sowed and others reaped after him." Nathan saved Singapore during the 2009 recession by using his special powers to draw $4.9 billion from the national reserves. He earned an awesome $3,500,000 per year against the chicken feed of Barack Obama's $400,000. He cared for the disabled, sponsored needy students, and handsomely endowed the university, wanting others to benefit from the higher education he was denied. Refusing to stand a third time in 2011, he slipped back into a simple and familiar routine, striding along the East Coast Parkway every morning in a track suit and paying his respects at the nearby century-old Sri Senpaga Vinayagar temple. Neighbours greeted him in both places. In or out of office, he "was a true son of Singapore", as Lee Hsien Loong put it. He could not have paid Nathan - or Singapore - a finer compliment. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/opinion/story_104641.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/1067bf8f424d3066d236379a5d011ec83e11d5f20736fdf904c88b2914948758.json |
[
"Daulat Rahman"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:49 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | They were once brilliant products of Assamese-medium schools. Now, they are on a mission to hunt for talent from their alma mater. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104691.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104691.jsp/../../../images/27regAnchor.jpg;jsessionid=7F4BD174757818CD0C969E78F5DCF95B | en | null | Alumni boost for Assamese schools | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The entrance to Cotton Collegiate Government H.S. School. File picture Guwahati, Aug. 26: They were once brilliant products of Assamese-medium schools. Now, they are on a mission to hunt for talent from their alma mater. A few prominent academicians have come forward and joined hands in a bid to restore the past glory of Assamese-medium schools in the state. The move has come at a time when the poor performance of leading Assamese-medium schools has become a matter of serious public debate in the state. Former Assam governor P.B. Acharya had observed in June that almost all rank holders in this year's matric exams were from private English-medium schools. He wrote to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and urged him to find out what had gone wrong with vernacular-medium schools. Former pro vice-chancellor of Tezpur University, Amarjyoti Choudhury, who has taken the lead in the initiative, told The Telegraph that it is painful for him to see his alma mater, which once produced many talented students, not performing well. Choudhury studied in Assam's oldest school, Cotton Collegiate Government H.S. School at Panbazar here. He stood first in the matric examination from this school. Students from Cotton Collegiate used to perform brilliantly in the matric exams in the eighties. Choudhury, who was also the vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, said he was ready to offer free teaching services and conduct other motivational events to enable students of Assamese-medium schools to compete with their English-medium counterparts and perform well in the exams. "I am ready to involve myself in any project that would help revive the glory of Cotton Collegiate School. I have already visited the school and started preliminary interactions with students to find out what they need to perform well," he said. Choudhury has been joined by former principal of Cotton College Dilip Barua, founder of Asam Jatiya Vidyalaya Basanta Deka, noted academician Satyendra Kumar Choudhury and a few others. These men will go to many other schools, such as T.C. Government Girls' HS School, Kamrup Akademy, Gopal Boro Government HS School, Sonaram High School and Ulubari HS School, across the state to help talented students. Manoj Saikia, convener of the coordinating committee of alumni associations of old Assamese-medium schools of Guwahati, told this correspondent that the alumni associations had agreed to fully back the move of the renowned academicians. "Alumni associations will provide all kinds of logistic and financial support to successfully implement the initiative of reviving past glory of Assamese-medium schools," Saikia, an alumni of Cotton Collegiate school, said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104691.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/61502c316cd061b6d81c8982a9095389e37306f099132b9ad2b5f3211216ce0e.json |
[
"Kinsuk Basu"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:55 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Four in Beltala. Five in Alipore. Four in Barasat. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104542.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104542.jsp/../../../images/26poorres.jpg | en | null | Takers few for pool car switch order | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Four in Beltala. Five in Alipore. Four in Barasat. Only 13 of the thousands of pool cars operating illegally in and around the city have converted to commercial vehicles in compliance with a government order issued more than three weeks ago. The transport department had on August 2 issued an order making it mandatory for all pool car operators to abide by a set of conditions, including conversion of the vehicles into commercial ones, by October 31. Exactly a month before the order was issued, transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had verbally set July 31 as the deadline for the pool car operators to abide by the guidelines. Following the August 2 order, the regional transport offices and the offices of the public vehicles department (PVD) are being kept open on the first Saturday of every month, apart from the working days, to quicken the process of accepting applications for the conversion. But the response has been far from encouraging. "The number of applications received so far for conversion into commercial vehicles is a tiny fraction of the total pool car count in and around the city," a transport department official said. "As of now, the Beltala PVD has recorded four conversions, Alipore regional transport office five conversions and the Barasat regional transport office four conversions. The Howrah PVD has got nine applications. The trend is not encouraging though there is still time to submit applications." Officials in the department said only 1,200 of the 3,550 pool cars believed to be operating in Calcutta and on the outskirts have "valid permits" to ferry schoolchildren. Of the 2,800-odd buses that ferry schoolchildren, only around 1,500 have permits. Sources in the regional transport office in Barasat - the area under which accounts for the highest number of pool cars in and around the city - said only four valid applications for conversion had been received. "Around 70 other operators have applied, too, but they have not filed a mandatory document - the agreement with schools or parents for ferrying children," an official in the Barasat PVD said. Among the areas under the Barasat PVD, Duttapukur accounts for 128 pool car operators, and Barasat and Madhyamgram 40 each. "As for the Alipore regional transport office, we are in the dark about the number of pool cars operating in the areas under it. Only five operators have so far applied for the conversion," said an official of the Alipore office. A section of pool car operators highlighted a problem related to the conversion of vehicles. "The car loans we have taken are for private vehicles. The banks would object to a conversion unless the government steps in," a pool car operator in Behala told Metro. On Thursday, addressing an awareness programme for school bus operators, minister Adhikari said nearly 90 per cent of the accidents were caused by human errors and drivers were responsible for 85 per cent of such errors. "Not all drivers are to be blamed. Even the car owners have certain responsibilities. Those not adhering to the norms set by us should not drive. The government will organise an alternative source of income for you all," Adhikari said amid applause. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104542.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/9c5ef1dacb51676c5a246e92ef16516d99c04b863c74cee8bc599ed1aaeb1f7b.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:30 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Steel city-based chess mentor Jayant Kumar Bhuyan is now eligible to train national players. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104473.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Mentor clears FIDE test | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Steel city-based chess mentor Jayant Kumar Bhuyan is now eligible to train national players.
The 52-year-old cleared the written test at FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs or World Chess Federation) trainers' seminar held at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, between August 16 and 19, and is expected to receive his diploma shortly.
Total 39 candidates from across the country had attended the seminar jointly organised by FIDE, Asian Chess Federation, DIDE Trainers' Commission and the All India Chess Federation. Senior FIDE trainers IM (International Master) Lanka Ravi and IM Sekhar Sahu had conducted the seminar aimed at educating and certifying trainers and chess teachers on an international basis.
"I received the information about my success this (Thursday) morning. I thank Tata Steel for helping me attend the seminar," Bhuyan told The Telegraph.
The course at the seminar was based on physical and psychological factors, nutritional practice of chess Grandmasters, difference between boys and girls in chess, chess literature, trainers' common mistakes and plan for opening, middle and end games. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104473.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/e630dd7494e2197d8730d27d78cc65b95ee50366a1608aeab86fec82737a003d.json |
[
"Achintya Ganguly"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:53 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | A five-member team of Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Ranchi, set out on a trek to scenic Himachal Pradesh on Friday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104648.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Himachal trek | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A five-member team of Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Ranchi, set out on a trek to scenic Himachal Pradesh on Friday.
The 15-day expedition, which was organised by SAIL's Units Sporting Club, was flagged off by A.K. Pal, general manager of SAIL's research unit at Ispat Bhavan.
The team will take train and road routes before starting their trek from Barshaini to Mud via Pin-Parvati Pass in Himachal Pradesh. Pin-Parvati Pass was first crossed in August 1884 by Sir Louis Dane in search of an alternative route to Spiti valley.
The adventure sports wing of the SAIL outfit organises annual high altitude treks for the several years in which employees of various units based in Ranchi take part.
This time all the members of the present team - R.K. Singh, Golap Mohammad Chowdhury, Hare Krishna Mahto, Dharma Kowshik and Satyendra Sudarshan - are employees of SAIL's Research and Development Centre for Iron and Steel (RDCIS).
"This is actually the dream route for trekkers," team leader R.K. Singh, an ace trekker who is going for the expedition for the 18th time, said.
"Starting from Barshaini, we will trek up to Mud village in Himachal," he said.
"The 120km trekking route will cover Khirganga, Thakur Kuan, Tunda Bhuj and Mantalai lake and of course the Pin-Parvati Pass along river Parvati, which is a most scenic landscape," Singh said.
Mantalai glacier from which Parvati river originates can be seen during the trip, he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104648.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/4a9ff405e9946933c6dce2431c7226cc1581d71c3bb7e4662d5b215a8eded146.json |
[
"Rining Lyngdoh"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:47 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Senior Congress legislator Martin M. Danggo and second-time Congress MLA Ronnie V. Lyngdoh were sworn in as ministers at Raj Bhavan here today. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104714.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | New ministers | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Shillong, Aug. 26: Senior Congress legislator Martin M. Danggo and second-time Congress MLA Ronnie V. Lyngdoh were sworn in as ministers at Raj Bhavan here today.
Governor V. Shanmuganathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Danggo and Lyngdoh, who replaced deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh and health minister A.L. Hek, following a cabinet reshuffle by chief minister Mukul Sangma - for the first time since 2013 - after getting the nod from the Congress high command. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104714.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/7cbf47f80fc2708762a7338070026c8745dd6e8ec0034a3abc1f539c65b16a95.json |
[
"Pinaki Majumdar"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:59 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Leaking roof, damp walls and peeling plaster - that sums up the monsoon status of Tatanagar station's second entry at Burmamines end, which was thrown open to public in November last year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104660.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104660.jsp/../../../images/27jamstation3_193710.jpg | en | null | Safety shadow on station second entry | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | (From top) A leaking roof and peeling plaster keep passengers away from the Rs 2-crore Burmamines-end entry to Tatanagar station. Pictures by Animesh Sengupta Leaking roof, damp walls and peeling plaster - that sums up the monsoon status of Tatanagar station's second entry at Burmamines end, which was thrown open to public in November last year. It has taken the single-storey, 4,000sqft railway building - constructed with an investment of Rs 2 crore to house ticket counters, waiting area, toilets and other amenities - precisely nine months to turn into the bane of passengers from a boon. At least 1,000 people from eastern Jamshedpur use the second entry every day while the average daily footfall at Tatanagar is 50,000. "The roof leaks at several places, including the ticketing area. Every time it rains heavily, standing in queues becomes difficult. Not just us passengers, railway employees at the ticket counters are equally inconvenienced," said Ram Awtar Singh, a resident of East Plant Bustee who uses the second entry to the station. Sunita Jha couldn't agree more. "I live in Burmamines and was glad when the new entry was launched last year. It offered a shortcut to platforms. But now, the leaking roof is annoying. The walls are so damp that they can crumble anytime. For safety reasons, I take the longer route via the overbridge and Station Road to reach the main station entry," said Jha who has a monthly ticket to Ghatshila where she teaches at a government school. Jha's fears are not unwarranted. A railway employee said on Thursday evening, peeling plaster from the ceiling crashed on two spots. Fortunately, there were no passengers around. Railway insiders blamed the use of substandard construction materials for the sorry state of the Tatanagar building. "A private contractor was assigned the job. It seems the cement was not of good quality," said a source in the railway's engineering division. Manager of the A1-category station O.P. Sharma said he was aware of the problems. "The matter has been referred to the engineering wing (of the railways). A team will soon inspect the building to carry out necessary repairs and suggest long-term maintenance," he added. The second entrance to Tatanagar from Burmamines end was opened primarily with two objectives: one, for the convenience of passengers from Sakchi, Golmuri, Baridih and Telco areas of the steel city; two, to ease congestion at the main entrance. Apart from the two ticket counters, a waiting area and toilets, the second entry has a ramp that enables passengers to reach platform one directly from the Burmamines end. Share your Tatanagar second entry experiences with us at [email protected] | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104660.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/d981010e0fa90740b3f7a92c5acc52a1d3bc33f29c01e1ca6013e285baa850b8.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:53 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Bus services between Calcutta and Khulna in Bangladesh via Jessore will soon be introduced as part of the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104767.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Bangla bus | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Calcutta, Aug. 26: Bus services between Calcutta and Khulna in Bangladesh via Jessore will soon be introduced as part of the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement.
The Bengal government has decided to conduct a trial run on August 30.
"This is the second phase of road connectivity between the two neighbouring countries since the launch of the Calcutta-Dhaka bus service in June 2015," a home department official in Bengal said. "The trial run will be done with some senior officials of the transport department."
Sources said that in the second phase, Dhaka would send a cargo vehicle with readymade garments to Delhi as part of a trial run of goods vehicles to reciprocate Bengal's move to connect Khulna with Calcutta. The cargo vehicle will go to Delhi via Jessore and Calcutta.
Once flagged off, the bus will start off from Salt Lake and reach the international bus terminus in Khulna's New Market area.
The ride time is expected to be five-and-a-half hours, with another two hours for completing immigration formalities. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/bengal/story_104767.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3fc0123921d32c58c2e874894bad9716999829c18405ff298d90073b7bec8eb3.json |
[
"Snehal Sengupta"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:10 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | A multi-storeyed building opposite City Centre Salt Lake that houses an eye hospital, a restaurant and four offices, among others, remained shut throughout Thursday following a dispute between the owner and a tenant. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fcalcutta%2Fstory_104532.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104532.jsp/../../../images/26tantiya.jpg | en | null | Tenant locks high-rise over dispute | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | A multi-storeyed building opposite City Centre Salt Lake that houses an eye hospital, a restaurant and four offices, among others, remained shut throughout Thursday following a dispute between the owner and a tenant. Rahul Tantia of Tantia Constructions, the owner of the G+9 Andromeda, alleged that Suman Saha, a Gold's Gym franchisee, hadn't paid rent for three years and was pressuring him into waiving a little over Rs 2.6 crore in dues with the help of Trinamul leaders. In his complaint with Bidhannagar North police station, Tantia accused Saha of bringing goons and locking the building from inside after driving away the guards early on Thursday. Many people could not enter their offices and scores of patients had to return home as the eye hospital and a pain relief clinic remained shut, he said in the complaint. An official of Vasan Eye Care said six cataract operations were cancelled. "We had to turn away many patients," he said. Standing outside the building, Tantia alleged police inaction. "The police arrived at least two hours after our chief financial officer lodged a complaint with Bidhannagar North police station," he said. By the time cops reached, Saha and his men had got into a scuffle with some employees and officials of the other units in the building, he claimed. The police refuted the allegation. "We took action as soon as the complaint was lodged and arrested 14 men on the building premises," an officer of Bidhannagar commissionerate said. Saha and the others arrested have been booked under sections 147 (rioting) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC. They will be produced in court on Friday. Tantia said he had alerted police as well as the chief minister's office in July about Saha's pending dues and his attempts to "settle" the matter with the help of Trinamul leaders. His mother and the matriarch of the group, Sarala Tantia, wrote a letter to the cops, detailing how Saha had taken the help of the local councillor (Ward 40) and the Salt Lake MLA to get "extra benefits". Metro has a copy of the letter. "Time and again he tried to negotiate the dues with the help of political leaders," Tantia said. Salt Lake MLA Sujit Bose and Ward 40 councillor Tulsi Sinha Roy rubbished the allegation. "I can't say why they are taking my name," Bose said. "I have never interfered in this matter." Akash Roy Choudhury, the owner of Since 2016, a multi-cuisine restaurant, said he had to cancel a lunch order for 150 people. "I will have to refund the entire booking amount. The goodwill of my restaurant has taken a hit," he said. Employees of Aegon Life Insurance that has an office on the fifth floor said they waited outside the building for most of the day. "We were scared to see the gates closed. Our livelihood depends on this place," Pritam Chaudhury, an employee, said. The building guards claimed a couple of well-built men had barged into the building around 2.30am. "When I enquired where they were going, one of them slapped me. I slumped to the ground when another hit me with a bamboo stick," one of the guards, Hari Chettri, said. As other guards rushed to help him, they were thrashed and driven out of the building, Taufeel Ahmed, the building's security manager, claimed. "The men damaged windowpanes and locked the building from inside. I got to know of it in the morning," he said. "I immediately alerted the owners. The guards could not call me at night because the men had taken away their phones. The CCTV cameras have recorded everything." Residents of the township said this was not the first time that Trinamul leaders had been accused of trying to "settle" such disputes. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/calcutta/story_104532.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3dff22876bd4fe1983b51c8b601680626d64d616d13fa580faba573725508eb3.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:06:09 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Kolhan University is gearing up for its second students' union polls, which is likely to be held after the Durga Puja vacations. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104464.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Kolhan varsity polls after Puja | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Kolhan University is gearing up for its second students' union polls, which is likely to be held after the Durga Puja vacations. After the first successful students' union elections in September last year, the Kolhan University is aiming at regular polls at the college and varsity levels. Though the dates for this year's elections have not been decided yet, the varsity has already formed a 10-member committee, which will look after the entire process, as recommended by the Lyngdoh Committee. The dates will be finalised in its upcoming meeting shortly. Vice chancellor (VC) R.P.P. Singh said the committee members were selected in the university's last syndicate meeting in July but their names were notified only this month. "Last year it was indeed a challenge as we were organising the students' union elections for the first time. But things will become more streamlined when it will be a regular feature. The committee will meet shortly to discuss the dates, which has to be this year," said Singh. The Kolhan University is overloaded with the responsibility of organising its second convocation and it is awaiting a September date from Union home minister Rajnath Singh whom the VC met about 10 days ago. It also has to wrap up its examination schedule by September 15. So, the varsity aims at organising the polls after Durga Puja vacations. "Though it would take just a week to organise everything as per the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, we are concerned about the convocation first. We have to manage both the events keeping the holidays in mind. I believe the picture will be clearer in the next meeting to be chaired by the pro-VC," added Singh. The elections will be fought in its 14 constituent colleges and at the university level. Each college will elect a president, vice president, secretary, deputy secretary, joint secretary and a university representative. The university representatives then will contest at the varsity-level. ABVP, Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha and NSUI, the students' wings of some of the major political parties, will contest the elections. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104464.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/617b9e7c2532230bb18c5e33a31a1a44df2d019c93aeef6573cf1bc1df071dc6.json |
[
"Piyush Kumar Tripathi"
] | 2016-08-26T13:04:29 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Residents will soon be able to pay their holding (property) tax at post offices. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbihar%2Fstory_104489.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Pay tax at post office | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Residents will soon be able to pay their holding (property) tax at post offices. Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Bihar circle of India Post are in talks to start the process. Holding tax can be paid either at civic centres, ward office or online. "We are in talks with the postal department to facilitate payment of holding tax through post offices. This move is aimed at increasing the ambit of holding tax coverage as people would get an additional option for paying taxes near their homes," Patna mayor Afzal Imam said. Non-payment of holding tax has been a major issue faced by the cash-strapped PMC. According to sources, the civic body is expected to have suffered losses around Rs 70 crore per annum over the past few years accruing to non-payment of holding taxes by owners of residential as well commercial properties. The PMC is estimated to have been suffering such huge revenue due to non-assessment of an estimated 2.5 holdings, which have not been covered under the holding tax ambit. Though Bihar Municipal Act, 2007, envisages general survey of holdings after a period of five years, the same has not been done in the PMC area since 1996. "We have records of around 3 lakh holdings in the city but 2 lakh holdings are not registered. In 2015, around 1 lakh people had filed property tax returns, of which around 5,5000 were already registered with us and remaining 3,5000 people were new holdings. The remaining 1 lakh people registered with us did not pay the property taxes," said a senior PMC official. Mayor Afzal Imam corroborated the claims of non-payment of holding tax. "We have 3 lakh houses registered with us but 30 per cent of them are paying holding taxes. As a result, the revenue collection is quite low," said Imam. PMC has set the target of Rs 80 crore to be collected through holding tax in the ongoing fiscal (2015-16), which was Rs 70 crore in the previous fiscal (2014-15). | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bihar/story_104489.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a04cd10064ca17183a7f292c4dd2f8c34c93d4878bfc746172de07c1755b04ed.json |
[
"K.M. Rakesh"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:15 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | For admirers of Raghuram Rajan, here's some food for thought. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104576.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104576.jsp/../../../images/26newskova.jpg;jsessionid=39B98D0AE823167B9534791EB499C7E6 | en | null | Tuck into a Sweet Rajan | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | DUMPLINGS RENAMED IN RBI GOVERNOR HONOUR
Kova Kozhukattai, a sweet dumpling; (above) Ulundu Kozhukattai, a savoury delicacy
Bangalore, Aug. 25: For admirers of Raghuram Rajan, here's some food for thought.
Zzungry, an eatery chain in Bangalore that runs six kitchens, has renamed two traditional Indian dumplings and tweaked their recipes to celebrate the legacy of Reserve Bank of India governor Rajan, who demits office on September 4.
"I am a great fan of Dr Rajan," said Ashish Kalya, one of the co-founders of Zzungry.
"We curated these dishes from original recipes," said Kalya, an IIM Indore graduate who started the chain with two others in September last year.
Kova Kozhukattai, a sweet dumpling from Tamil Nadu, has been renamed Sweet Rajan in the Zzungry menu. Ulundu Kozhukattai, another Tamil Nadu delicacy, has been rechristened Savoury Rajan.
The dishes will be launched tomorrow. "They will be available to our customers for one whole week," Kalya said.
Kova Kozhukattai is a rice-flour dumpling stuffed with a cardamom-flavoured mix of khoya (thickened milk) and dry fruits.
Ulundu Kozhukattai is another rice-flour dumpling stuffed with a spicy mixture of lentils (urad dal) tempered with curry leaves. It's served with chutney.
While a plate of Kova Kozhukattai will cost Rs 100, a helping of Ulundu Kozhukattai has been priced at Rs 150.
"We are trying to highlight the pan-India image of Dr Rajan, whose is originally from the south but grew up in the north," Kalya said of the RBI governor, who has been been accorded rockstar status by markets for defusing a currency crisis, lowering inflation and winning Parliament's approval to set up the policy committee which will set interest rates.
The co-founders of Zzungry are Subhash Baliga, a restaurateur in Bangalore, and Sandeep Rana, an IIM Udaipur graduate.
"I follow Dr Rajan's speeches closely and love the way he communicates with even those who do not have an economics background," Kalya said.
"We owe him something for the manner in which he conducted himself as our RBI governor and the brilliant academician he has always been," Kalya added. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/nation/story_104576.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/8bab1c9419943314c5492b4e8f1a5be606c620eddc84d0721471650a35ccb589.json |
[
"Nicole Perlroth"
] | 2016-08-26T22:48:14 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | One of the world's most evasive digital arms dealers is believed to have been taking advantage of three security vulnerabilities in popular Apple products in its efforts to spy on dissidents and journalists. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fforeign%2Fstory_104791.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/foreign/story_104791.jsp/../../../images/27iphone.jpg;jsessionid=AF3294F20EAEDDB3C86E136844CC3E78 | en | null | Apple urges iPhone update | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Security worry
San Francisco, Aug. 26: One of the world's most evasive digital arms dealers is believed to have been taking advantage of three security vulnerabilities in popular Apple products in its efforts to spy on dissidents and journalists.
Investigators discovered that a company called the NSO Group, an Israeli outfit that sells software that invisibly tracks a target's mobile phone, was responsible for the intrusions. The NSO Group's software can read text messages and emails and track calls and contacts. It can even record sounds, collect passwords and trace the whereabouts of the phone user.
In response, Apple yesterday released a patched version of its mobile software, iOS 9.3.5. Users can get the patch through a normal software update.
Apple fixed the holes 10 days after a tip from two researchers, Bill Marczak and John Scott Railton, at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, and Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company.
"We advise all of our customers to always download the latest version of iOS to protect themselves against potential security exploits," said Fred Sainz, a company spokesperson.
In interviews and manuals, the NSO Group's executives have long boasted that their spyware worked like a "ghost", tracking the moves and keystrokes of its targets, without leaving a trace. But until this month, it was not clear how exactly the group was monitoring its targets, or who exactly it was monitoring.
A clearer picture began to emerge on August 10, when Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights activist in the UAE, who has been tracked by surveillance software several times, began receiving suspicious text messages.
Zamir Dahbash, an NSO Group spokesperson, said in an email: "The company sells only to authorized governmental agencies, and fully complies with strict export control laws and regulations."
New York Times News Service | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/foreign/story_104791.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3434d8a83e7d7490f3b880b4c74434a72ab5b651f556ccc985a943f5774e7fc4.json |
[
"Bireswar Banerjee",
"Avijit Sinha"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:28 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Siliguri model, the Left's oasis of hope, suffered a jolt today when the combine was reduced to a minority in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with the defection of a Forward Bloc member to Trinamul. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbengal%2Fstory_104607.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bengal/story_104607.jsp/../../../images/26nblasok(1).jpg;jsessionid=5EFDE6293DF88551D8D076200F397763 | en | null | Left loses majority in Asok backyard | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Asok Bhattacharya Siliguri, Aug. 25: The Siliguri model, the Left's oasis of hope, suffered a jolt today when the combine was reduced to a minority in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with the defection of a Forward Bloc member to Trinamul. Bloc councillor Durga Singh joined Trinamul within a year of the Left winning the civic and rural elections in Siliguri by forging an unofficial understanding with the Congress, a template that was replicated with little success in the Assembly elections. With Durga's switchover, the Left's strength in the municipal corporation fell one short of the majority mark of 24, making it vulnerable to a no-trust motion. Trinamul, which now has 18 members in the civic board, is still short of the magic figure by six. However, the defection appeared to be in line with "significant changes in the civic board" promised by minister Gautam Deb, a Trinamul heavyweight in north Bengal. Minister Aroop Biswas, Trinamul's observer for Darjeeling, offered a peek into the party's plans when asked about the defection. "It is not a one-day affair. Political developments take place over a period of time and people will have to wait to see the changes," he said. Deb, the Darjeeling Trinamul president, said there would also be "changes" at the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad, the equivalent of a zilla parishad that the Left won with Congress backing last year. Asok Bhattacharya, the Siliguri mayor and MLA and propounder of the Siliguri model that involves unofficial handholding with the Congress, could not be contacted today. CPM sources said the leader was in Calcutta to attend a party programme. Jibesh Sarkar, the Darjeeling convener of the Left Front, assembled 19 Left councillors at the CPM office in Siliguri in a show of unity following Durga's defection. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/bengal/story_104607.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/3cd6f66a1a86dba3f98d1162a227e7e7521d027ab67cd29080932668ca349b90.json |
[
"Our Legal Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:09 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The Supreme Court today asked the Tamil Nadu government why it was "so eager to arrest" expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa in a sexual harassment case against her family after her lawyer hinted at chief minister Jayalalithaa's hand behind the complaint. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104784.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104784.jsp/../../../images/27newssasikala.jpg | en | null | Relief for Sasikala | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Sasikala New Delhi, Aug. 26: The Supreme Court today asked the Tamil Nadu government why it was "so eager to arrest" expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa in a sexual harassment case against her family after her lawyer hinted at chief minister Jayalalithaa's hand behind the complaint. Senior counsel Siddarth Luthra also questioned the timing of the complaint, saying the allegations against the Rajya Sabha MP and her family went back to 2011. A bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur restrained Tamil Nadu police from arresting Pushpa or her family members for six weeks but directed them to appear before Madras High Court on August 29 for pursuing their anticipatory bail in the harassment case. "Why are you so eager to arrest her? She's a member of Parliament. She's not running away," the bench told senior counsel Subrumonian Prasad who appeared for the state. "According to her this is a counterblast. It seems that there is more than meets the eye." Earlier this week, the court had berated the Jayalalithaa government for using state machinery to file defamation cases against opponents. The harassment case involves complaints by two domestic helps who alleged that Pushpa and her family assaulted them when they worked for the family. In their petition the family questioned the "timing of the complaint" and said it was a result of "political vendetta" for Pushpa's "refusal to resign from her constitutional post". The ruling AIADMK had expelled the MP, who recently slapped a rival parliamentarian in public, after she refused to step down. The plea also said "numerous false cases" had been filed against the family "in a bid to compel" her to resign, although it did not name Jayalalithaa. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104784.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/f5c2390435c9d898fd65b593787afc4e48edfea3b73d8d88dcbfc3523b0dd237.json |
[
"Dan Bilefsky",
"Henry Fountain"
] | 2016-08-26T12:57:49 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The combination of a shallow fault and old, unreinforced masonry buildings led to widespread devastation in the earthquake that struck central Italy early yesterday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fforeign%2Fstory_104552.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Shallow fault made quake severe | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Aug. 25: The combination of a shallow fault and old, unreinforced masonry buildings led to widespread devastation in the earthquake that struck central Italy early yesterday.
Like other villages and towns in the mountainous area, Amatrice, where the mayor lamented that "half the town no longer exists," has stone churches and other buildings that were constructed centuries ago, when little if anything was known about earthquakes. Unless they have been reinforced in recent years, such structures are easily damaged or destroyed by shaking.
"Even 100 years ago, they didn't know how to build structures to withstand earthquakes," said David A. Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences at the Open University in Milton Keynes in England.
The quake was less powerful than many recent deadly quakes. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015, for instance, killing 8,000 people, released roughly 250 times more energy.
But the Italian quake was very shallow: According to the United States Geological Survey, it occurred about six miles below the surface.
"Shallow quakes cause more destruction than deep quakes because the shallowness of the source makes the ground-shaking at the surface worse," professor Rothery said.
New York Times News Service | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/foreign/story_104552.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/fa6637999ac057066dfb0d8a5bfe159160fed3a5c2fd359d16ff50ef615953e2.json |
[
"A Staff Reporter"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:28 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) plans to bring down the share of bank borrowings to reduce the cost of funds as it looks to raise Rs 10,000 crore through secured non-convertible debentures (NCDs). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104741.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104741.jsp/../../../images/27glance.jpg;jsessionid=4FA500E6FF66B2F7155672393521ADA7 | en | null | Dewan Housing growth plan | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Calcutta, Aug. 26: Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) plans to bring down the share of bank borrowings to reduce the cost of funds as it looks to raise Rs 10,000 crore through secured non-convertible debentures (NCDs). "Our aim is to bring down the proportion of high-cost debt from banks to around 30-35 per cent from 52 per cent (in the first quarter of 2016-17). The idea is to bring down the cost of borrowings," said Santosh Sharma, chief financial officer of DHFL. Sharma said the assets under management of the Mumbai-based home finance company were Rs 63,000 crore. A break-up of the liability profile in the first quarter of 2016-17 shows that 52 per cent of funds are sourced from banks and the cost of those funds is around 10.05 per cent. While the share of funds sourced from banks has fallen to 53 per cent in 2015-16 from 58 per cent in 2014-15, the share of debt capital has gone up to 33 per cent from 28 per cent. Sharma said buoyed by a positive response from its first public issue of retail NCDs, where the company had raised around Rs 19,000 crore against an issue size of Rs 4,000 crore, DHFL expected a positive response to this issue. "DHFL's first-ever public issue of NCDs has helped the company to explore new avenues to attract funds to take care of the burgeoning demand for housing finance," Sharma said. The issue provides an option of three, five and seven year-tenures with yields ranging from 9.05-9.25 per cent. The issue opens on August 29 and will continue till September 12, 2016. The NCDs will be listed on the NSE and the BSE. "The proceeds from the issue will be used to retire debt and to support the company's growth. We have been growing at around 18-20 per cent. Our presence is predominantly in the affordable housing segment and we will continue to focus on the same in the future," Sharma said, adding the proposed issue could be the last in this fiscal. Also, allotment of debentures will be on a first-come, first-served basis for investors. Retail individual investors and high net worth individuals have a combined allocation ratio of 60 per cent. "DHFL aims to channelise its credit flow to increase home ownership in the context of the government's affordable 'Housing for All' agenda. With the Centre's initiatives to grant housing finance companies better supply of funds for the low-cost housing sector, DHFL is tapping various funding sources at an optimal cost," Kapil Wadhwan, chairman and MD of DHFL, said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104741.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/16a0eda879d13ae48d8f1f1387fcfb180c97a45ae12c544bb8c1956916a0d543.json |
[
"Sekhar Datta"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:25 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The ruling CPM has won the byelection to Simna-Tamakari autonomous district council constituency, facilitated by the division of votes between the regional Indigenous Peoples Front of Twipra (IPFT) and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104752.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | CPM wins ADC bypoll in Tripura | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Agartala, Aug. 26: The ruling CPM has won the byelection to Simna-Tamakari autonomous district council constituency, facilitated by the division of votes between the regional Indigenous Peoples Front of Twipra (IPFT) and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT). The CPM won the bypoll by a margin of 582 votes, an increase of 73 votes compared with the ADC election held in April last year. CPM candidate Kumud Debbarma secured 9,260 votes, while his nearest rival Mangal Debbarma of the IPFT got 8,678 votes. Mangal's chances were marred by rival INPT candidate Nirmal Debbarma, who secured 1,066 votes. The byelection was necessitated by the premature death of the last incumbent member of district council Rananbir Debbarma of the CPM in April. Debbarma had won the seat last year by only 509 votes. The counting of ballots for the bypoll, which was held on Tuesday, commenced this morning at the SDM office of Mohanpur subdivision and the CPM candidate appeared to be slowly taking the lead. As the counting ended, it was found that the INPT candidate had won 1,066 voters, which acted as a spoiler for the IPFT. Congress candidate Kishore Debbarma got only 155 votes. The BJP, which had withdrawn its candidate Hirnamoni Debbarma through an announcement by state president Biplab Deb, seemed to have figured in the list of candidates and secured 133 votes. Sonacharan Debbarma, an Independent, got 203 votes, while Tripura Peoples Party's Ananta Orang secured 165 votes. Nota (none of the above) registered 145 votes. Deputy election commissioner Debasish Chakraborty said the BJP had announced withdrawal of its candidate after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations and hence the party's candidate's name remained in the list of candidates in the EVMs. CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar expressed satisfaction that tribal voters had reposed their faith in the party. IPFT president Narendra Chandra Debbarma expressed disappointment and described the outcome a "result of the CPM's unbridled doles, misuse of administration and strong-arm tactics". The BJP's Tripura unit has sought governor Tathagata Roy's intervention in restoring peace and normalcy in the state in the wake of the "unfortunate incidents" that rocked Agartala on Tuesday. Deb raised a four-point charter of demands - CBI inquiry into Tuesday's violence, sacking of the home minister for "failure" to discharge his duty, seeking of report from all political parties on the clashes and publication of a "white paper". Opposition Trinamul has also demanded a judicial inquiry into the clashes. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/northeast/story_104752.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/7fd7378639f243bea3898d10cafc7ebb8884a94a3a79d6ae100b83cb3d8257cf.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:25 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | South African global payments solutions company Net1 UEPS Technologies Inc will invest $40 million in MobiKwik to gain entry into India's fast growing digital wallet market. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104739.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | African funds for MobiKwik | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 26: South African global payments solutions company Net1 UEPS Technologies Inc will invest $40 million in MobiKwik to gain entry into India's fast growing digital wallet market.
Net1 will also integrate its virtual card technology across all MobiKwik wallets.
The domestic digital payments market is set to be worth $500 billion by 2020, according to a Google-BCG Study.
Founded in 2009, MobiKwik competes with Alibaba-backed PayTM and Snapdeal's payments arm FreeCharge in the online wallet space.
In May, MobiKwik had raised $50 million, led by Japan's payment gateway GMO and Taiwan-based semi-conductor company MediaTek.
"Our strategic investment in MobiKwik provides us with meaningful participation in one of the fastest growing digital payment markets globally. This investment will accelerate our ability to build scale in India," said Serge Belamant, chairman and chief executive officer of Net1.
Over the next three years, MobiKwik aims to have 150 million users and half a million merchants.
Net1 is a provider of payment solutions and transaction processing services. It has a primary listing on the Nasdaq and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Its universal electronic payment system uses biometrically-secure smart cards that operate in real time but offline. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104739.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/7e98b5b983ddab89e3222df2af0f40b97eac646acb11abf4656c85fbe494e1b9.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T22:59:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Eager to meet the April 1 target to roll out the goods and services tax (GST), the government may advance the winter session of Parliament by a fortnight to get supporting legislations passed, leaving sufficient time for the implementation of the new indirect tax regime. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160829%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_105003.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Race to meet target | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 28 (PTI): Eager to meet the April 1 target to roll out the goods and services tax (GST), the government may advance the winter session of Parliament by a fortnight to get supporting legislations passed, leaving sufficient time for the implementation of the new indirect tax regime.
The winter session is normally convened in the third or fourth week of November, but this year the government is looking to start the month-long session immediately after the end of the festive season.
An early winter session will help to get the central and integrated GST legislations that will pave the way for the goods and services tax to be approved within November or by early December, officials said. The two are supporting legislations to the constitutional amendment bill approved in the monsoon session. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160829/jsp/business/story_105003.jsp | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/558dcbc20c8b8fbc841f2565af341b2f54fc0efb9bf9258306fed630c7aa4bdb.json |
[
"Our Bureau"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:55 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The newly arrived tigress in Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary chased a team of trackers in a vehicle for 200 metres this afternoon, a senior state forest official told this newspaper, but did not come on quote because live CCTV camera footage has continued to prove elusive for the department. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104650.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104650.jsp/../../../images/27jamdalma1.jpg;jsessionid=856D9BD3B84DB3978A3C7538780808DE | en | null | Tigress chase in Dalma, off camera | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | ON BIG CAT TRAIL: Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Ranchi/ Jamshedpur, Aug. 26: The newly arrived tigress in Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary chased a team of trackers in a vehicle for 200 metres this afternoon, a senior state forest official told this newspaper, but did not come on quote because live CCTV camera footage has continued to prove elusive for the department. The tigress apparently charged at the team inside a closed vehicle near one of the watering holes, which also has a watchtower. The forester added that all 42 trackers deputed by the forest department for physical sighting of the tigress had been strictly directed to make the rounds on closed vehicles for their safety. "We have told our men not to attempt a sighting on foot because they would be no match for an angry tigress who is moreover learnt to have given birth to a cub," he said. Till physical evidence of the tigress is captured on any of the 10 CCTV cameras inside the 192sqkm sanctuary, foresters are refusing to part with any information so as not to endanger or scare the prized animal in any way with ill-timed publicity. Dalma range officer R.P. Singh merely said the tracking exercise was slow due to monsoon. "Vegetation has become dense and it is difficult to trace pug marks," he said. "One footage of the tigress on CCTV camera will prove to be a landmark day for Dalma," said a forester. "For any reserved forest or sanctuary, having a tiger inhabitant indicates the green lung is in pristine form. We have gradually enhanced Dalma's ecology. In last four years, 40 check dams were created," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104650.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/94bf86c9c1acb3429d3e46a1dec1c54dba4ae175653f1c5739fba677332169e3.json |
[
"Roopak Goswami"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:48 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Wildlife conservationists and nature lovers have hailed the National Green Tribunal's order directing Numaligarh Refinery Limited to shift the location of its proposed township extension and demolish its boundary wall within a month to give elephants the right of passage. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fnortheast%2Fstory_104444.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104444.jsp/../../../images/pagemark.jpg;jsessionid=4FEA7251BDD2CA8EBC01323F3EFEDDD4 | en | null | Will abide by NGT order, says refinery | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The Telegraph report on Wednesday Numaligarh, Aug. 25: Wildlife conservationists and nature lovers have hailed the National Green Tribunal's order directing Numaligarh Refinery Limited to shift the location of its proposed township extension and demolish its boundary wall within a month to give elephants the right of passage. The refinery today said it was studying the NGT order but would abide by it. "It is a setback to us," an NRL official said. Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta, who had fought the case for petitioner Rohit Choudhury in the NGT, told The Telegraph that NRL should review its expansion plan in the light of the NGT decision and must also realise that they were operating in an ecologically sensitive area. "A golf course in such an ecologically sensitive area is absurd. This is also a warning to other companies planning similar activities," he said. Samarjit Sharma, secretary of Anirban Nature Club, an environmental organisation based in Golaghat district, said the order was a big boost to organisations fighting against illegal activities in ecologically sensitive areas. "We made a documentary last year and submitted it to the NGT, showing how an elephant herd, on its way to Karbi hills, tried to negotiate a wall erected by the NRL but could not do so," he said. Arup Ballav Goswami, a resident of Golaghat district, said companies would now have to think twice before planning similar activities in ecologically sensitive areas. The green tribunal, in its order passed yesterday, had also asked the NRL to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the forest department for environmental degradation and to plant trees 10 times the number destroyed for its proposed township extension. It said it was clear that the construction of a golf course using heavy machinery had led to destruction of tree cover in Deopahar forest. It also said the township extension is proposed to be located to the west of the refinery, contrary to the conditions laid down in the environmental clearance given to the NRL by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in 1991. The ministry had said the residential site should not be to the west of the refinery as it is only 19.5km from the boundary of Kaziranga National Park. The NGT also said the wall constructed around the NRL's proposed township extension is a part of Deopahar forest, comes in the way of elephant corridor and violates the no-development zone notification of the MoEF IN 1996. Hence, it should be demolished within one month and the proposed township should not come up in the present location. The MoEF had, in its 1996 notification, laid down that there should be no development activity within a radius of 15km from the refinery but the wall clearly falls within this radius. The NGT said the government of Assam and the ministry should ensure that there is no violation of the no-development zone directive. The ministry's Elephant Task Force report (or Gajah report on securing the future of elephants in India) dated August 31, 2010, had stressed on maintaining the integrity of elephant corridors for long-term survival of the species. "Elephants cannot survive simply through strict protection of a few parks and sanctuaries. A sole focus exclusively on protected areas, vital as they are, is inadequate for the long term conservation of this keystone species. Fragmentation of the available habitats has further confined most of the populations to smaller habitation islands," it said. The NRL has said that it constructed the boundary wall in 2011 to protect land (about 67 bighas) acquired in 2004 to 2006 for extension of its existing township and for the safety of its residents. It also contends that the township extension land is tea garden land, having tea bushes and 201 shade trees of which 149 trees have been cut. On April 11, 2012, it wrote to the divisional forest officer (DFO), intimating about construction of residential accommodation and seeking permission to cut the tea bushes and uproot shade trees. The DFO granted the permission, subject to two conditions: Active participation by the NRL management in addressing the man-animal conflict in the area around NRL by providing resource and logistic support annually and sought field logistic for the year 2013-14. In October 2015, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority Assam informed the NGT that the DFO had urged for cancellation/suspension of the environment clearance on the grounds that the boundary wall and golf course were not included in the proposal submitted by NRL for the extension of their township. That the proposed land for NRL township Phase-III falls within the Deopahar forest, is evident in a letter (No. BRQ3/2003/406) written by the sub-divisional officer of Bokakhat to the deputy commissioner of Bokakhat in August 2015, stating that some portions of the land included in the draft notification for Deopahar proposed reserve forest dated August 18, 1999, was acquired for the extension of NRL township. The cost of the refinery township project is Rs 55 crore which would accommodate 102 families. The tribunal has asked the Assam government to declare Deopahar forest, through which elephants pass on their way from Kaziranga National Park to Karbi hills, a reserve. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/northeast/story_104444.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a6f0f7ab64eef7260fd65cf932501fff74b5531543976dde1739619ad4592dd2.json |
[
"A Staff Reporter"
] | 2016-08-27T20:58:39 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Bankers have voiced their concern about the expected funds crunch that large infrastructure projects could face following the introduction of the limits proposed in RBI's draft large exposure framework. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104887.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104887.jsp/../../../images/28bus-chamber-(3c).jpg;jsessionid=1793B3672E9A719AB9042887EBDAB6EF | en | null | Curb on exposure bothers banks | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | (From left) Bandhan Bank CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Atanu Sen, former managing director & CEO of SBI Life Insurance, and P.K. Gupta, SBI managing director (compliance & risk), in Calcutta on Saturday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury Calcutta, Aug. 27: Bankers have voiced their concern about the expected funds crunch that large infrastructure projects could face following the introduction of the limits proposed in RBI's draft large exposure framework. "There is still a lot of debate going on over the reforms that the RBI announced last Thursday. For the first time they are trying to restrict the banking sector's exposure (to large corporate entities)," said Praveen Kumar Gupta, SBI's managing director (compliance and risk), at a seminar organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce today. The regulator has placed the draft framework on its website for comments. Under the proposals, which come into effect from March 31, 2019, incremental exposure of banks to a specified borrower beyond the permitted lending limit will be deemed to carry higher risk, which the banks will have to recognise through additional provisioning and higher risk weightage. The permitted lending limit for specified borrowers is set at 50 per cent of incremental funds, to be raised by the borrower over and above the aggregate exposure. A specified borrower is one whose aggregate exposure to the banking sector is Rs 25,000 crore at the end of 2016-17. This will be gradually reduced to Rs 15,000 crore for 2018-19 and Rs 10,000 crore for 2019-20. According to Care Ratings, large corporate entities could turn to the corporate bond markets for their funding requirements and corporate bond issuances are expected to increase if funding from banks is restricted. "These measures, in conjunction with the measures announced by the RBI for the development of the corporate bond markets, will provide the much needed boost to the corporate bond market segment," the research firm said in a statement. Care Ratings further said that the proposals could lower the system level risk of banks on account of concentration of exposures in a few large corporate entities. Bandhan Bank managing director and CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh said the RBI's proposal would reduce bank's exposure to corporate entities. However, some bankers are of the opinion that it might be challenging for large infrastructure projects, especially the greenfield ones, to meet the remaining portion of their fund requirement from the debt market in the absence of a credit rating. "This could have an impact, particularly on the large greenfield infrastructure projects. If you are unrated, you cannot go to the market and raise money. There are some concerns which has been raised (by the bankers)," Gupta said. He, however, added that there is still time till the actual framework is put in place. The framework has also limited banks' total exposure to 20 per cent of its tier 1 capital for a single entity and 25 per cent for a group of connected entities. The current limit is 15 per cent of capital funds for a single entity and 40 per cent for the group. The banks will also have to make higher provisioning for lending to large borrowers. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/business/story_104887.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/baba0856048cd25f91cd8ba84c262bf917aacc2d13f1eaf28dd3c5beaf9e1229.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:55:16 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The CBI court trying the Sheena Bora murder case has rejected the bail applications of all the three main accused - Peter Mukerjea, Indrani Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna - and extended their judicial custody till September 13. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fnation%2Fstory_104783.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104783.jsp/../../../images/indrani_001648.jpg | en | null | Blow to Indrani | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Indrani Mukerjea
Mumbai, Aug. 26: The CBI court trying the Sheena Bora murder case has rejected the bail applications of all the three main accused - Peter Mukerjea, Indrani Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna - and extended their judicial custody till September 13.
The extension of custody came a day after 20 audiotapes of phone conversations recorded by Sheena's fiancé and Peter's biological son, Rahul, were made public.
The conversations are between Rahul, Peter and Indrani and are about the sudden disappearance of Sheena, Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship.
Today, both Peter and Indrani separately told reporters they were aware of the recorded tapes, but each used the claim to bolster their attempt at proving their own innocence. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/nation/story_104783.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/f26ad7e5b938ee7cc622a29073ce7ab7143c135f2a95efc34dac46d5374a6bcb.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:57 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | CCL's grade IV employee Anil Mahto (30), who was reported missing on Thursday, was recovered from the clutches of three abductors at night. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104647.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | CCL worker found, 3 held | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | CCL's grade IV employee Anil Mahto (30), who was reported missing on Thursday, was recovered from the clutches of three abductors at night. The abductors, who were arrested from Katamtoli locality in Pithoria while they were moving in a car along with Mahto, admitted to have murdered an elderly couple for money in June this year. The trio have been identified as Santosh Mahto and Deothan Mahto, both from Tarup village in Ranchi district, and Jitu Mahto of Kanke. Police have recovered the car (JH 01R8887) they used, along with four pistols, 15 live cartridges, five pistol magazines and seven mobile phones. A SIM card the three had stolen from an elderly couple - Hari Sao and Parvati Devi - of Tarup village after shooting them dead on June 22 was also found on the trio. "The case was cracked and accused arrested within 24 hours of the crime. The trio kidnapped the CCL employee solely for ransom. They initially demanded Rs 10 lakh from Mahto's family and ultimately settled for Rs 4 lakh," Ranchi SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi said at a news meet on Friday. Mahto, also a resident of Tarup, was abducted around 5am on Thursday from Malmadu in Ratu police station area, barely 2km from his village, while he was heading towards his Darbhanga House office near Raj Bhavan. Santosh, Deothan and Jitu believed that Mahto, being a CCL employee, was rich. They intercepted the victim, who was on his bike, at Malmadu Chowk and took him away in a car to Kamdara (Gumla), Tapkara (Khunti) and some other Naxalite-hit areas. They gave an impression that they belonged to rebel outfit PLFI. The kidnappers used the SIM card they stole from oil mill owner Hari Sao to make calls to the victim's family. Police, who tracked the criminals through call details, arrested them while they were coming to Ranchi to receive the money. "Santosh and Deothan accepted that they murdered the Sao couple at their village. Both demanded Rs 50,000 from Hari, who initially refused to pay up. On the night of June 22, Hari gave them Rs 8,000 after they threatened him. After taking the money, they gunned down the couple. They would have killed Mahto too," the SSP said. According to sources, rebel links of the accused are being verified too, as they revealed having met PLFI area commander Arjun Thakur. In another development, Ranchi police on Friday arrested auto driver Rizjan, alias Ahmad, with a pistol, two live cartridges, two mobile sets and PLFI literature in Jagannathpur. Police said the firearms were supposed to be delivered to some PLFI members. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104647.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/de46de2da01491f464f71717032ddf76024b29303360bf06cc309e847f609a7a.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T20:57:07 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | We need to talk about taxis. Or, perhaps the question needs to be asked - what do we talk about when we talk about taxis? And then, specifically, what does the taxi represent - what did it represent and what should it - in the context of this city of Calcutta? If we look at a city as an ecosystem then its public transport can be seen as a sub-ecosystem within the larger one. Public transport entwines perpetually with another sub-ecosystem, which is private transport. All these are broad terms, of course, and they bleed into each other, because in Calcutta, when we say public transport we mean the metro, the trams, the government-owned buses as well as the privately-owned buses; and when we say private transport, that encompasses private cars, all freight vehicles big and small, as well as privately operated commercial vehicles that ply people for a fee, such as the auto-ricksha and the taxi. The taxi, then, sits at the cusp of the two different systems: it is a commercial vehicle that works like a private car and it is a privately-owned vehicle that is bound by (or should be) specific rules to do with providing a service to the public. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160828%2Fjsp%2Fopinion%2Fstory_104841.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/opinion/story_104841.jsp/../../../images/edi1.jpg | en | null | The absent lower tier | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | We need to talk about taxis. Or, perhaps the question needs to be asked - what do we talk about when we talk about taxis? And then, specifically, what does the taxi represent - what did it represent and what should it - in the context of this city of Calcutta? If we look at a city as an ecosystem then its public transport can be seen as a sub-ecosystem within the larger one. Public transport entwines perpetually with another sub-ecosystem, which is private transport. All these are broad terms, of course, and they bleed into each other, because in Calcutta, when we say public transport we mean the metro, the trams, the government-owned buses as well as the privately-owned buses; and when we say private transport, that encompasses private cars, all freight vehicles big and small, as well as privately operated commercial vehicles that ply people for a fee, such as the auto-ricksha and the taxi. The taxi, then, sits at the cusp of the two different systems: it is a commercial vehicle that works like a private car and it is a privately-owned vehicle that is bound by (or should be) specific rules to do with providing a service to the public. When the precursor of the taxi, the horse-driven cabs of Europe, were brought under licence laws, the municipal thinking behind this was very clear - the cabbie was a free agent, to the extent that he could go wherever he wanted, that is, without being tied to any fixed route, but he could only charge according to a scale that correlated to the distance travelled, and later, to the time taken to travel that distance. Later, in London and a few other cities, the laws were even stricter: the motor-taxi had to take the customer to their destination by the shortest route, the taxi driver had obligations to provide public service, unreasonable refusal to take on a passenger or take them to a particular destination had consequences in the shape of fines and curtailment of the cabbie's licence. This London model was the one that was transplanted in Calcutta and till recently this is the model we were supposed to be following. To go back to the analogy of the ecosystem, just as the bacteria in our guts provide an indication to overall health, there is a good argument that one marker of the health of a city's municipal systems is how effectively its public transport system serves the public. In a large metro we can perhaps add a sub-marker to this: the systemic health of a city can also be gauged by how effective its taxi system is. Now, what are the criteria of effectiveness one can apply? Common sense immediately indicates a few obvious ones: taxis should be widely available across a city, especially during the peak and sub-peak hours - which in a big city would be from 7am to midnight; taxis should also be available in sufficient numbers across the night and the early hours of the morning, when people in a city have all sorts of needs for quick, point-to-point transport; taxis should have strict and fair meters, which means they should not be extortionately expensive while creating a fair income for the drivers and owners; taxis should be obliged to take a passenger anywhere within the municipal area at any time of day or night; (a) but with safety mechanisms in place for both passenger and driver; taxis should have a public duty to take people to hospitals during emergencies and refusal should come at a prohibitive cost; (b) at the same time some mechanism should be in place to compensate a taxi driver fairly for a 'public duty ride'; (c) the health and the income of drivers should be protected, with strict rules for taxi owners in this regard. Let me quickly concede that the marked points are more pipe dream than reality, and not in place anywhere in the world. Having said that, the rest of the list is perfectly achievable, even though the only city in India that currently has all of this in place is Mumbai. More to the point, and more to our shame, after Mumbai, Calcutta was the Indian metropolis closest to having these things in place and over the last 15 years or so we have lost that. Through the neglect by authorities, neglect both uncaring and deliberate, we have dismantled our kaali-peeli or peeli-peeli taxi system to the great detriment of the city. And now (and this is the deliberate part), we are in the process of handing over the taxi business to unscrupulous thieves who decorate their ongoing daylight robbery with sexy smartphone apps. Part of the neglect was that successive governments didn't allow the taxis to raise their fares in consonance with rising fuel prices. Part of it came from the singular failure of the Baam Phront as well as the Mamata Junta to put in place and secure CNG supplies and oblige all taxis (and autos and buses) to switch over. Part of the dismantling came from corruption where all sorts of lumpen youth could score driving licences with bribes. Part of it came from providing no serious protection to the drivers from the depredations of the taxi maaliks, the owners who've been allowed to drive crazy bargains with needy drivers to squeeze out the last bit of profit from their dying rattletraps. Even as the marigold yellow Amby has become a symbol of quaint and exotic Calcutta, in reality the yellow taxis have been under slow but relentless official strangulation. Like an infighting microbe colony that's lost its resistance to marauding invaders, the already fatally weakened yellow taxi system was there for the taking and over the last couple of years we have seen the carpetbagger companies come in and spread their tentacles with complete, brazen impunity. If the current yellow taxi fare between say Minto Park and Lake Gardens is 'too low' at Rs 45, then certainly a surge hiked Rs 215 for an App-Cab on a slightly rainy Sunday night is extortionate. For those who can afford it, and who 'need' the comfort of an air-conditioned car with free Wi-Fi etc it's fine, for everybody else it's a licensed mugging. Furthermore, the squeeze the App-Cab companies put on the drivers the world over is not visible yet in Calcutta but it is coming - soon we're going to see continuous hera-pheri in what the drivers do and the danger and violence that will stem from it. In any open market economy you're bound to get what companies call 'premium' services. So, in a city like Calcutta, if you were going out to eat, you now get a whole vertical 'choice-line': the different levels of street food, the smaller eateries, the higher-priced (premium) restaurants in Park Street and then the five-star joints with their extremely high prices. Now imagine if someone came and just removed all the different levels of eateries between the street stalls and the Park Street restaurants, so that the options for eating out were reduced to just three levels, super-luxury, highly expensive premium or street vendor. Some ruthless free-marketeer could argue that this was the rule of the Darwinian economic jungle, that people who wanted to eat at places fancier than the street stalls would just have to save their pennies and eat out less often, but in the premium restaurants. This argument may work, sort of, for eating out, which can be seen as a pleasure and a luxury, but you can't transfer it to transport which is most often a necessity and not an indulgence. A somewhat more expensive but still affordable taxi system is a necessity in Calcutta not just for the so-called 'middle-class' but also for the working poor who often need to take recourse to taxis in emergencies and semi-emergencies. However, the yellow taxi system has now been destroyed - there's no other word for it - and what we are seeing is the hollow shell of it. That too, will likely go in a couple years, unless something radical is done about it right away. In this the first step would be to follow Delhi and Bangalore and bring in strict vigilance and restrictions on the App-Cab companies. The second step would be to bring in CNG and the third would be to rein in the cab-owners, including obliging each owner to keep a certain properly maintained number of yellow taxis in proportion to the higher end white cabs he runs. A fourth would need to be a huge programme of driver education and driver protection measures. A fifth step might be, equally, a programme to educate people, the passengers on not only their rights but also their responsibilities as to how they need to behave (and not) with taxi drivers. Newer technology, including GPS and phone apps can all be deployed to help with this - there is no reason to leave the technology game for the App-Cab carpetbaggers to exploit. Is any of this likely to happen? Probably not. In this, again the image of an ecosystem comes up. If we don't protest and make quick moves to amend the situation we are going to be left with a dead ecozone, like a fallow, unplantable field or a dead lake or river, something which will be impossible to repopulate with healthy living elements. We will be left with a massive, teeming city like Calcutta, with its badly stretched public transport system, to which will be added an absent lower-tier taxi system - something which we stood by and watched as it was being exterminated in front of our eyes. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160828/jsp/opinion/story_104841.jsp | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/a92043ec37527262104bbbb8622fc99458dddce3b403bcf3b6543aaee1a6cb4e.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:52:41 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Jharkhand High Court today set aside the order of the commissioner of North Chotanagpur division by which former agriculture minister Yogender Sao was banned from entering the territorial limits of Hazaribagh district. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104658.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | 'Banned' Sao gets reprieve | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Ranchi, Aug. 26: Jharkhand High Court today set aside the order of the commissioner of North Chotanagpur division by which former agriculture minister Yogender Sao was banned from entering the territorial limits of Hazaribagh district. Sao was found guilty under the Jharkhand Control of Crimes Act and had been asked on May 28 by the Hazaribagh deputy commissioner not to enter the district for six months. Sao then appealed before the divisional commissioner who had also upheld the order of the deputy commissioner. The high court today asked the divisional commissioner to decide on the matter afresh within a fortnight. Ranchi Hill The Ranchi district administration informed the high court that it had brought down the Tricolour flying on Pahadi Mandir with full dignity and honour out of fear of it being damaged due to weather conditions. The high court was hearing a PIL filed by Kailash Yadav, alleging disrespect to the National Flag. The court asked the district administration to inform it when it intended to unfurl the flag again and file an affidavit. Dahi handi A PIL was filed before the high court by one Rajeshwar Pandey to call off the dahi-handi function organised to celebrate Janmashtami at Albert Ekka Chowk in capital Ranchi. Pandey said that the chief minister and other dignitaries attend the function because of which Main Road was jammed. "The place is crowded with people and any untoward incident may occur," Pandey said in his PIL. Playschools The high court has asked the state government to inform it about existing rules for regulating playschools. The court had initiated a PIL suo motu stating that toddlers were being put in playschools which did no have basic infrastructure and security. In the absence of guidelines, the state could not regulate the functioning of such schools, the court had observed. The case will heard again after a fortnight. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104658.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/de8ee35163778cda8705c0bed8f4be558db57b2156346314eb17f9d8469af4b9.json |
[
"Jayesh Thaker"
] | 2016-08-26T13:09:34 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | From Oman to Jamshedpur, all for the bullseye. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104455.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104455.jsp/../../../images/26jamarchery3.jpg | en | null | Love for archery, eye on debut bullseye test | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Coach Vijay Kumar Prasad corrects the elbow angle of budding archer Mary Amm Vacha at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta From Oman to Jamshedpur, all for the bullseye. Meet 16-year-old Mary Amm Vacha, from an affluent family in Seeb, a scenic coastal town near Muscat in Oman, who has fallen in love with archery and is hoping to make a career in it. A big Deepika Kumari fan, Mary is now practising every morning and evening at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur. The Oman teen will debut at the East Singhbhum District Archery Championship scheduled at Nettur Technical Training Foundation grounds, Golmuri, on September 4-5, in the sub-junior recurve category. "I had come to Jamshedpur last year when I got attracted to archery during a visit to JRD Tata Sports Complex. Since the past one year, I am training at Oman, where I stay with my family. I love the sport now and would like to make progress in it," Mary, who is staying here with her family friends in Bistupur since early August for the upcoming district meet, said. With roots in Kerala, Mary's father George Mathew is an engineer involved in the construction business and owns upscale malls, and mother Grace George a doctor. The youngest after three brothers, two doctors and an engineer, Mary could have been any other well-off teenager interested in shopping and partying. But, the girl, who came to Jamshedpur last year to visit family friends, on a chance visit to JRD Tata Sports Complex, saw and fell in love with archery. She also proved it was no passing fad. The determined girl got her parents rope in Jamshedpur coach Vijay Kumar Prasad to train her as a resident archery tutor at their Seeb home in Oman. Now back in the steel city for her first taste of competitive sport, Mary is ensuring she does her best. The down-to-earth girl, who is an eleventh grader in American International School, Muscat, said after training for a year "in the backyard of my home", she was looking forward to test her skills in a real competition. For this, she enrolled at Tata Steel Archery Training Centre as a cadet last year itself to take part in meets here. She's gone through the training module of Tata Archery Academy, practised shooting techniques and undertaken strength building drills. She's also taken tips from Tata mentor Dharmendra Tiwary. Asked which archer she liked the most, Mary straightaway named Deepika. "She has achieved so much." Coach Prasad said his ward had started with Indian round for a few days to get a hang of the sport before switching to recurve. "Mary is very serious about the sport. By participating in the district meet she will learn a lot about competitive archery," Prasad said, adding he and Mary would be back in Oman after the event. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104455.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/e91c08ee849fe2905b18dc9af70343bba018991699db6248025277ce48391e39.json |
[
"Our Corrspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:01 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Laxman Gilua arrived from Delhi today and visited the party office in Harmu but did not formally assume charge as the state BJP chief, apparently because the timing wasn't auspicious enough, airing his apprehensions later by saying that his new assignment was no "bed of roses". | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104652.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104652.jsp/../../../images/27RanGilua1.jpg;jsessionid=F8B9E5AE8835A6573EA898E2B5BE02D4 | en | null | Gilua eyes shubh mahurat | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | BJP supporters welcome new state party chief Laxman Gilua at Ranchi airport on Friday. Picture by Prashant Mitra Ranchi, Aug. 26: Laxman Gilua arrived from Delhi today and visited the party office in Harmu but did not formally assume charge as the state BJP chief, apparently because the timing wasn't auspicious enough, airing his apprehensions later by saying that his new assignment was no "bed of roses". " Mein janta hoon ki yeh phoolon ka sej nahin, balki kaanto ka taj hai. Mein aabhari hoon apne party ke tamam varishtha netaon ka jinhone mujhe yeh zimmedari sounpi hai aur mein unki ummidon par khada utarne ki imandari se koshish karoonga. (I am aware that this post isn't a bed a roses, rather a crown of thorns. I am grateful to all senior leaders who have imposed their faith in me and given me this responsibility. I will try to live up to their expectations honestly)," he said. Gilua did not take a seat on the dais, nor did he go to his official chamber in the state BJP office. Instead, flanked by deputies Rakesh Prasad and Deepak Prasad, he simply sat in the conference hall and exchanged pleasantries with party colleagues, who jostled with each other to offer him garlands and bouquets. "He is waiting for the subh muhurat (auspicious moment) to formally assume charge. He will also go to Chaibasa to seek the blessings of his near and dear ones and common people," confided a close aide. The new state BJP chief, who chose not to address a customary press conference, was scheduled to return to Delhi with chief minister Raghubar Das in the evening for a meeting tomorrow which the party high command was to hold with BJP chief ministers and state unit chiefs. Gilua said he would be preparing new list of party office-bearers, but did not reject outright the one prepared by his predecessor Tala Marandi that led to a lot of heartburn among some leaders. "I don't mean to say that the old list was bogus. But, I am also not averse to making certain changes in the list after consulting all sections of party workers. I need everyone's support and blessings," he Gilua said. After meeting party workers, many of whom were there to welcome him at Birsa Munda airport, Gilua drove to Project Building to meet Das. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104652.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/90023d27a1c1e3624d7a72aebfae0cb1964ca8828d51175e5363b50a6b873910.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:21 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Engineering and construction company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has set a target of almost doubling its sales to Rs 2 lakh crore by 2020-21, chairman A.M. Naik said at the annual general meeting here today. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104737.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104737.jsp/../../../images/27lt.jpg;jsessionid=C0CBE34142BB6E5E2CC1C5B6CDC2A8D3 | en | null | L&T aims to double sales in 5 years | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 26: Engineering and construction company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has set a target of almost doubling its sales to Rs 2 lakh crore by 2020-21, chairman A.M. Naik said at the annual general meeting here today. The company's consolidated revenues during 2015-16 stood at around Rs 1 lakh crore. Naik, who will be retiring next year, pointed out that the targeted revenues would be achieved without hitting the margins. "I would like to take this opportunity to share my vision of the L&T of tomorrow. Our goal is to achieve a revenue of Rs 2 trillion by 2020-21 without compromising on our margins and achieving an order inflow in excess of Rs 2.5 trillion per annum," he said. The L&T chief said the economic conditions were beginning to turn in the company's favour. "Combined with the right strategy and on-ground execution, our target, though ambitious, is achievable. India is at the cusp of a turnaround. All indicators are positive. The government's thrust on infrastructure and its 'Make in India' initiatives provide a range of opportunities for your company," he added. L&T, considered a proxy for the economy, is also sharpening its business focus and has identified select growth businesses that include IT, technology services, defence, smart world and water management. Naik said the opening up of the defence sector would alone lead to business opportunities worth Rs 13 lakh crore over the next 10 years. "Our strategic plan involves the re-allocation of resources - both talent and capital - to businesses with visible value creation potential. As most of these are also asset-light businesses, the initiative will be in line with our larger objective of building an asset-light organisation," he said. Naik, who has been associated with the company for over four decades, said group companies L&T Infotech and L&T Technology Services would play a key role. As one of the largest players in nuclear energy, L&T stands to gain from this sector as the issues relating to fuel supply and nuclear liability have been sorted out. The estimated business opportunity from this sector is around Rs 50,000 crore over the next 10 years. "One of the objectives of our strategic plan is the need to extend operational excellence across the company. A major step in this direction has been the setting up of a separate digital group, which will ideate and implement solutions across functions," Naik said. The L&T chairman said over 1,000 projects worth over Rs 14 lakh crore are in the pipeline in areas such as roads, ports, airports and railheads. "L&T has both the expertise and the track record to make the most of each of these opportunities. Over the years, we have set benchmarks, only to surpass them ourselves," he said. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104737.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/551308b33536bd91596de47f35074a393e001a789465ca1017071fea1f910d78.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:58:35 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | US-based retailer Target is reportedly planning to shift its order for bedsheets to Ludhiana-based Trident following an alleged botched job by Welspun. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104744.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104744.jsp/../../../images/27Trident(1).jpg | en | null | Welspun pain is Trident's gain | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Mumbai, Aug. 26: US-based retailer Target is reportedly planning to shift its order for bedsheets to Ludhiana-based Trident following an alleged botched job by Welspun. Shares of Trident today zoomed 12.45 per cent in an otherwise dull market to end at Rs 56 on the BSE. During intra-day trade, the counter hit a 52-week high of Rs 59. The sudden spurt came after Bloomberg reported that Target was planning to shift the order to Trident and has began to sample its products. Trident, which posted revenues of Rs 3,706 crore, is part of the diversified $1-billion Trident group, which is present in home textiles, yarn, paper & chemicals and energy. In home textiles, its products include terry towels and bed linen. Some of its brands include Trident Indulgence, Trident Organica, Trident Cuddlies, Trident Bath Buddy and Trident Play. Some of its existing customers are Walmart, Target, IKEA, Kohl's, JC Penny and Macy's. During 2015-16, the company had 688 looms for manufacturing terry towels and over 500 looms capable of producing 43.2 million metres annually. Shares of Welspun India today continued to be dumped by investors. The stock closed at Rs 49.70, a drop of 8.64 per cent, or Rs 4.70, on the BSE. The counter has been on the receiving end since Target said it was terminating its relationship with the company as it substituted premium Egyptian cotton bedsheets with those made from relatively cheaper cotton. Target claimed that it discovered 7,50,000 sheets and pillowcases, which were labelled as Egyptian cotton but were made of different kind of cotton. In the past five sessions, shares of Welspun India have crashed around 52 per cent, wiping out over Rs 5,300 crore from its market valuation. There are reports that American retail chain Bed Bath & Beyond is conducting a third party audit of items sourced from the company, joining Walmart and JC Penny. Welspun India has appointed Ernst & Young LLP to review its supply chain systems and processes. Earlier, replying to analyst queries following Target's decision, managing director Rajesh Mandawewala said, "The audit will give us clarity on a number of questions, including where and how the issue occurred and what steps we will need to take to tighten our processes." | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/business/story_104744.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/765904abd5a3e8a315925fb39c41fcf42bd7dedb81e16ea9846e09ca5eac7bb5.json |
[
"Our Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The 13-year-old Jamshedpur girl, who became pregnant after allegedly being raped by her 65-year-old neighbour and made to undergo an abortion at a shady clinic in Ghatshila on Tuesday, was admitted to Tata Motors Hospital late on Thursday after her condition deteriorated. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104466.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Raped minor bleeds after abortion | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | The 13-year-old Jamshedpur girl, who became pregnant after allegedly being raped by her 65-year-old neighbour and made to undergo an abortion at a shady clinic in Ghatshila on Tuesday, was admitted to Tata Motors Hospital late on Thursday after her condition deteriorated. City SP Prashant Anand said they had plans to send the girl to MGM Medical College and Hospital for medical examination on Thursday for confirmation of rape and abortion, but instead had to rush her to Tata Motors Hospital. "She was bleeding profusely and had become very weak after the abortion. We think she may have developed some post-abortion complications. We will bring her to MGM once her condition gets better," Anand said. The SP added that they would find out which Ghatshila doctor performed the abortion and arrest him. The teenager's father, who is a native of Bankura, Bengal, but resides at Kharangajhar, Telco, where he also runs a general store, expressed anxiety over her health. "Though she is talking, she cannot walk properly. She is still bleeding," he told The Telegraph. Police sent the accused, Lakhi Pal, who claimed he is 71 and not 65 as mentioned in the FIR and hence, too old to impregnate the girl, to Ghaghidih Central Jail after producing him before a judicial magistrate on Thursday afternoon. He has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. "During interrogations, Pal said he was too old to make any girl conceive, but admitted to have molested the minor. But his confession was enough to book him for rape and invoke provisions of the POCSO Act against him," said Telco thana OC K.N. Ram. A resident of densely populated Kharangajhar, Pal had allegedly sexually exploited the 13-year-old for the past five months. The girl's parents came to know about it on Monday after she confided in her mother that she had skipped her periods for the past two months. On being coaxed further, she revealed that their neighbour had been forcing her into sex. When the girl's parents confronted Pal the same day, he apparently apologised for his "mistake" and offered to sponsor the teenager's abortion. Pal and his wife Krishna (55), a government schoolteacher, left with the girl for Ghatshila on Tuesday morning with the promise to return by evening. When they didn't come back, the girls parents panicked and informed police. Pal returned on Wednesday only to be nabbed at Tatanagar station. His wife wasn't arrested because she was not named in the FIR. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/jharkhand/story_104466.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/279bfbb3e2460b7dbe7f53440239589eafcd95ac0c37f78185cf6fd50cea2a2b.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T13:15:20 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | State-owned refiner Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will next week consider a bonus issue for its shareholders to capitalise part of its cash reserves. The move will fetch non-tax revenue for the government - its biggest shareholder. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160826%2Fjsp%2Fbusiness%2Fstory_104497.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104497.jsp/../../../images/26chart1(1).jpg;jsessionid=953D8BDD7271E75CD95D432C0095B918 | en | null | IOC bonus offer in pipeline | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | New Delhi, Aug. 25: State-owned refiner Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will next week consider a bonus issue for its shareholders to capitalise part of its cash reserves. The move will fetch non-tax revenue for the government - its biggest shareholder. The IOC board will meet on August 29 "to consider the issue of bonus shares", the company said in a BSE filing. In May, the government had issued a notification asking all PSUs to issue bonus shares if their defined reserves and surplus were equal to or more than 10 times their paid-up equity share capital. The rules, effective 2016-17, followed the Centre's view that many cash-rich PSUs were not enthusiastic about bonus issues, officials said. Taking a cue from the government directive, Power Finance Corporation and HPCL have already announced bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. While retail as well as other public shareholders will gain from the move, the key beneficiary will be the Centre, the majority shareholder. Over 18 listed PSUs, including Bhel, ONGC, BPCL and NMDC, are likely to issue bonus shares in the coming weeks. IOC is the country's largest commercial entity with a sales turnover of Rs 3,99,601 crore ($61 billion) and profit of Rs 10,399 crore ($1.58 billion) in 2015-16. It ranks 161 among the world's largest companies - and the first among Indian companies - in the Fortune Global 500 list for 2016. The government owns a 58.28 per cent stake in IOC, which controls nearly half of the country's fuel market, 35 per cent of the national refining capacity and 71 per cent of downstream pipelines. IOC owns and operates 11 of the country's 23 refineries with a capacity of 80.7 million tonnes per annum and a pipeline network of about 11,750km. Subsidy relief ONGC, Oil India and GAIL (India) have been exempted from sharing subsidy this fiscal because of the slump in global crude prices. "The oil companies would not have to pay anything for subsidising kerosene this year. Steps will be taken to ensure that only the deserving people get the subsidy," a senior oil ministry official said. The government has estimated global crude rates at around $44 a barrel this fiscal. It has provided Rs 26,947 crore for oil subsidy from its budgetary resources in 2016-17. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160826/jsp/business/story_104497.jsp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/5859fb8808e0293ecb16ec6e6df8c6574323dc456774a733f58b1ff3424f1360.json |
[
"Our Special Correspondent"
] | 2016-08-26T22:53:03 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Five persons were arrested in Bermo, around 40km from Bokaro city, on Thursday as police busted a gang that duped hundreds of people from across the country through newspaper ads. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraphindia.com%2F1160827%2Fjsp%2Fjharkhand%2Fstory_104669.jsp.json | http://www.telegraphindia.com/images/logo_200x200.gif | en | null | Srinagar call busts Bermo con ad gang | null | null | www.telegraphindia.com | Five persons were arrested in Bermo, around 40km from Bokaro city, on Thursday as police busted a gang that duped hundreds of people from across the country through newspaper ads. The police have already zeroed in on around 50 bank accounts and transactions worth around Rs 50 lakh, underlining the size and spread of the racket that claimed victims even in distant Jammu and Kashmir. The Bermo police got cracking after their Srinagar counterparts tipped them off about one Rajesh Boury, who had duped a Srinagar resident into depositing Rs 10,000 into an account at a bank at Kargali (Bermo). Swinging into action, the police rounded up Boury from his house in Bermo on Thursday morning. During interrogations, he revealed the names of other gang members - Rahul Ghansi, Horit Ghosh, Vikas Pathak, and Prakash Kumar Nishad - who were subsequently picked up from their houses, also in Bermo. However, kingpin Dilip Kumar Sao, who also hails from the same block, is still at large. Elaborating on the gang's modus operandi, Bermo DSP R.K. Mehta said these criminals used to publish small advertisements in various newspapers in different states with blurred faces of film actors and actresses and asked readers to identify them to win lucrative prizes. Sometimes, they published advertisements inviting bidders for installing mobile towers. The ads would carry the contact details, including mobile phone numbers and postal address. "Those who could identify the blurred pictures used to call the phone numbers given in the ads or send the answers to the given address. Once a reader contacted the gang members, they would ask him or her to deposit a very nominal amount say Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,000 as basic expenses to receive a big prize money of Rs 50,000 or Rs 1 lakh. Many readers followed the instructions and deposited the money to a bank account," the DSP said. "Those who expressed interest in setting up mobile towers in different cities and states were asked to deposit Rs 5,000 or Rs 10,000. Whenever the balance in an account rose significantly, they used to withdraw the money," he added. After preliminary investigations, DSP Mehta said the criminals had opened over 4 dozen accounts in several banks in Bermo, Bokaro city, Dhanbad and other places, using fake driving licences, PAN cards and address proofs. The police could not arrest kingpin Dilip Sao, who was apparently in Delhi. "We are in touch with Delhi police to zero in on him. Investigations are on to find out more details about the racket and others, if any, involved in it," he added. The five arrested criminals have been forwarded to Tenughat jail. | http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160827/jsp/jharkhand/story_104669.jsp | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.telegraphindia.com/8d1caccbf1f6baa396d80c6191ff6b54dcd5454aafff8471478a0342a44eb556.json |
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