Month: September 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a dig at his “secular friends” over his gifting a copy of the holy Hindu text ‘Bhagvad Gita’ to Japanese Emperor Akihito, saying they could kick up a storm and trigger TV debates back home.

Modi had an audience with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace here on the fourth day of his five-day visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral ties.

Addressing the members of the Indian community at a reception here, Modi spoke of him carrying a copy of the Gita during the Japan visit for gifting it to the Emperor.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today instructed irrigation department officials to prepare an action plan to make the state drought-proof.

He asked the department to identify and expedite the process of completing pending projects. Currently, the state has 54 irrigation projects under construction.

Reviewing at his office the status of existing projects, the Chief Minister ordered officials to identify ayacut areas of various projects that will irrigate farm lands. For this, he also asked them to prepare budget estimates within a week.

A-25-year-old Labourer died of injuries which he suffered after falling from height of a under construction building at Alwal.

According to Alwal police, the deceased Santosh (25) an Labourer Resident of Hashmathpet, On Monday morning hours deceased while working at fifth floor of under construction building, accidentally he fallen from height of a building due to which he received multiple injuries and died on the spot.

Alwal police registered a case and dead body shifted to Gandhi Hospital Mortuary for postmortem, after autopsy deceased body handed over to his relatives.

The BJP in Telangana has accused the ruling TRS of indulging in a “Goebbels campaign” against the the saffron party in the run-up to the Medak Lok Sabha bypolls in the state.

Objecting to the TRS leaders’ allegation against BJP candidate T Jayaprakash Reddy that he was an “integrationist” (who was against bifurcation of AP), state BJP president G Kishan Reddy questioned why TRS admitted leaders who came from parties known to be against division of AP.

Superstar Aamir Khan is bowled over by Hrithik Roshan’s dance moves in ‘Bang Bang’.

Aamir, 49, who recently watched the trailer of the action film, said Hrithik and female lead Katrina kaif are looking like “million bucks”.

“I wish I could dance half as well as Hrithik! I really loved the new song of ‘Bang Bang’. And the Bang Bang trailer is outstanding! Hrithik and Katrina look like a million bucks!,” Aamir posted on twitter.

Hrithik unveiled the film’s first romantic track ‘Tu Meri’ last month where the lead pairs could be seen doing some high-octane dance moves.

A 25-year-old MBA Student killed after he was hit by a train while trying to cross the railway track.

According to Nampally Railway Police, the deceased Devdas alias Diwakar (25) an MBA Student S/o Jayram Resident of Ramnagar, Native of Kagaznagar of Adilabad district, the deceased while trying to cross the railway track near Khairtabad railway station on Sunday night hours suddenly one speeding train hit due to which he was died on the spot.

Hyderabad Regional Passport Office today claimed that it had created a “national record” by issuing as many as 84,752 passports in the month of August.

It had conducted a pendency clearance drive during which the staff members worked in two shifts including on holidays, Saturdays and Sundays to clear the huge numbers which had accumulated due to shortage of booklets printed at the India Security Press (ISP) at Nashik, it said in a statement.

After receiving regular supply of booklets from ISP Nashik, the regional passport office undertook the drive, it stated.

A 18 year old student died after committed suicide by hanging at her residence on Monday morning hours in Alwal police station limits.

According to Alwal police, the deceased P Ravali Pooja (18) an Student D/o Krishna Mohan Resident of Gangaputra Colony of Alwal, had committed suicide by hanging at her residence on Monday morning hours, immediately she was rushed to nearest hospital where doctors declared brought dead. Suicide reason was not known yet.

A 24 year old MBBS student died after committed suicide by consumed unknown poison at her residence on Sunday night hours in Nallakunta police station limits.

According to Nallakunta police, the deceased A Ashwini (24) an MBBS student D/o Venkata Subbaiah Resident of Nallakunta, had committed suicide by consuming unknown poison at her residence on Sunday night hours, immediately she was rushed to nearest hospital for treatment where doctors declared brought dead.

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton may visit China in 2015 in an effort to repair strained diplomatic ties, after Prince Charles’ diary comments about Chinese officials, and PM David Cameron’s meeting with the Dalai Lama in May 2012, hampered the relations between the two countries.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to make the “peace-making” tour to the eastern Asian nation in 2015, but the visit will take place after Prince William’s 5-month training for his role as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance, the New York Daily News reported.

With just one month left to comply with Sebi’s corporate governance guidelines, more than half of the 1,469 companies listed on top stock exchange NSE are yet to appoint a woman director on their boards. Corporate governance norms, issued by Sebi in February this year, mandate all listed companies to have at least one woman director on board.

Seeking to make a mark in the big car segment, the country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India will open bookings of its upcoming mid-sized sedan Ciaz from tomorrow.

Ciaz will be available in petrol and Diesel fuel options powered by a 1.4 litre and 1.3 litre engines respectively.

“The global launch of Ciaz is planned during the forthcoming festival season,” the company said in a statement.

Ciaz’ main competitors will be Honda City, priced between Rs 7.19 lakh and Rs 11.05 lakh, and Hyundai Verna tagged between Rs 7.39 lakh and Rs 11.72 lakh (ex showroom Delhi).

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today underwent a planned elective laparoscopic procedure for diabetes management at a hospital here.

The procedure was carried out in a private hospital has been successful, a release issued by the BJP stated.

61-year-old Jaitley, who is a senior BJP leader, was admitted to the hospital yesterday and had undertaken some tests ahead of the surgery. His condition is stated to be fine.

Jaitley has been a diabetic for a few years.

—PTI

Pitching for a higher remunerative price for natural gas, state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has said it needs $6-7.15 to break-even on gas it plans to produce from its most prolific KG basin block. In its submission to the four-member panel of secretaries working out a new gas pricing mechanism, ONGC said in 2013-14 its cost of gas production, after including return on capital, came to $4.43 per million British thermal unit, higher than the current price of $4.2.

Struggling with her form, India’s top shuttler Saina Nehwal has split with National coach Pullela Gopichand and sought the help of former chief coach Vimal Kumar to prepare for the prestigious Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

Saina had broken her 20-month long Super Series title draught, winning the Australian Open in June and also performed well at the Uber Cup in May but fitness issues forced her to withdraw from her title defence of Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Slamming the move to appoint Justice P Sathasivam as Kerala Governor, Congress on Tuesday wondered whether there was anything in the former CJI’s “persona, functioning or decisions” that “pleased” Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP President Amit Shah.

Noting that Sathasivam was the first former Chief Justice set to be appointed as Governor, Congress wanted to know from the government whether it was moving to a system where “we expect judiciary to be committed to government for political patronage post retirement”.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a petition filed by Kingfisher Airline against being declared as wilful defaulter, saying it has become infructuous as the grievance redressal committee of Union Bank of India has already passed an order.

“Your grievance has been, that Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) should not decide the matter but they had already decided it, therefore your plea is infructuous” a bench comprising justices AR Dave and UU Lalit said.

Various reservoirs, which provide water to the city, including Osmansagar, Singur, Himayatsagar and others, have been receiving good amounts of water since Sunday night.

As of Monday morning, Singur received 6,776 cusecs of inflow, which is two times the inflow on Friday night. Himayatsagar continues to receive inflows and is only nine-feet short of reaching its full tank capacity of 1,763-feet.

If inflows continue in a similar manner, Water Board officials are planning to lift the gates to release water.

The governments in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh even after three months of bifurcation of the state, have failed to give a new lease of life the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which is considered to be a boon for needy and poor families to get financial assistance for emergency medical treatment.
Scores of CMRF applications have been lying pending for over five months in both the Secretariat.

Previously, CMs in the united state had sanctioned amounts ranging up to Rs 2 lakh, depending on the ailment of the beneficiary.

Removing poverty from the houses of Dalit and poor colonies is the main objective of KCR government and on Monday Chief Minister KC Rao as per his promised, visited six IDH Colonies of Boiguda in Secunderabad and took stock of the situation pertaining to infrastructure facilities and housing.

The Chief Minister while interacting with the colony residents announced that the government would construct pucca houses in city slums for poor bearing all costs to enable them led a respectable life.

`Operation Akarsh’, which is an initiative of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s seems to be paying off handsome dividends which won over two MLAs, three MLCs and a host of party leaders and workers from Ranga Reddy, Khammam, Nizamabad and other districts who joined the party on Monday and another MLA, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, met chief minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on the same day.

Yellandu MLA (Congress) Koram Kanakaiah from Khammam district, Wyra MLA (YSRCP) Madanlal and MLCs Venkateshwarlu, Rajeshwar Rao and Yadava Reddy joined the party at TRS Bhavan.

The much-awaited autobiography of batting icon Sachin Tendulkar will hit the stands on November 6 with a high-profile release of the book in his home city Mumbai.

The book, titled ‘Playing It My Way’, will be published worldwide by Hodder and Stoughton and by Hachette India in the Indian sub-continent.

The book has been co-authored by renowned cricket historian and media personality Boria Majumdar.

Disturbed over power cuts across Mumbai, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra today warned that this could be “a threat to the India story”.

The financial capital today witnessed power cuts in South and Central Mumbai due to tripping of a unit of Tata Power.

Mahindra signalled that power cuts could be due shortage of coal. In a tweet, Mahindra said: “Dark office in Mumbai. Lights out in the whole area. The coal crisis is beginning to literally show its dark side. A threat to the India story.”

Mahindra’s corporate office is situated in South Mumbai’s Worli area.

In an example of communal harmony, a 47-year-old Muslim butcher and his family have been celebrating Ganesh festival at their home which they say has brought them “happiness and prosperity”.

Aneesh Quereshi, his wife and three children have been performing the puja of the elephant-headed deity for last five years by installing the idol at their Shivrajpur village home in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district, about 60 kms from Godhra which was the epicenter of the 2002 riots.

Like many lasting legacies, one of Goa’s quaintest feasts, ‘Bonderam’ at Divar island, is believed to owe its origins to a fight. It’s also where you can get “shot” at with rice balls!

According to popular legend that dates back to the colonial Portuguese era, Divar, one of Goa’s most beautiful river islands near Panaji, comprised an agrarian community, where farmers during harvest would mark their village boundaries with colourful flags to deter encroachment of their harvest and land holdings by neighbouring clans – and thereby prevent fights which were common before the practice.