Month: October 2014

Finance Minister Andhra Pradesh Y Ram Krishnudu has asked the bankers to cooperation in connection with the implementation of loan waiver scheme to farmers. Addressing state level Bankers Committee meeting Y Ram Krishnudu directed bankers to focus on the target while issuing loans to SCs , STs, BCs, minorities and women. He revealed that government by providing loans to SCs , STs, BCs, minorities and women wants link them with small business. He told that banks should focus on meeting the target set by the government in connection with release of loans.

Twelve people were injured when a man went on a stabbing spree at a KFC outlet in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on Tuesday in yet another copycat attack by a disgruntled individual.

The suspect, Li, was caught at the scene, Xinhua news agency reported.

Li slashed diners at the restaurant in Daqing on Tuesday evening. Of the 12 people injured, two were in critical condition. A preliminary investigation showed Li, a native of Daqing, was too ill to keep his job at a factory. He told police he had attacked out of despair, Xinhua report said.

–PTI

A delegation of Gujjars, led by Kirori Bainsla, on Tuesday night held a meeting with Rajasthan ministers Rajendra Rathore and Hem Singh Bhadana over the issue of reservation.

The meeting, held at the residence of Bhadana, ended on a positive note as the Gujjars agreed to discuss the issue further with legal experts tomorrow to make sure that the case is represented strongly in favour of the community during the next hearing in high court where the issue is subjudice.

Maruti Suzuki India Tuesday announced recall of 69,555 units of Dzire, Swift and Ritz models manufactured between March 2010 and August 2013 to repair wiring harness fitment.

The recall is only for the diesel variants of the three models. Out of the total, 55,938 units are of old Dzire, 12,486 units of old Swift and 1,131 units of Ritz, which were manufactured between March 8, 2010 and August 11, 2013, the company said in a statement.

This exercise is limited to vehicles within the above specified range and does not pertain to any other vehicle of the company or its exports, it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from the United States of America on Tuesday night after concluding a five-day visit.

While leaving for India, Modi thanked the US.

“Thank you America. I achieved a lot in these five days. I am going back to India very satisfied.”

Modi will arrive back home today.

The PM held over two-hour-long summit talks with US President Barack Obama on Tuesday, invited US defence companies to invest in India.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju are expected to visit the flood-affected areas of Assam on Wednesday.

The ministers are also expected to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Meghalaya.

Sixty-seven people have been killed in the floods in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than four lakh people continue to be affected by floods in at least five districts of Assam.

Realtors’ apex body CREDAI on Tuesday expressed disappointment over RBI’s policy to keep key policy rates unchanged and sought a cut in interest rates to boost housing demand.

“The Confederation of Real Estate Developer’s Associations of India is disappointed with the status quo on the RBI policy rates and demands a reduction in interest rates to facilitate lowering of entry barrier and spur demand for the real estate sector,” the organisation said in a statement.

Price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was Tuesday cut by Rs 21 per cylinder and that of jet fuel (ATF) by a steep 3 percent on the back of falling international oil rates.

This is the third straight reduction in rates of non- subsidised LPG since July.

A non-subsidised 14.2-kg cooking gas cylinder will now cost Rs 880, down from Rs 901, in Delhi, according to Indian Oil Corp (IOC).

A subsidised LPG cylinder in Delhi costs Rs 414.

For the fourth time in a row, RBI kept key interest rates unchanged on Tuesday maintaining that it will not cut them unless inflation moderates to anticipated levels, disappointing borrowers and the industry in this festive season.

Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan hoped that inflation will moderate to acceptable level of 6 percent by January 2016 and maintained that the GDP growth in the current fiscal will be 5.5 percent, same as projected earlier.

A new survey has revealed that working in an open-plan office affects employees’ health and productivity.

Extensive international research from Ipsos and the Workspace Futures Team of Steelcase has shown that 85 percent of people are dissatisfied with their working environment and can’t concentrate, while of those surveyed 95 percent said working privately was important to them, but only 41 percent said they could do so, and 31 percent had to leave the office to get work completed.

A new report has revealed that global wildlife population has been halved in 40 years.

The London Zoological Society (ZSL) said that in its new Living Planet Index that populations of m ammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52 percent, while populations of freshwater species have suffered an even worse fall of 76 percent, the BBC reported.

Scientists have found that ventilation while cooking with a gas stove is essential, as the lack of it was linked to childhood asthma.

According to the researchers from Oregon State University, though they can’t say that gas stove use without ventilation causes respiratory issues, but the new study clearly showed an association between having asthma and use of ventilation.

Finding time to work out during hectic professional life is difficult but what if ten minutes of your time can help in gaining a positive effect on your fitness and health. Following some easy to do cardio exercises can do wonders in your life, says an expert.

Simple Sculptathon, created by fitness expert Anna Reich, comprises a mix of cardio and toning dance moves such as ballet and Pilates thereby helping in acquiring that perfect body and mind, reports femelafirst.co.uk.

Led by healthy growth in coal, cement and electricity sectors, the eight core industries grew by 5.8 percent in August this year against 4.7 percent in the same month last year.

The sectors of coal, cement and electricity grew by 13.4 percent, 10.3 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, in the month under review, according to the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

Steel production expanded by 9.1 percent in August this year as against 8.1 percent in August 2013.

However, production of crude oil and natural gas declined by 4.9 percent and 8.3 percent respectively.

Researchers have used a clever recycling strategy to develop a new eco-friendly battery using materials from alfalfa (lucerne seed) and pine resin.

“We think our discovery can open several doors to more environment-friendly, energy-efficient solutions for the batteries of the future,” said Daniel Brandell, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, and one of the researchers behind the idea.

India’s Aarti Khakal was ousted in round of 32 of the women’s 57kg taekwondo competition of the 17th Asian Games here Wednesday.

Aarti, 22, lost 8-15 to Kazakhstan’s Ganiya Alzak at the Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium.

Aarti got off to a good start taking a 2-0 lead in the first round with her first kick but the 17-year-old Kazakh girl turned the tables in the next round, surging ahead 4-3 lead.

In the third round, Ganiya found another gear as her third kick earned three points.

Two explosions in quick succession went off in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul Wednesday.

“The first explosion took place at 6.20 a.m. and it was followed by another blast at 6.32 a.m.,” an official said.

“The first blast targeted a government bus carrying security personnel in Kart-e-Char locality in western Kabul,” Xinhua quoted the official as saying.

Details about the second blast are not known yet.

New York City has the world’s largest number of billionaires but Asian cities, which include Mumbai, dominate the list of top 20 billionaire places in the world, indicating that the region is at the beginning of a new cycle in wealth creation, says a report.

According to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014, in Asia the billionaire population continued to increase in size and economic significance, with 30 per cent of the net increase in total billionaire wealth coming from the region.

An India-US combined military training exercise – Yudh Abhyas 2014 – in Uttarakhand concluded Sep 30, officials said Wednesday, adding the exercise strengthened cooperation between the two armies.

The exercise, which commenced Sep 17 Ranikhet and Chaubattia, was the 10th in the Yudh Abhyas series, which began 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership programme.

Officials told IANS that the exercise strengthened and broadened “interoperability and cooperation between the Indian and the US armies”.

Leaders of Movement for Education and Economic Telangana (MEET) and INSAAF Organization of Greater Hyderabad in a Joint Press Statement termed the judgment against Ms. Jailalitha appropriate and said that its effect would be cast on the Govt. of Delhi and other states. The political jokers have usurped the wealth of the country which resulted in devaluation of our currency in the world market. The departments of Anti-Corruption, Enforcement Directorate and CBI should take active part to eradicate corruption from this country. They said that corruption is spreading in the country like cancer.

Gujarat Government today granted yet another extension of one month till October 31 to the Justice Nanavati Commission, the 24th since it was set up, probing the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

“The Nanavati Commission has today sent their proposal seeking one-month extension till October 31, which was granted by the Gujarat Government,” state Law Secretary VP Patel told PTI.

This is the 24th extension granted to the commission by state government, which is reportedly in the final stages of preparing a report and may submit it after a month.

Sandeep Kumar and Basanta Bahadur Rana failed to add to India’s medal tally as they finished fourth and fifth in the men’s 50km race walk event of the 17th Asian Games here Wednesday.

Sandeep Kumar and Basanta Rana were sixth and seventh — the final two places — before Japan’s Yuki Yamakazi was disqualified with five kilometres remaining, moving them one place up.

Zhang Lin of China, who was in fourth position till the 40th km, started tailing off in the final 10. It was his compatriot Wang Zhendong who overtook him first to move into third place with five kilometres remaining.

Govt. of Telangana has decided to extend the tenure of office of Staff of Survey Commissioner of Wakf for a further period one year. Now it will function till 30th June 2015. The staff whose services have been extended include Joint Commissioner, Asst. Survey Commissioner (3), Senior Assistants (3), Junior Assistants and Computer Operators (4), Surveyors (2) and Chainmen and Attenders (5).

–Siasat News

Mr. Ahmed Nadeem, Secretary of Minorities Welfare is on long leave from 22nd September to 4th October and Mr. Syed Omer Jaleel is on leave for the past 4 days. The functioning of the Departments of Minorities Welfare in Telangana and A.P. States has come to a standstill. The portfolio of Minorities Welfare in Telangana State is with the CM and the officials of the department find it difficult to find an access to CM for getting the files cleared. In A.P. State this portfolio is held by a non-Muslim Minister. Mr.

At least nine people were killed and over a dozen got injured when two trains collided late Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur city, officials said.

The accident took place after Krishak Express jumped a signal that brought it on the same track as Barauni Express. The incident took place around 11:30 p.m. when the Barauni Express was passing the Nandanagar crossing.

The driver of the Krishak Express was to halt at the ‘home signal’ but he apparently jumped the red signal leading to a head on collision with the Barauni Express, officials said.