Edditorial

Testing for Special Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:45:00 +0000

Test Test

Jammu and Kashmir tries to stop judges pay hike

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:24:00 +0000

The Jammu and Kashmir government recently invoked Article 370 against its own judges. The state government cited special status under Article 370 of the Constitution to unsuccessfully resist a Supreme Court order directing implementation of the recommendations in the Justice Padmanabhan Committee report on salary hike for judges.

It argued that the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution governs judicial services in the state. Though Article 370 makes most central laws inapplicable to the state, when it comes to deciding the rights of individuals vis- a- vis the state, the provisions of law have more often than not been interpreted in favour of the rights of individuals.

Rejecting a claim for immunity, the National Human Rights Commission recently held that it had the jurisdiction to look into human rights violations committed by state officials or police if their acts fell outside the ambit of the law.

Abhay Deol girlfriend Preeti Desai creates 'Shor in the City' !

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Colonial cousin, ‘Miss Great Britain’ and Kingfisher Swimsuit model Preeti Desai is a British Indian, born in a Gujarati family and the newest entrant to B-Town. Yet, no one is as glamour struck by her as she is herself ! She asks “ So, you seem to be awe struck, isn’t it?” and answers it herself; “ I know what you are thinking! That I have modeled as a ‘Nangi punki’ gal on KFC?” Well, why did she do it we oblige by asking. “ I was invited by Vijay Mallya as ambassador and I was indeed happy about it. I see no reason not to take this opportunity, hence, I just agreed to do it,” she says, candidly.

But don’t blame her if her words get mixed up - her Hindi is not so good, she says. Preeti is gearing up to make a noise with Ekta’s home production ‘Shor in the Citya’. “ I am working in Balaji’s film ‘ Shor In the City’ opposite Hollywood actor Sendhil Ramamurthy. I would not hesitate to tell you that I got this film through my secretary or that I do not have that many scenes in the film; just a few. It was like a screen test! I am not very fluent with Hindi, as I am just learning to speak, so I decided to venture into films with ‘Shor…’, in which I can speak the way I speak in my real life. I am happy to be working opposite Sendhil,” Preeti says. It’s not that she is new to Hindi entirely, she hastens to add. “ I can speak Hindi, just not very fluently, so I speak to new faces in English.

I do not want to use anything which might offend them. I believe I will hone my Hindi language skills very soon. On a lighter note, she adds, “ None of my friends ever tried to teach me ‘ gaalis’ in Hindi.’ What? Not even Abhay? “ No personal queries please,” she snaps.

How did a pretty girl like her, a complete newbie, skip the casting couch entirely? “ My secretary accompanies me everywhere so the question of CC does not arise,” she says.

So, does her secretary shadow her? “ I feel every girl in any profession if she comes across a casting couch problem needs to use her brains and skip it without creating a show. Girls should be smart enough to avoid being victims,” she says, though she admits, “ I’ve been lucky not to be approached in this respect. Moreover I am not the desperate kind. I am here to get work, but I am taking my strides smartly enough! Also people come to know from my attitude that I will not accept their invitation. I am not running after money. Working with a good production house helps one avail an opportunity totally on the basis of talent.” Preeti shares a live- in- relationship with the talented actor Abhay Deol, but it looks like she’s been well trained by the reclusive Abhay. She cuts us short, “ No personal questions please.”

DD vs DC : Resurgent Delhi Daredevils have Deccan Chargers in sight

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Delhi Daredevils got a new lease of life in the Indian Premier league (IPL) with a morale- boosting win over Pune Warriors on Sunday and are now charged up against Deccan Chargers who have the monkey off their back, finally, with their first victory at home this season. The Daredevils got their campaign on track with a superb run- chase against Pune that will surely keep their detractors at bay, at least for some time.

On Tuesday, at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, they face Deccan Chargers, who finally won a match at home after three seasons but apart from their sole win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Hyderabad outfit hasn’t looked very convincing.

But as the tournament has shown so far, none of the teams can be underestimated and every side now has a win against its name. Delhi’s floundering batting finally came good against Pune when they chased down an imposing score of 187 on Sunday. Openers Virender Sehwag and David Warner will again shoulder a majority of home expectations while Venugopal Rao’s form has come as another major boost for the side.

But the worrying aspect for the Daredevils would be the lack of consistent performance and bowling would be another area where the team needs to pull up its socks. Irfan Pathan is yet to fire and so far, he has failed to justify the millions of dollars that were spent on him by the franchise owner.

Apart from South African Morne Morkel none of the Delhi bowlers have looked penetrative and the domestic players haven’t been too impressive. Umesh Yadav and Ashoke Dinda haven’t been able to hit the top gear and with pacemen Ajit Agarkar and Varun Aaron waiting in the wings for their first matches, Delhi have the option to try the untested combo.

Morkel, who missed the last match on Sunday, looks to have recovered from the injury he sustained and did bowl at the nets during the team’s training session on Monday evening. But a final call on his availability will be taken only before the match.

All- rounder James Hopes, in all probability, is likely to retain his place ahead of Matthew Wade. For most of the teams, relatively unknown players from India’s domestic circuit have come good but for Delhi there hasn’t been any such player.

For Deccan Chargers, the going has been tough as well and they have won just one of their four matches. The team has some big names with captain Kumar Sangakkara being the most prominent of them all.

JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan and Bharat Chipli have had a decent run while the Deccan have a good bowling line- up with Dale Steyn leading their pace attack.

Besides, the Chargers also have the spinners like Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha who can exploit the Kotla wicket that is known for its slow and low nature. Despite the presence of good players, the 2009 champions haven’t been found a footing in the tournament. A major reason for their not- so- impressive start in the event is that the players haven’t fired in unison.

All- rounder Cameron White hasn’t had a game yet for the Chargers and it remains to be seen if the Australian finds a place in the playing XI against the Daredevils.

Surely going by their track record, Daredevils start as favourites against a struggling Deccan Chargers. But as the tournament has seen so far shown, no team can be taken lightly and a lot of team have paid heavy price for being complacent.

Daredevils are one of the prime examples of that when their under- fire batting went on to bring the high- flying Pune Warriors down to earth. But Deccan would certainly not be pushovers, especially against the Delhi side that has just Warner and Sehwag from their previous teams.

DDA Housing Scheme 2010 draw result list published on DDA website

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:07:00 +0000

The much awaited draw for the 16,118 Delhi Development Authority flats was conducted at the premises of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Noida’s Sector 62 around noon on Monday.

The total number of applications put to draw was 755,075. Though the results were already accessible from the DDA website by Monday evening, several applicants could be seen outside the CDAC campus waiting for the draw to take place. However, officials claimed that due to space constraint at the CDAC campus, only a few people could actually witness the draw.

Among them were four independent observers — Prabhat Kumar, an IAS officer, B. V. Rao, senior journalist, Udai Shankar, director in the ministry of development of North East Region and C. K. Chaturvedi, additional district judge in the Saket court.

The draw was conducted in a basement hall, though the DDA had also set up a couple of screens in another room on the ground floor for journalists to monitor the event. The entire top brass of the DDA led by its vice- chairperson G. S. Patnaik and commissioner (housing) Asma Manzar was present for the draw.

At around 12 noon the four judges began picking up one digit each from the containers placed in front of them. The digits chosen by the judges formed the seed number on the basis of which the DDA software would then randomly allot flats. The first person who bagged a flat in this random draw turned out to be a lady named Ragini.

However, with 16, 117 flats to be randomly allotted among more than 7. 55 lakh applicants, even the DDA software powered by the CDAC computer took a lot of time. The machine kept doing its permutations and combinations for nearly four hours after which a CD containing the results was taken to the DDA headquarters in Vikas Sadan and uploaded on its website by 7 pm.

The civic agency’s officials said they had made special arrangements to ensure that the site did not crash even if the number of hits was more than expected. In the evening, though, the website got painfully slow.

They, however, maintained that the software designed for this system had been used for several DDA housing schemes in the past and had even been scrutinised by a crime branch investigating team that had found the system fit.

According to the officials, an important feature of this allotment system is that the entire trail of allotment will also be available as a printout. “ In case any doubts surface, the trail would easily be able to pinpoint the discrepancies,” officials said.

Among the coveted flats allotted in the scheme were furnished flats at D-6, Vasant Kunj. These flats were prepared for the Commonwealth Games. Allotments were also made for 336 multi- storey three bedroom flats in Mukherjee Nagar, 144 in Motia Khan, 320 in Jasola, 947 in Dwarka, 560 in Rohini, and four flats in Pitampura, ranging from Rs. 54 to Rs. 85 lakh . The civic agency also offered 24 two bedroom flats in Kalyan Vihar , five in Vasant Kunj ,18 in Rohini- Pitampura and Jahangirpuri , and two in Narela and Sarai Kale Khan each, ranging from Rs. 21 to Rs. 41 lakh.

Flats are also available in Rohini, Narela, Dwarka, Loknayakpuram, Zafrabad, Narela, Molar Band and Kondli Gharoli and other areas. Currently, DDA is working on a housing scheme exclusively for the economically weaker section of the society. According to DDA officials, the land agency has completed 25 per cent of the total construction of houses under this scheme. The time of launch of scheme, however, is not known.

After Anna Hazare it is Binayak Sen !

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:16:00 +0000

First Anna and then Binayak make activists a happy lot. Last week Anna Hazare made the government blink on the Lokpal bill and now the apex court's bail to human rights activist from Chhatisgarh Binayak Sen has brought joy to the city's motley group of activists and campaigners.

Especially after Anna Hazare's anti corruption campaign that galvanized the entire nation and got the government to bend, social activists are seeing human rights activists Binayak Sen's release as a major morale booster for civil society, whose voice is now finally being heard.

" We welcome the Supreme Court's (SC) decision which was long awaited. Justice was delayed but not denied and we are happy about it," says Wilfred Dcosta, convenor, Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF). " It is a great victory for us because the issue galvanized the people who were in slumber and have now woken up. Though symbolic it has given us a moral boost and we will continue our fight against injustice," Dcosta adds. Goldwin Fonseca who actively campaigned for Sen's release on the Internet is jubilant.

"I welcome the SC's decision. The state was out of touch with its people and now they're being forced to listen. It's a people's democracy and not the government's and we are finally moving in that direction," he says. On being asked if it was too early to celebrate only symbolic victories he retorted, " It might be only symbolic but in a country like ours only symbolism has brought people together.

"Surprisingly, two common men, Anna Hazare and Binayak Sen have become rallying points for the people to stand for a cause, giving them much needed hope in these distressing times.

Explaining that Anna's movement was successful in mobilizing the large and often ignorant middle class, Surendra Srivastava, who heads the Loksatta campaign in Mumbai says, "Anna's movement proved that when the people unite for a specific issue, change can happen. The powerful can't ignore the people any more." He adds that Sen's bail has moved those who had lost faith in the system.

DDA draw results 2011 now available on its website

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +0000

DDA has now made available the results of the much awaited DDA housing scheme of 2010. The list of successful candidates can be downloaded from the official website of Delhi Development Authority. The list of 1021 pages displays the complete details of the successful applicants which includes form number, father's name and details of the flat allotted to the applicant.

There has been lot of speculation about the time of these results however it has to be said that DDA has done a commendable job to make the results public before the expected time to clear off the anxiety among the 7.53 lakhs applicants for over 16 thousand flats in the various parts of Delhi.

The draw was conducted amidst the tight security arrangements and huge gathering of people at CDAC’s sector-62 office. The proceedings were minutely observed via live footage on the television placed outside the hall by the number of applicants who gathered at the place of draw.

Congratulations to the successful applicants from our whole team.

Time yet not declared for DDA draw results 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:29:00 +0000

DDA might again be following the same old path where it finds itself amidst endless controversies as there has been official time declared as of now for the biggest ever housing scheme launched by Delhi Development Authority. Sources and major newspapers have confirmed that the draw is conducted today in Noida at the CDAC campus as later has the equipment to carry out the transparent draw which DDA doesn't, of around 16,200 flats against the 7.53 lakhs application received.

A DDA official who didn't want to be named confirmed that the scheme launched is 3 times bigger than its previous housing scheme and it would take more than 4-5 hours to carry out the draw which means it might not be possible for DDA to make the results public today.

The question here comes that why DDA didn't not make the arrangements earlier and plan the things accrodingly to keep the applicants in loop for every step taken for the flats to be alloted in the areas like Vasant Kunj, Mukherjee Nagar, Motia Khan, Jasola, Dwarka, Rohini, Narela, Jaffarabad, Kondli and Gharoli.

Meanwhile, Noida administration has made tight security arrangements for the draw at C-DAC’s sector-62 office keeping in mind a huge gathering, traffic police personnel, and women police officers have also been deployed. It seems that once again the applicants of DDA are on their own and would have to rely on the grapevine and not on the official word of the development authority.

The smiling face of Infosys, Mohandas Pai quits

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 04:26:00 +0000

He was the smiling face of Infosys, infusing a livelier spirit and a louder passion as he went about hiring and training tens of thousands of youngsters who power the IT bellwether called Infosys Technologies Limited. He was also the first among the non founders to take on this larger, public persona, and over time became a face and a voice instantly recognised as he interacted on the larger issues of education and training systems that are seen as a weak link in India's growth story.

And he achieved this presence and recognition while working in a company that has titanic founders like Chairman and Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy, former Co- Chairman and now head of the Unique Identification Authority of India Nanadan Nilekani, CEO and MD S Gopalakrishnan, and COO S D Shibulal. So on Friday, as Infosys announced its results, the embedded announcement that Pai is leaving the board and the company came as shock for the markets.

Riding on the back of Infosys results that were seen as lower than market expectations and a guidance for growth lower than that projected by analysts, the Infosys stock fell an incredible 9.59 per cent to close the day at Rs. 2,988, down Rs. 317 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The BSE IT Index was down 6.4 per cent as Infosys dragged sentient and the entire IT pack down. Some saw Pai in the mould of an over ambitious leader who had lost out the race for the top. Others said the exit was a result of succession battles that were still brewing within and would be a blow, coming at a time when the company is preparing for life without the active leadership of Narayana Murthy.

Murthy turns Chairman Emeritus in August, when his term ends. In interviews through the day, Pai himself was quoted as saying that he was leaving to make way for younger leaders who would take Infosys to the next level. " I sent the official mail to Murthy at 10.30 pm last night. Today at 7.45 am it was discussed at the Board Meeting.

I told the board I would like to go," 52- year- old Pai was quoted by PTI as saying. He said he was demitting office to " make way for change". It marked the end of a 17-year career in which Pai got the space he needed as he grew in stature, starting out as Chief Financial Officer and then voluntarily and unconventionally moving to human resources.

He was designated "Head - Administration, Education and Research, Finacle, Human Resources, and Infosys Leadership Institute". Pai himself said had no aspiration to be CEO or COO of Infosys though he was asked by Narayana Murthy if that is what he sought. " I said 'No'. I don't have such aspirations. I spoke to board. I felt this being the (Kannada) New ear, this would be the right time," he was quoted as having said. Also announced on Friday was the exit of Mr. K. Dinesh, member of the Infosys board and a co- founder of the company, A three- member nominations committee is working to present a succession plan and names to fill the positions of CEO, COO and CFO. The board of directors has scheduled a meeting on April 30 to finalise the new leadership line up. Infosys employs 1,30,820 people and reported revenues of Rs. 27,500 crores for the year ended March 2011.

Baba Ramdev is too busy for Lokpal bill panel

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:11:00 +0000

Yoga exponent Baba Ramdev, who had slammed the composition of the Jan Lok Bill Drafting Committee, on Wednesday, contended that he was “not interested” in being part of the panel.

“We have been supporting Anna Hazare in his campaign against corruption. I am too busy with my professional obligations. I do not want to be part of the drafting committee. All we want is to ensure that the committee completes the task assigned to it in the right manner,” Ramdev said.

Ramdev, who had questioned the composition of the committee during a rally in Haridwar recently, refused to comment more on the issue. “I do not want to start a controversy by commenting on the members of the trust. Let the committee start its work,” he said.

During the Haridwar rally, Ramdev had alleged nepotism in the constitution of the drafting committee. “Why are both the father and the son accommodated in the committee?” he had questioned, referring to advocates Shanti (father) and Prashanth Bhushan.

Ramdev said that certain sections, including the corporate world could target him for speaking against corruption. “I have been highlighting the issue of black money at various forums. That’s why many allegations are being levelled against me,” he contended.

He claimed that the transactions of his Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust (Haridwar) were “clean” and “transparent” and his succession plan was in place. “I know that everybody is questioning about my Trust. I am clean, so is my Trust,” he said, adding that he was opposed to the idea of government taking over religious Trusts.

DDA Housing Scheme 2010 draw on 18 April

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:48:00 +0000

Trusted sources have confirmed that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Housing Scheme 2010 draw would held on 18 April behind the closed doors where no outsider will be allowed. While the draw is taking place inside, a big screen TV would be placed outside for the applicants who want to keep an eye on the proceedings. Unlike its previous housing scheme, the draw will not take place at Vikas Sadan this time which is the head quarter of DDA, however the location has been changed to CDAC, located in Noida where all the activities will take place.

An DDA official who didn't wish to be named said, "We are trying bring in as much transparency as we can and overcome the difficulties we had in the housing scheme of 2008".

On the contrary, things do not look going their way as things have not gone as promised by DDA so far. A senior DDA official confirmed couple of months back that DDA would be publishing the name of eligible candidates (around 7 Lakhs) on its website and in major newspapers. Applicants could check the status of their forms on the DDA site but for couple of days only, those who could not check it during those days are now struggling to confirm their eligibility where as there was list of applicants to be seen in the newspapers.

The result of the computerized draw will be published on the DDA website, while letters will be dispatched to the allottees through speed post. The allottees would have to make the payment of the allotted flat within 90 days from the date of issue of demand letter without interest, if there is any delay, 15% interest would also have to be incurred by the allottees within 180 days. Failure to the payment in the mentioned time will mean that the allotment stands cancelled. Allotment would be transferred to the applicants from the waiting list which would be of 600 candidates.

Ambedkar Jayanti & legacy belongs to the country: Grandson

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Prakash Ambedkar, leader of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and grandson of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar said the legacy of Dr Ambedkar belonged to the entire country and that no faction of RPI could lay sole claim to it. " We don't need to throw stones at people's homes to prove that we are popular," said an introspective Ambedkar as he spoke to us about the current developments in the State's Dalit politics on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti.

Appreciating Anna Hazare's recent campaign for the Lokpal Bill, Ambedkar said, "While the campaign was hugely successful and received wide spread support, the Lokpal Bill was a mechanism to deal with post- corruption issues while the real change would happen when corruption is prevented in the first place." Further pointing to the fact that the poor and the downtrodden bore the brunt of corruption, Prakash said, " The focus needs to be on the causes and not the treatment and only the will there be real change." On Anupam Kher's alleged remarks on the Constitution, Prakash said, "It is easy to criticise things. If Kher has a problem, he should provide a solution.

Standing at Jantar Mantar for a few days is easy, but studying the Constitution is not."Coming down heavily on the Ramdas Athavale-led Republican Party of India (RPI-A) for attacking Kher's house, he condemned the attack. "It is unconstitutional and purely a publicity seeking gimmick. Those claiming to carry forward Babasaheb's legacy don't know the very virtues that he preached," retorted Prakash.

Stressing the need to end factionalism within the Dalit polity, which is hampering the development of Dalits, Prakash spoke of creating an alternative front of Dalit groups. " We need to fight a united battle but at the same time we can't compromise on our core agenda." Asked if other Dalit factions were more vocal, popular and walking away with Babashaeb's legacy, Prakash retorted that nuisance value did not determine popularity. " We (BBM) have the most number of elected representatives in the State and in a democracy it is the people's mandate that matters, not TRPs," said Prakash, adding that, “ We will go full throttle in the local body polls and the results will speak louder than any one's slogans.”

Bonhomie in the air : Vilasrao and Munde took a helicopter ride together

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:54:00 +0000

Despite political differences, bonhomie seems to be in the air, with Union Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress and BJP general secretary and MP Gopinath Munde taking a copter ride together to temple town of Shirdi last week.

Through exchange of pleasantries they gave out the message of ' ye dosti hum nahin todenge' (we will not break friendship, come what may). However on the issue of Anna Hazare, the duo struck a divergent note at a joint press conference addressed by them. While Vilasrao Deshmukh objected to news channels harping on the central government bowing down before Anna to rectify Lok Pal bill, Munde saw nothing objectionable in it.

Deshmukh said it was wrong to say that the Centre had bowed before the social activist. He said the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had given her support to Anna Hazare’s campaign and that the UPA was very serious about the issue of corruption and to combat the same, the government was taking every step. He said the UPA was committed to passing the Lok Pal bill and even referred to the then NDA government as having tried its best to get the bill through.

On the other hand, Munde said that the government had to take the cognisance of Anna’s struggle largely owing to the groundswell his campaign against corruption was generating. He said the draft of the Lok Pal Bill had been gathering dust all these years, it was only but after the countrywide agitation on the issue that the government was galvanised into action.

He said it would take two third majority support to pass the bill in the parliament and this is where the role of his party comes in. He also said the BJP would extend its full support to the bill during the voting. Thus he seemed to have rebutted his friends remarks.

Both Vilasrao Deshmukh and Gopinath Munde, attired in spotless white and black jacket, arrived in Shirdi accompanied by revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat. It’s not known if the helicopter they travelled in was hired of if the politicos themselves paid the fare out of their pockets or whether the government funded the fare despite the visit being personal in nature.

Reiterating that they were pucca friends and that they never let their political differences come in the path of their friendship, the duo together visited the temple and had the darshan. They also said that wherever they decide to go, they go together.

SB deposit rate: RBI must review its policy

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 06:24:00 +0000

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) freed fixed deposit rates 15 years ago and banks have shown great maturity and judgment in determining their individual bank’s structure of fixed deposit rates. There has not been any deposit interest rate war among banks, although banks have offered different rates taking into account the maturity structure of their deposits and their liquidity position.

The Savings Bank Deposit Interest Rate continues to be fixed by the RBI. Despite periods of surplus funds or tight liquidity in the banking system, the Savings Bank Deposit Interest Rate has been unchanged, rock-like for the past eight years at 3.5 per cent per annum.

From time to time, the RBI has mooted the issue of freeing the Savings Bank Deposit Rate, but on each occasion the RBI has backed off. In October 2010, the RBI indicated that it would present a Discussion Paper on deregulation of the Savings Bank Deposit Rate, but such a Discussion Paper has, not as yet, been put out in the public domain.

Savings Bank Deposits account for about 25 per cent of total deposits. The proportion of these deposits is generally higher for public sector banks and new private sector banks. The public sector banks have vociferously argued against the freeing of the Saving Bank Deposit Rate. These banks fear that freeing this rate will make Savings Bank deposits volatile. It is claimed that banks provide free or heavily subsidized services to Savings Bank accounts. Some banks opposed to freeing the Savings Bank Deposit Rate raise the bogey that if this rate is raised or freed it will work against the objective of attaining financial inclusion (i. e. bringing in more people into the organized banking sector).

Again, it is argued that many depositors use Savings Bank Accounts like Current Accounts and moreover, these depositors can easily switch from Savings Bank Accounts to Fixed Deposits. It is argued that if the Savings Bank rate is freed then banks would have the freedom to offer higher rates to larger deposits and lower rates to smaller deposits. This will work against the basic objective of financial inclusion.

It bears mentioning that depositor loyalty is ferociously strong and depositors do not readily shift from one bank to another; this is borne out by the experience of freeing fixed deposit rates. In the case of Savings Bank Accounts one must recognize who is subsidizing whom. As the late Mr. M. R. Pai, the indefatigable consumer activist, said banks are living off the ignorance of depositors.

Once depositors fully understand their rights banks will be in trouble. The larger Savings Bank depositors use this facility as a Current Account and use techniques such as Sweeping Accounts or Multiple Fixed Deposits options under which deposits are moved out of Savings Bank Accounts to Fixed Deposits and back to Savings Bank Accounts without any significant loss of interest in fact these facilities enable depositors to earn much more than on the Savings Bank Accounts.

The bulk of Savings Bank Deposit Accounts are small but very stable and many of these depositors do not use cheque book facilities. Under the present system of an unchanged Savings Bank Deposit Rate, larger depositors enjoy many facilities while the small depositors are inflicted by artificially depressed rates of interest.

It is not advocated here that that there should be a one- shot deregulation of the present interest rate of 3.5 per cent fixed by the RBI. What is suggested is that the RBI should undertake a series of “baby steps”, which, after all, is the present theology of the RBI. Debits to Savings Bank Accounts should be restricted to 52 per year (this was the practice till the 1960s) and any excess debits should be subject to a hefty charge. Again, those depositors opting for cheque facilities should be subject to steep charges (some banks already follow such a practice).

Interest on Savings Bank Accounts should be given only on balances up to Rs 2 lakh on any one day. This will ensure that large depositors with frequent transactions will prefer to maintain Current Accounts or Fixed Deposits.

It should be clearly stipulated that a bank cannot discriminate among Savings Bank Accounts irrespective of the size of the deposit and the rate of interest payable should be uniform for all customers.

Subject to these provisos the Savings Bank Deposit Rate could be gradually freed. In the first stage, the present fixed rate of 3.5 per cent should be the floor and should not exceed 4.5 per cent. Banks would need to be cautioned that the rate offered by them on Savings Bank Accounts should not erode their margins and profitability. Some banks will find it to their advantage to offer higher rates on Savings Bank Accounts and refrain from mobilizing fixed deposits at relatively high rates while other banks would not find it remunerative to raise the Savings Bank Rate above the floor.

The RBI may find that there could be risks in even a limited deregulation of the Savings Bank interest rate; in such a situation it would be incumbent on the RBI to periodically increase or decrease the Savings Bank interest rate depending on the overall stance of monetary policy. At present, there would be a strong case for raising the Savings Deposit Rate. Resorting to a frozen rate, as the RBI has done for eight years, is not reflective of a responsible interest rate policy. The present Savings Bank interest rate is clearly against small depositors and is not in consonance with financial inclusion. In fact the ‘ No Frills’ account holders, who are being brought into the organized banking system with minimal facilities, are being punished by the rigid Savings Bank Deposit Rate.

The RBI has to recognize, that in the area of the Savings Bank Deposit Rate, it has to lead, follow or get out of the way; the present policy of rejecting all three options is untenable.

Support for Anna Hazare snowballs on Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:18:00 +0000

Thirty two people including four women successfully completed their third day of fasting as 20 different groups carried out rallies through various areas of South Mumbai like the GPO, Churchgate, Nariman Point, Mantralaya, Colaba and Cuffe Parade. The volunteers had worn caps stating ' I am Anna Hazare'. " We want to display that this is not the fight of only Hazare, but each and everyone of us is Hazare and we would fight together to get this bill passed," said Mayank Gandhi, leader of this movement in Mumbai.

The group also started a new campaign distributing white ribbons named ( corruption ko kaho katti, bandho safed patti) which literally means say no to corruption and tie white ribbons on your shirts in protest against corruption.

This campaign was launched by Ratna Magothla, 64, who is the senior most protestor fasting in Mumbai. " I think corruption is such an issue that everyone is motivated to fight against it as almost everyone has been a victim of it at some point of time" said Magothra.

The group also criticized the response of politicians over the bill. Though many political parties are trying to gain mileage out of this movement, the group has clarified that they won't be entertaining any political group at their stage. The Lok Satta Party activists and supporters will be taking out processions and organising mass satyagraha all over the state on April 8 and 9 in support of Hazare.

" If any politician would come and try to speak on the stage, everyone is free to remove him from the podium" informed Gandhi.

Around 5 lakh people would be joining the people on fast to show their solidarity on Saturday, mainly from the steel and plastic industries as both these sectors have declared an off on that day. The group has also been receiving strong support from the retail and trade associations.

" Everyone who offers bribe is himself a victim of corruption because the system has become such that people want to stay away from legal procedures and take the easy path available" said Gandhi.

Candlelight marches have also been planned outside all the railway stations.

The marches would be carried out outside all railway stations throughout the city on Friday evening. The march would not require a leader, as everyone would just have to walk with a candle to the station.

As the movement is gaining momentum people from all over Maharashtra have come to Mumbai and extended their support.

People from Pune, Satara, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and many rural places have joined the fasting residents in Mumbai. " I would like to request the UPA government to pass the Lokpal bill as soon as possible and don't test the patience of the people, because if we come out on the streets then the government would fall in a day," said Ramesh Kamlakar, a resident from Jalgaon.

State recommends Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Both Houses of state legislature on Tuesday cutting across the party lines recommended the topmost civilian award Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar. The House also congratulated the Men in Blue for winning the world cup and doing the nation proud.

A motion recommending the Bharat Ratna and congratulating the Indian Team for winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - moved by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was supported and adopted by all political parties.

"We recommend that Sachin Tendulkar be conferred with the Bharat Ratna for his contribution to sports,"Chavan said while moving the motion, which got the support of the entire house. Chavan also reiterated that the state government would reward two cricketers from Maharashtra in Team India, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, with a cash prize of Rs. 10 million each and a citation.

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse of BJP described Sachin as the "god of cricket"."It is the outcome of 21 years of struggle and Sachin is a team player despite criticism that he only pursued individual records," Khadse said.

Moving the proposal in the Upper House, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said the state government would be felicitating both the players who represented Maharashtra-- Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan-- by awarding them a sum of Rs 1 crore each and a certificate.

"The state government would also felicitate the logistics manager of Wankhede stadium Mayank Parikh, who played an important role in organising the event at Wankhede and team masseur Ramesh Mane by awarding them a sum of Rs 50 lakh each," Pawar told the council.

"We also unanimously recommend the Centre to award Bharat Ratna award for Sachin Tendulkar," Pawar said.

Congratulating the team, leader of the opposition Pandurang Phundkar brought to the notice that the promised prize money to the cricket team after the 20- 20 matches was yet partially unpaid. Sena leader Diwakar Raote said that the victory was the best gift the team gave on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian new year.

The proposal was passed with a standing ovation to the victorious team. Additional FSI in offing- Shiv Sena MLC Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday said the Maharashtra government should allow the additional FSI that cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had requested for building a gymnasium.

"It is ironic for the government to decline such a request to a person who is being congratulated across the borders. When the state government refused, Sachin has taken back his request. The government should ask Sachin to submit the request again and approve it," Kadam said. Chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh asked the government to look into the issue.

Sachin had requested the state's urban development department (UDD) for additional Floor Space Index (FSI) to allow the construction of the gymnasium on the top floor of the four story building that is being constructed at Perry Cross Road in suburban Bandra.

Nation celebrates as Ugadi, Gudi Padwa wishes messages float around

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:24:00 +0000

Good times are here for the nation and everyone hopes that it shall never end as a series of festivals beginning from today after the Indian cricket team has just brought the smile on every Indian face after winning biggest honor in the world of cricket. As now it happens on every occasion, SMSs, messages and wishes are floating around since morning to wish the loved ones of the festival.

Gudi Padwa is the new year of Maharashtrians has arrived with the Cricket World Cup and would be celebrated in the whole state till the sunset. Gudi Padwa is the first of the three-and-a-half auspicious days observed throughout the year. Indian Film industry based in the heart of Maharashtra is equally enthusiastic about the festival which has arrived at just the right time. In South India, Gudi Padwa is celebrated as Uugadi, which is a very important day for the farmers.

This year celebration at various temples and shrines around the Maharashtra would be different as devotees would be charged up with the empathetic win of Team India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also greeted the nation on this special New Year.

Fans now waiting for Poonam Pandey strip

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:52:00 +0000

Ever since 19-year-old Gladrags and Kingfisher swimsuit calendar model Poonam Pandey (@ iPoonamPandey) made her famous bare it all if India lifts the World Cup offer, the Tweeterati and now whole web just cant seem to stop talking about her, however she is no where to be found after Team India went ahead and lifted the trophy.

The hashtag # poonampandey has reached trending topics on Twitter India and poonam pandey has become one of the most searched terms on Google India. Poonam even shows up at the top of the results when you search for “ the most downloaded model on the internet” on Google. Poonam's web-savvy personal branding extends to Twitter, where she keeps posting racy pictures on Twitpic to tickle he imagination of her rag- tag band of fans.

Poonam, of course, has picked a trick or two from Paraguayan model Larissa Riquelme, who had captured the worlds attention by promising to run naked if Paraguay won the FIFA World Cup. Even though her team lost in the quarter finals, Larissa went ahead and posed nude with the Paraguayan flag. Its a good thing that Poonam is not going as far as Dutch porn star Bobbi Eden (@ bobbieden), whod promised oral sex to every single one of her 30,000- plus Twitter followers if the Netherlands won the FIFA World Cup.

Reactions on Twitter range from comparisons with Draupadi and jokes that Ashish Nehra might save her modesty by single- handedly losing the match for India, to surprise that her parents support her quest and amusement that someone in Bhopal had filed a legal case against her for shaming the Brahmin community! Bollywood director Suparn Verma (@ suparn) joined the fun by claiming he had already shot a nude video with Poonam in anticipation of Indias win, but later clarified it was an All Fools Day joke. Joining the circus, PETA India (@ petaindia) has requested Poonam to strip for their ad to convince the ICC to stop using leather cricket balls. TV channel Zoom (@ zoom_ buzz) invited Poonam to do a live striptease on a TV show during the final.

Will Poonams momentary notoriety on Twitter lead to more permanent popularity? Well, although everyone seems to be talking about Poonam, only 3,500 Tweeterati are following her, so she wont really be able to leverage her fan base to build her career. Still, expect more swimsuit calendar shoots, some racy brand endorsements, a few Bollywood item numbers and even a TV reality show to result from her antics. And who knows, she may just be the next Rakhi Sawant in an industry yearning for a replacement.

Yuvraj Singh will be the decisive factor in India vs Srilanka Final

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 08:21:00 +0000

After more than 10 years at the international level, Yuvraj Singh has almost seen it all. He might be in the form of his life in the on- going World Cup — having aggregated 341 runs in seven matches and 13 wickets in the bag — but Yuvraj isn’t ready to let the adulation get to his head.

While others have made him the toast of the nation, the claims of under- performance levied against him in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is etched in his memory.

Yuvraj was accused of underperforming after Kumar Sangakkara’s elevation to the captaincy of the Kings XI Punjab team and that apparently spurred him. His effort to throw light on his career- threatening knee and wrist injury was seen as a mere excuse.

But now that he is back with a vengeance, having claimed as many as four man- of- the- match awards in the showpiece event, his critics have definitely been shut.

Considered immensely talented yet inconsistent in his initial days at the toplevel, he was dropped from the squad in October 2001, before the then skipper Sourav Ganguly made it clear that his place was in the team and brought him back in the squad in March 2002. The last year was definitely the ultimate low in his otherwise illustrious ODI career.

“ The allegations of under- performance definitely hurt me. I have given my 100 per cent every time I have taken the cricket field and those claims were as bad as accusing me of match- fixing. Sadly I had just started recuperating from my wrist injury and although I couldn’t even hit the ball properly in the first few matches of the IPL, no one bothered to take my word,” he said.

The fact that he has already scored 432 runs in 12 ODI matches in the 2011 season as compared to the 349 runs he scored from 15 matches in 2010 shows that the knee and wrist injury actually took a toll on him.

He has claimed 18 wickets in 94 overs that he has bowled in the 2011 season so far and that only adds to the fact that he has turned out to be a match- winner with both bat and ball in 2011 after a sedate 2010.

He is back at his favourite position — backward point — a spot he made his own since his debut in 2000 before moving to mid- off in the previous season and that shows the left- hander is close to full fitness.

“ The decision to move from my favourite point position was taken by me as I felt the injuries decreased my agility and point is an important position. I had been asked not to run by the doctor and although I agree I had put on a bit of weight, it’s not that I put on 10 kgs,” he said.

Former India player Chetan Chauhan feels Yuvraj has been a revelation in the World Cup after a rather subdued 2010. “ He always had class, but multiple injuries didn’t help his cause much. But the maturity he has shown both with bat and ball in the showpiece event is worth applauding,” Chauhan said.

Poonam Pandey pics and story becomes more popular than the final itself

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:40:00 +0000

Poonam Pandey story of let go her clothes if India lifts the cup has become the talk of the nation and is growing even bigger. Now, after India has beaten Pakistan in the semi-final, for some people the job is done and it doesn't matter if Team India win the trophy or not but the ambition of this model has given a new boost to these people to see India win the cup and Poonam doing her thing.

All of 19 years of age, Poonam Pandey has already become an overnight national celebrity. Running riot on Twitter, this 5 feet 7 inches model whose only claim to fame so far was having taken part in India’s Pirelli—the Kingfisher Calendar hunt—has now entered happy hour conversation of every cricket buff.

Having vowed to strip naked in case India wins the World Cup, she has become a rather sexy symbol for the phrase ‘wait and watch’. Being an avid cricket buff herself and a patriotic Indian, Poonam says she will not go back on her word and her family will back her up completely in the moment of truth.

Just like the Twitterattis, most people stand divided on her bold declaration. Adman Piyush Pandey for one thinks it’s the worst sort of marketing gimmick.

“She is clearly just hankering for some cheap publicity. I really don’t think or rather hope not that she’d go through with this. What’s all that talk of people feeling proud of her? I, in fact feel embarrassed that she shares my surname,” he said. “And if she really was that big a fan, we would have known her just as much as we know the bearded guy who trails the Pakistani team or that young Sachin fan who paints his body.”

Atul Kasbekar, celebrity photographer, who met her during the Kingfisher hunt, says, “Though I didn’t interact much with her, considering she got eliminated rather early on, I do remember her as Plain Jane deluxe.

“She struck you as a kind of girl who’d get married and live happily in a small town. Simple and sweet, I never for once could imagine her to indulge in this Rakhi Sawant-esque behaviour. It’s amusing, but good for her. She is enjoying her Andy Warhol moment.”

Poonam’s 15-minutes of fame might fizzle out if she doesn’t take the plunge. Till then there are others who have decided to get their 2 minutes in the sun piggybacking off her.

For instance Suparn Verma, director of Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina tweeted on Thursday that he had directed a nude video of Poonam Pandey. He also went a step further and tweeted that it was he who had shot her nude video which he would upload on the Net if and once India won! Well, it turned out be an April Fool’s joke. He was later heard clarifying, “I don't know who Poonam Pandey is. But the joke seems to have worked. My inbox is full and the phone won’t stop ringing.”

Adman Prahlad Kakkar likes to differ on the harsh standpoint on the girl. “It’s absolutely great and gutsy. She is no Rakhi Sawant. She is a good looking girl with a hot body who wants to be noticed for perfectly right reasons.

“She might be accused of using wrong means to a good end, but that’s about it. How she’d pull it off concerns me more. In a nation where there is moral police behind every lamppost, it would be tough for her.”

Atul thinks it’s rather smart of her, as it would never really happen. “Considering she has put so many riders on her claim like BCCI giving her permission and all, it’s bound to never happen and that’s what clever about her claim.”

Prahlad though doesn’t think it’s about whether it happens or not. He thinks the circus surrounding her is quite telling of the times we live in, “The whole nation is titillated by the thought but would still berate her for doing exactly what they hope she does. It’s plain hypocrisy. Maybe she should paint her body with the Tricolour. In which case, she’d only be held for contempt and deal with the police and not come out nude and deal with the moral police.”

For someone who claims to be that big a cricket fan that she’d strip if India win, Poonam surprisingly doesn’t have any favourites in the team. “ They are all my favourite”, she says in a practiced way. She also doesn’t have any cricketing advice, characteristic of a fan. “ They should play the way they are. They are doing so well,” she says.

On being asked if she’d actually do what she claims, she responds rather matter of factly, “ of course. As long as I get permission from BCCI and a ticket to the game. You know how tough it is to get one.” And we thought celebrities don’t have to work hard to get a pass to the final!

India vs Sri Lanka Final in ICC World Cup : An Injury Hit Game

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Both the sides who have made to the final game of ICC world Cup 2011 is struggling with the injuries sustained to the key players of the team. Ashish Nehra after being hit by a ball got his finger fractured and now is virtually out of the final which is certainly a big blow to India. One would’ve thought the team would have been well served in playing the same combination as the semi-final, however it means Ashwin will slot right back in and the Indians will hope the pitch is a turner.

Gautam Gambhir also has a niggle and Yusuf Pathan is the ideal, and perhaps only, choice to come in. We would like to see Dhoni go down to number seven to finish the game, taking a chance with Pathan at number six.

On the other hand, Sri lanka have called up Chaminda Vaas and Suraj Randiv to be the replacement of injured key players like Muralitharan and Angelo Mathews, in case later fails to clear the fitness test. If the replacement is done, it will be a equal big blow to the Lankan side, however an ICC official confirmed that ICC hasn’t received any request from Sri Lanka cricket board so far.

Looking ahead to the final, I believe India have a distinct advantage, given Sri Lanka’s cushy run so far in the tournament. They were in the easier half of the draw, then in the quarter- final England hardly put up a fight, and in the semi- final, their frailties were exposed by a short period of brilliance from New Zealand. Their top four have been their biggest strength, scoring all their runs, and if even two of them fail, whether due to pressure or the law of averages, they will be at a disadvantage.

Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews did well to see them through the other day, but their lack of exposure in the middle will catch up with them, especially if India bowl and field the way they did against Pakistan and Australia.

In the two matches held at the Wankhede Stadium, it was clear that there was more bounce on the wickets than other centres. I honestly believe if India play normal cricket, they will win. The reason I say this is that the Indians are mentally in a much stronger position, given the difficulty of their run to the final. They have been challenged at every stage and, like gold, the more blows they have sustained, the stronger they have become.

I guess in Mumbai, the toss will play an important part in the result too, and India would do well to learn their lesson from the 2003 final and bat first, in case Dhoni gets lucky with the toss.

Alarming facts of child sex ratio in Census of India 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Preliminary statistics from the 2011 Census show that the child sex ratio — the number of females against that of males — has declined further since the last Census 10 years ago. The figure now stands at 914 females for every 1,000 males — the lowest since 1947.

Are we really a nation that so hates its female population that despite being aware of what the absence of women can mean for any society — certain death for they are, after all, the reproducers — we continue to kill them even before they are born? We have plenty of evidence now to show that in some villages in Haryana, there are no women at all. So when it comes to seeking marriage partners, men have to ‘ import’ them from other states.

There’s also evidence to show that despite being made illegal, sex-determination tests are rampant, with doctors making money hand over fist and in collusion with heartless parents.

And yet, we’re a country of remarkable developments where women are concerned. Our Constitution gives women equal rights and respect; we have women in top positions in virtually every sphere of life; we have some of the most progressive pieces of legislation in the world; we have a dynamic and strong women’s movement … the list could go on and on.

So what is it then that continues to act against women? The alarm at the declining sex ratio has led the government to recruit religious leaders into the campaign for the girl child. Big amounts are spent on posters, advertisements and stories that value the girl child. But none of this seems to change anything. Why is that? Perhaps it’s time we asked ourselves some hard questions.

Among all the many media messages the state has put out about girl children, or about health, why has there never been a concerted campaign to establish that it is the man who is responsible for the sex of the foetus, not the woman? If that knowledge were to become widespread, would so many women be targeted for producing female children? And would female children themselves be killed in the womb? Equally, is it any use recruiting messages out about been establish who the to so producing And themselves recruiting religious leaders into the campaign, or even secular ones, if everything else that they do, acts against women?

Remember it was not so long ago that the Chief Justice of India made a public statement that it was ‘unnatural’ for women to work outside the home. We’re an odd people — we’re ready to ban a book, or indeed make it a crime, to insult or critique Gandhi, and yet women in this country get insulted every day, every second, and we don’t do anything about it.

Perhaps the only tiny ray of hope is that after so many years, the legal system has finally held a handful of doctors guilty for performing sex- selection tests. If punishment is the only way we learn, here’s hoping theirs will be severe and it will act as a deterrent to others — although it almost seems as if that is too much to hope for. The truth is that a country that so devalues its women does not deserve to pride itself on its economic growth, if it’s a growth built on the mass murder of its girl children.

Shiney Ahuja sentenced for 7 years in jail for raping maid

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:21:00 +0000

For Actor Shiney Ahuja, this could be good home work for a future film role. The actor, who has often found his characters in movies to be on the wrong side of the law, seems set for a stint in prison. The Sewri fast-track sessions court in Mumbai has awarded him seven years’ rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping his maid in June 2009.

Although the victim had retracted her statement that she had been raped during the in-camera trial, the court convicted Shiney based on the initial FIR and strong forensic evidence. Judge P. M. Chouhan did not consider the maid’s denial of rape in court, but expressed doubts about her evidence being partly false.

Amitabh Gupta, the additional commissioner of police who was supervising the probe, said he was “ happy with the judgement, as we have got a conviction in spite of the victim turning hostile during the hearing”. The important forensic evidence in the case were injuries on the private parts of the maid — sustained when she resisted Shiney — and the DNA samples of the accused that proved that he had intercourse with her. Since it was an in-camera trial, journalists were not allowed to cover the proceedings.

While the actor’s wife Anupam did not respond to calls and text messages, Shiney’s family friend, who did not want to be identified said: “ The family is shattered. We believe he was framed and we will appeal against this verdict in the higher court. He is a fine man, a great husband and a doting father to their daughter.” His friend said that as the judge delivered the verdict, Shiney who came to the court wearing a pink shirt and jeans accompanied by Anupam and his close friends, looked back tearfully towards his wife to check if she was fine.

The actor, who has been living with Anupam and her parents in Noida since the last year, was sent to the Arthur Road Jail from where he is likely to be shifted to either Yerwada Jail in Pune or the Nasik Central Prison. The actor’s friend said his family was worried about his health as he has had an attack of dengue last August and suffers from a slipped disc. In fact, he aggravated his back injury during his stay in jail in September 2009.

His friend said the family may direct his counsel to seek court orders for his proper treatment and care while in jail. “Our next move will be decided once we receive the copy of the judgment. Right now, we are only completing formalities with the prison authorities,” Shiney’s counsel Srikant Shivade said. In June 2009, the maid had filed a police complaint claiming that Shiney had raped her. Shiney was arrested and then released on bail after only three months.

However, after the trial began in a fast track court, the girl refuted her earlier statements. In September last year, the 20- year- old girl told the court that she had filed a false complaint against the actor at the behest of the woman who had secured her the job of a maid in Shiney's residence.

On September 3 last year, the victim had identified Shiney in court and said she used to work at his residence as a domestic help. But when asked about the incident, she said she was never raped. Following this, the court had declared her hostile. The police, in its 109- page chargesheet, had charged Shiney with rape and wrongfully confining the victim. Shiney, in his defence, had argued that he was falsely implicated.

All eyes now set on India vs Pakistan Semi Final

noreply@blogger.com (Kaveri Arora) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:01:00 +0000

Today millions of people would witness what happens when emotions meet excitement when passion and patriotism comes hand in hand during the second semi final of ICC world cup 2011 where arch rivals India and Pakistan play for the spot in the final to clash against another sub-continent nation Sri Lanka to take home highest honor in the game called Cricket.

It has already been declared as a half holiday in Pakistan and corporate offices in India have either set up big screens in offices or have declared an off to give their employees a treat to witness the most awaited game of the world cup. The Prime Ministers of both countries, Sonia Gandhi, A list crowd of celebrities from Bollywood and India Inc have already landed on the Chandigarh’s tiny airport to make their way to Mohali.

Crores of rupees are set to change hands in betting during the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with crime branch sources saying the stake would be as high as Rs.500-600 crore. Although the crime branch has already busted 13 betting syndicates in the city and arrested 37 people, the Mohali match would be attracting many more punters in and around the city.

According to the police, stakes had been unusually high during the matches played by India. “Most of the betting syndicates we busted were those who were unusually active during the matches played by India. Since Wednesday’s is a knock-out match and involves Pakistan, the stakes are very high. In the last 10 syndicates busted the bookies have calculated the rates using the popular betting sites and software,” said a police official.

Going by the records of the persons arrested for betting this year, the police have reasons to believe that the universal rates of the bets through the websites would be followed by the bookies in Delhi.

Police sources said that local bookies were clearly favouring India as favourites. “We had sent a decoy customer to know the ongoing market rates. We found out that the odds were placed at Rs.160-175 for every Rs.100 bet placed on India. At smaller levels, the odds are Rs.1.56 to Rs.1.75 for an Indian win,” said a senior police official.

“When it comes to Pakistan, the odds are Rs.3 for Rs.1 placed for their win or Rs.360-375. This is the average rate we got after talking to around 10 bookies. This will increase once the match starts.” The police said that the decoy customers, sent to many suspected bookies, were given a variety of options to play their bets on. “The bets were also placed on Yuvraj’s performance and the number of runs that would be scored in the first 15 overs,” said a crime branch officer.

Aviation courses to take off at Mumbai University this year

noreply@blogger.com (Debjani Kadam) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Considering the growing demand for professionals in aeronautics and the aviation industry, the University of Mumbai has introduced two novel courses, namely Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics (Mechanics) and Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics (Avionics) in the academic year 2011- 12. The three- year course, which is divided into six semesters primarily concentrating on the developments in aeronautics, was approved in the Academic Council meeting of March 11.

Currently, the aeronautics industry is prominently expanding career fields, with new inventions riding on immense technological expansion on their way.

While sophisticated training, including theory and practical, is the need of the hour, the fast growth of the industry is playing a major role in attracting students to these courses. Further, the country's Open Skies policy has led to a significant increase in air services, thereby opening gates of parallel growth in infrastructure.

The two courses aim at providing jobs to students in the aviation industry like Traffic Control, Crew and Manpower scheduling, in- flight Service Department, Security, Civil Works department and Line and Major maintenance department of Engineering.

Commenting on the development, BCUD Director Dr Rajpal Hande said,"University of Mumbai has already introduced a course in aviation four years back which was a huge success. Taking into consideration the response for the course in aviation, we evolved this novel idea of introducing special degree course in the field of aeronautics. After the university introduced the course in aviation, we received several letters from students and education institutions demanding a course in the field of aeronautics."