The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 19/11/2016

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TGS LIFE

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Liquor sales hit rock bottom P05

Pune public offices leave a lot to be desired

IoT: From buzz to biz P08

Sassoon gets its first organ donor, but ‘loses’ his heart

Even as the donor’s family were unwilling to wait for heart recipient, kidney and liver retrieval surgeries were carried out successfully at the government hospital TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

Pune is among the select group of 100 Indian cities slated for the ‘smart’ status. But a survey of the city’s public offices shows up a glaring lack of concern for the welfare and well-being of citizens, where, let alone providing a visitor-friendly environment, even basic requisites such as parking places, drinking water, toilets or seating arrangements are conspicuous by their absence See p06-07

In a first in the annals of the government-run Sassoon General Hospital, two kidneys and a liver were received from a donor in the wee hours of Friday. But due to the unavailability of heart and lung recipients in time, the donor’s heart and lungs could not be put to use. However, a liver and kidney were transplanted on a recipient at Ruby Hall Clinic, while the other kidney was sent to Ashwini Rural Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Solapur.

The heart retrieval that started at 11 pm on Thursday in the main operation theatre of ward number 11 on the first floor of the hospital, was completed at 2 am in the wee hours of Friday. After the organ retrieval and postmortem, the body was handed over to the deceased’s relatives at 2.30 am. The hospital dean, medical superintendent and other senior faculty were present at the theatre during the procedure.

Continued on p03

Medical team at Sassoon General Hospital carry the box containing harvested organs at 2.40 am on Friday (November 18)

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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

“In the war against black money, if the Shiv Sena was standing next to Prime Minister Modi, it would have been a welcome thing; we want to believe that the Shiv Sena will, ultimately, decide to be on the side of development and cleaning up corruption.”

- Siddharth Nath Singh, Party National Secretary, BJP

Pune chaiwala shows the way!

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Oz tots can now learn Hindi P 10

Serpentine queues continue at banks, ATMs in business capital Siddhivinayak temple has seen a rise in donations and offerings following the note ban move The queues outside banks and ATMs continued in the city and suburbs for the 9th day since the demonetisation move as people struggling to get cash expressed unhappiness over the reduced limit of exchange.

However, despite facing problems, many people say they are with the government on the demonetisation move but also suggested the process needed better preparedness.

Madhusudan Chavan, a retired bank professional from suburban Vile Parle,

said, “I fully support banning of Rs 500 and RS 1,000 notes, but it seems that government failed to take proper steps to deal with the situation arising out of it and that is why people are a bit upset.”

After exchanging Rs 2,000 from a post office, a woman working for an anganwadi centre in suburban Vikhroli said, “Modiji has asked for only 50 days

and 10 days have passed. Only 40 more days remain and this time will also pass.

Then we will have good days ahead.”

Echoing similar sentiments, one of her colleagues said, “We are in the queue not to change money, but to change the country and we will do it for the sake of the country.”

However, another city resident Pradeep Karmakar expressed his displeasure over the government’s decision to reduce the exchange limit to Rs 2,000.

Standing in a queue outside a bank in Vile Parle, he said, “First the maximum exchange limit was Rs 4,000 and it was raised up to Rs 4,500 following the protests, but now this limit has been reduced to Rs 2,000. What we will do with a meagre Rs 2,000?”

Meanwhile, the famous Siddhivinayak temple here has seen a rise in donations and offerings following the demonetisation move.

Siddhivinayak Trust chairman Narendra Rane said, “We collect donations and other offerings worth Rs 35 to 40 lakh per week, but this week it has gone upto Rs 60 lakh.”

He also said the trust has stopped accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at their counters, but people were still donating these in the boxes kept at the temple for accepting cash offerings.

PTI

People stand in long queues outside a bank to exchange their old Rs 500 and 1000 notes in Bhiwandi, Mumbai

Note ban encourages black marketeers The 8/11 demonetisation declaration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that 500 and 1,000 rupee notes are no longer legal tender has brought cheer to black marketeers. Aside from long queues at banks and ATMs, people facing medical emergencies or planning weddings have been hit hard by the cash crunch. And many are encashing the needs of these people.

Sources say that black marketeers are ready to offload a note of Rs 500 in return for Rs 350 and Rs 1,000 note for Rs 700.

On November 14, the Vikhroli Police Station received a complaint on black marketeers but they are waiting for the order from the IT department to act against them as per the law.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone -VII) Rajesh Pradhan said, “We have received three complaints and have written to the Income Tax (IT) department for further action.”

The police have registered an FIR for assault on three but have not initiated any action for black marketing of currency as they claim that they are unaware of the law in this case.

Santosh Pandey

Ramlal Chaurasia

Santosh Pandey of Vikhroli said that he got Rs 9,000 after giving Rs 10,000 from black marketers. Pandey said,” I was badly in need of cash as my mother is undergoing cancer treatment at a private hospital and bank could only give me Rs 4,500.”

Ramlal Chaurasia of South Mumbai said, “My daughter’s wedding is on November 25 and I have to give cash to the groom’s family as per our practice to make gold jewellery and other expenses. I got the money from black market with 50 per cent cut.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Stamp duty collection drops 37 per cent Stamp duty collection in Maharashtra has dropped by 37 per cent after the Centre demonetised high-value notes, a senior official said on Friday.

The Union government’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was announced 10 days back and stamp duty collection is already down by 37 per cent across the state, Inspector General of Registration (IGR) and Controller of Stamps N Ramaswamy told PTI. The state government’s average daily earning through property registration charges and stamp duty has come down to Rs 42 crore from Rs 65 crore earlier, he said.

“Though most of the transactions such as calculation of ready reckoner, its stamp duty and payment are done digitally as well as through demand drafts, still the collection has gone down.

“The IGR offices across the state generally handle 7,300 documents daily, which has now plunged to 4,000 documents,” he said.

The IGR office registers all types of property deals, including sale and purchase of land, properties, rent and lease agreements. It is the second largest revenue generating department of the state government, after excise.

The IGR office contributed Rs 21,767 crore to the state coffers in 201516 financial year.

“There is one fee called document handling fee, where Rs 20 per page is charged from the people who are buying it.

People generally pay the amount in cash at the IGR office. In post demonetisation period, I have issued a circular that the amount can be paid through demand draft. Still, the response is low,” said the IAS officer.

Industry sources said a sizeable section of the total cost of a property is paid in cash and it never reflects on papers. Such deals are badly hit after the government’s demonetisation move.

PTI

HC refuses to stay ‘Coldplay’ concert The Bombay High Court refused to stay the upcoming concert of British rock band ‘Coldplay’, but said the Maharashtra government should take an undertaking from the event organiser that it would be willing to pay the waived entertainment duty if the court directs so in future.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice MS Sonak was hearing a public interest litigation filed by activists Anjali Damania and Hemant Gavande challenging the government’s decision to waive the entertainment duty for the concert.

The concert by the British band is scheduled to be held on November 19 at the MMRDA grounds in suburban Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

The petitioners have challenged the validity of the decision primarily on grounds that exemption from payment of entertainment duty under the Bombay Entertainment Duty Act-1923 can be given only for shows or programmes organised for charitable or educational purposes.

Acting Advocate General Rohit Deo today submitted to the court that the concept of the festival was different and that it was not just a rock show.

“It is going to be an eight-hour-long programme and the concert by Coldplay is just a part of it. The festival is to create awareness and educate people mostly youngsters about three subjects - gender equality, education and clean water.

These three are part of the 17 sustainable goals of the United Nations,” Deo said.

He said that out of the 80,000 tickets, 65,000 will be given free of cost to those persons who show their contribution to society in the above mentioned subjects.

“Out of the remaining 15,000 tickets, 11,000 will be sold by the organiser to meet the expenditure of the programme and 4,000 have been kept for dignitaries,” Deo said, adding that several industrialists and political leaders are expected to come.

After hearing arguments of both the sides, the court said it cannot accept the contentions of the petitioners at this stage and hence, was not inclined to stay the concert.

“However, in the interest of justice we cannot throw away this petition. As a precautionary measure, the state government is directed to take an undertaking from the organiser that in future if the petition succeeds, then they (organiser) would pay the necessary entertainment duty,” Chief Justice Chellur directed. .

The petitioners’ lawyer, Uday Warunjikar, argued that the organisers are from Delhi and, hence, there cannot be any guarantee that in future they will pay the entertainment duty.

Warunjikar cited the example of a show for Michael Jackson organised by a company in 1996, stating in that case the high court had later ordered the organisers to deposit the entertainment duty in court.

To this, the court said, “If you look at everything with tainted glasses then everything will appear yellow. We cannot suspect and doubt everything and every action of the state government.”

The petition also challenged the MMRDA’s decision to grant 75 per cent concession on rentals, which amounts to almost Rs six crore.

The court then said it cannot interfere in this decision as it is the MMRDA’s discretion how much rent to levy.

PTI

Railways was a big colonial scam: Tharoor Panel to unearth

Congress leader says Indian passengers were never the priority for the British

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the British started railways in India for “their own selfish reasons” and it was in fact a “very big colonial scam.”

Tharoor said there is often a perception that Indians should be grateful to the British for giving the country the facility of Railways, something which is not really true.

“Everyone thinks that the British gave us Railways, shouldn’t we be grateful. We don’t realise that the railways was a very big colonial scam. The purpose of the Raliways was to serve the British to extract goods, minerals, raw materials from the Indian hinterland which were hitherto inaccessible,” Tharoor, who is the Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, said.

“To send soldiers there, get the

Shashi Tharoor and Amitav Ghosh during the opening cermony of TATA literature liveThe Mumbai LitFest in Mumbai

labour to move and get these goods out of the hinterland... That was the first purpose,” he added.

Tharoor was in conversation with noted author Amitav Ghosh about ‘The Legacy of the Raj’ during the opening ceremony of the 7th edition of ‘Tata Literature Live’ festival, here.

Tharoor, who launched his book ‘An Era of Darkness: The British

Empire in India’ on the occasion, said building the railways “was the most profitable, safe investment in the entire British market throughout the time.”

He said when the railway was started, there was a “great deal of racism” with only Europeans being offered the posts of ticket collector and station master, until much later

when the positions were given only to Anglo-Indians.

Apart from that, Tharoor said, the Indian passengers were never the priority for the British.

“Indian passengers were not their priority. They had horrendous third class carriages with wooden benches but they charged the highest passenger rates in any railway in the world.

“Whereas the British companies who were shipping freight on the railways, paid the lowest freight rates anywhere in the world. It was only after the Independence that we started reversing these practices,” he said.

Tata Literature Live, a fourday literary extravaganza, will be held simultaneously at two cultural venues the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point and Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.

Ghosh and noted lyricist-poet Gulzar will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement and Poet Laureate awards, respectively.

PTI

Home Guard scam TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGS WEEKLY The alarming number of cases of Home Guards getting paid even though they are not reporting to duty has drawn the attention of Additional Director General Home Guards, Mumbai and former Controller, Legal Metrology, Maharashtra Sanjay Pandey to launch a probe. Senior officials have written to the authorities to register offences of cheating and forgery against errant personnel.

Officers claim that the State Home Guard is a neglected department with postings counted as punishments given to senior officers. The Home Guard personnel are deputed in Mumbai Suburban Railway to give security to commuters. It has come in light that these personnel claim daily allowances by submitting fake documents.

“The department started scrutinising documents from 2014 after personnel posted at Railways claimed daily allowances,” a Home Guard official said.

A Home Guard officer said that the personnel at railway stations in connivance with senior officials did not turn up for duty but claimed daily allowances by producing fabricated documents. “The illegal practice by the personnel started from 2014 and it took the department two years to unearth the fraud,” he said.

The probe revealed that Home Guard personnel posted at CST, Wadala and Dadar stations went on leave in 2014 and collected daily allowance by submitting fake documents.

“We are scrutinising cases and a panel has been formed to ascertain the financial loss to the department from 2014,” Pandey said. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

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Specialized in Club & Event Flyer Designs /GoyalDesigns TGS helps assault victim approach women police cell TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly For 25-year-old Radha (name changed), the four-year relationship with her boyfriend was a traumatising experience. With the ordeal causing endless pain, she gathered strength to approach the police but the Khadak Police Station failed to register an FIR. TGS helped the victim approach the women’s cell and the accused was arrested on November 17.

Speaking to TGS, the victim said, “My boyfriend used to regularly beat and burn my hands with cigarettes. I approached the Khadak Police Station on November 13 but they refused to file an FIR. I come from a poor family and live alone in the city as my father passed away recently. We were in a relationship for four years but I decided to break up after coming to know that he is on drugs.”

Social worker Saurabh Karde said, “She is scared to live alone,” she said.

Following the intervention of higher officials, Khadak Police have arrested Sunny Amanulla Mansuri of Kondhwa after lodging a case against him. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Sassoon Hospital gets first organ donor

Continued from p01 Sandeep Sawant (name changed), 29, the donor, had come to Pune during Ganesh Festival and was working as a waiter in a hotel for Rs 6,000 a month. A native of Vaibhavwadi taluka of Sindhudurg district in the Konkan region,he had lost his balanceand fallen from a moving train near Lonavala, three days ago, suffering a grievous head injury. Admitted to Sassoon Hospital for treatment, Sandeep was declared brain dead by the doctors on Wednesday. Thereafter, the hospital personnel convinced Sandeep’s brother and family to donatehis heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. The family agreed to the organ donation, and the hospital informed the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) immediately. ZTCC started searching for organ recipients firstlyatthe local level, but there weren’t any recipients registered with them.

“There was a recipient in Mumbai but the blood group did not match the donor’s. Then we informed the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).A recipient was found, but he was in Kashmir and was unable to come back in Delhi for the transplantation in time,” said Aarti Gokhale of ZTCC, Pune. They searched across the country but there were problems of blood match and financial issues amongprospective recipients.

“A joint transplant of kidney and liver was carried out on a recipient at Ruby Hall, and the other kidney was sent to a hospital in Solapur,” she said.

Sassoon Hospital Dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale said that in the evening a heart recipient was found, an European national who had come to India fora heart transplant, and was admitted to Apollo

Hospital in Chennai. He was contacted through ZTCC,and he was ready to bear all the expenses including air ambulance and transplantation costs. Sassoon Hospital also acquired the Tamil Nadu government’s and aviation officers in Pune seeking permission for the transplantation. The air ambulance was scheduled to depart from Pune’s Lohegaon airport to Chennai totransport the heart in the wee hours of Thursday. But the procedure needed more time, and since Sandeep was declared brain dead on Wednesday evening, his family members were not willing to wait further.

Dean Chandanwale, Medical Superintendent Dr Ajay Taware and Medical Social Superintendent M B Shelke tried in vain to convince Sandeep’s family. Eventually it was decided that both of

Incomplete concrete road exposes PMC near-sightedness

Land acquisition issue stalls project and a concrete ‘slab’ eats up 5 feet of the 15 feet wide DP Road between Mhatre Bridge and Rajaram Bridge TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly

Poor planning by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) mismanagement has eaten up 5 feet of the 15-foot wide concrete DP Road between Mhatre Bridge and Rajaram Bridge. The concreting work that was started to ease the traffic on the stretch for citizens living in Erandwane and Karvenagar areas has left the road users a hassled lot. The civic body started the project of concreting the road from Shivane to Kharadi along existing DP road in 2014. Opposition by the villagers of Shivane and adjacent areas that do not fall in PMC limits to give up by their land for the road left the civic administration to stall work. Now this 5-foot wide and 100-foot long road is causing misery to pedestrians and cycle riders as well.

To address the heavy traffic witnessed on Karve Road and Malwadi, PMC planned to build

/goyaldesigns

23-km concrete road from Shivane to Kharadi with the help of district administration in 2014, and decided to convert the DP Road on Shivane Kharadi stretch from tar to concrete.

The fund allocated for the project was Rs 50 lakh. Citizens using the stretch said that the tar road on this stretch is in good condition and PMC has wasted taxpayers’ money but concretising it.

With the land acquisition issue stalling the concreting project, the 8-ft high, 5-ft wide and 100-ft long concrete ‘slab’ is an obstacle for users of this DP Road.

Many marriage halls, party lawns and restaurants line this stretch of the DP Road causing traffic holdups. Senior citizens, who use the walking track along DP Road, face difficulties while crossing the stretch and haphazard concrete work has also destroyed the cycle track.

RTI activist Vivek Velankar said, “The 100-foot long concrete road constructed on DP Road is a case of PMC mismanagement. They started the project without addressing the land acquisition issue and now the half-done concrete slab that is eating up a sizeable stretch of the DP Road is causing inconvenience to citizens.

As it cannot be used by pedestrians or motorists, the concrete is gathering dust and surface has become slippery posing a danger to citizens and

taxpayers money has gone down the drain.”

Kothrud MLA and corporator Medha Kulkarni, who had proposed the road project through her ward development fund, said, “I met Pune Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar and he has assured me to restart the construction work. The unfinished work has left the residents facing hardships for over two years.

The civic administration should have carried out the land acquisition process before constructing the Shivane Kharadi road.”

Shiv Sena leader Shyam Deshpande, who opposed the DP Road concretisation plan said, “There was no need to concretise the already well-maintained tar road that only required yearly resurfacing. The city representative should have utilised the fund to develop the other roads in the area that are in bad shape. We raised the issue in PMC general body meetings and stopped the work as it was misuse of taxpayers money. The amount should be recovered from the corporator.”

Admitting that administrative issues had stalled the plan, PMC Road Department Head Rajendra Raut said, “PMC has decided to complete the cement concretisation project and work will start soon.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Sandeep’s kidneys and liver would be harvested.

The donor was taken to the operation theatre at 11 pm. A team of doctors from Ruby Hall was called in for the organ harvesting. An ambulance from Ruby Hall and another from theSolapur hospital were parked near Dagadusheth Halwai kitchen.

Sandeep’s family and his brother were insisting on a speedy procedure of the body and Dean Chandanwale was following up on the retrieval procedure.

“This is the first organ donation from Sassoon Hospital. This is the third case within a week to convince a brain-dead patient’s relatives for organ donation, and itwas successful. We have forwarded the file to the government for conducting heart transplants in our hospital in future,” said Dr

Chandanwale. Since it was the first organ donation, the dean had prepared for heart and lungs donation too, but had to cope with the disappointment of not finding recipients in time.

“We searched for recipients allover India but due to the Dr Ajay mismatch of organs, we were Chandanwale unable to find them. But this is a promising start and we will be able to donate hearts in the future,” he said.

Senior faculty of the hospital were present at the hospital during the process.

A relative of Sandeep said that the deceased has left behind his wife, two little daughters, father, mother and brother.

Gokhale said that six hearts has been donated in Pune city so far,and that 48 citizens had donated other organs.

Dr G N Naske, Medical Superintendent of Ashwini Rural Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Kumbhari (Solapur) said that the kidney was successfully transplanted on a 28-year-old recipient. “We received the organ around 6 am and the operation took three hours.

The recipient was suffering from kidney failure and was on dialysis support for two years. When no relative’s kidney matched with him, we gave the patient’s name to ZTCC last month.” said Dr Sandeep Holkar, kidney transplant surgeon of the hospital. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

“The civic administration has not increased water tax for several years. So there is a need to revise it. The civic body will be proposing the tax hike in the draft budget for 2016-17.”

- Rajeev Jadhav, Municipal Commissioner, Pune

IoT: From buzz to biz

Immigration ban would end the incredible US experience: Biden

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Health Dept gets 238 plaints against hospitals in four days Dept claims no cases pending in Pune region and all issues have been resolved TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly Within four days of launching a helpline for those facing difficulties in paying bills at private hospitals, the state has received more than 238 complaints at the grievance redressal desk set up to look into denial of emergency medical services by private hospitals.

Patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals are the worst hit with demonetization of `500 and `1000 notes. Many private hospitals are refusing to accept demonetized notes and non-acceptance of cheques in private hospitals despite a government direction in this regard.

Shortage of currency notes of smaller denominations has complicated matters

for patients and their attendants.

Dr.H.H. Chavan, deputy director of Health Services, said they have trained counselors of the toll-free numbers (104 and 108), which were earlier used for blood-on-call services and emergency ambulance services, to tackle the issues. “Both the lines became active from 6pm on Sunday.

Until 7pm on November 17, we received 238 complaints and resolved

most of them,” said Chavan, adding in the remaining cases, the surgeon concerned is coordinating with the head of the hospitals.

“There were only 30 complaints in private hospitals of Pune, Satara and Solapur district and all of them are solved. Most of the complaints were regarding to non acceptance of cash and non-acceptance of cheques in private hospitals which have been resolved. The complaints in Pune were from Ruby Hall Clinic, Aditya Birla Hospital, Sahyadri Hospital, Jehangir hospital were amongst them,” informed Chavan.

“As per the orders no patient should be denied service for want of money. Patients and relatives can call 104 and 108 to register their grievances that are denied of emergency medical treatment by private hospitals for want of money,” added Chavan.

Chief Operating Officer of the 108, Maharashtra Emergency Medical

Services, Dnyaneshwar Shelke said, “We had received a total 209 complaints over the state and 178 out of them have been resolved.” However 26 complaints were escalated to the higher authorities like DHO/CS/ MOH,” The complaints received at the 104 helpline number were very less in comparison to 108.”We have received only 29 complaints till Thursday evening,” said Niraja Banker, head of the 104, Health Advice call centre.

“People are not aware that they can even call on 104 to register their complaints. The number 108 is getting maximum complaints as the 108 has been shown on Television Commercial advertisement to register complaints,” she added.

The protocols to be followed for these calls 1. The help desk record information regarding name of patient, contact no of patient, medical emergency, hospital

and approximate cost of treatment if known.

2. It Requests the patient or his/ her relative about contact details like telephone / mobile number of hospital person who needs to be called for acceptance of cheque.

3. The redressal counselor at the help desk calls the hospital person and requests the hospital authorities stating that Hon. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has appealed to all the private hospitals in State to provide emergency treatment to all the emergency patients. The patient do not have new currency notes but need emergency treatment so please do not stop the treatment. Hon. Chief Minister has appealed all private hospitals to accept cheques in case patient does not have new currency notes. In case the cheque bounces, the hospital will be reimburse the amount maximum up to Rs. 10000/per patient Hon. Chief Minister relief fund.

4. If hospital authority does not agree to this request and appeal of Hon. CM then redressal officer contacts Medical officer of hospital(MOH) in case of Corporation. In case of other urban areas Civil Surgeon (CS) and in case of Rural Areas call District Health Officer (DHO).

5.the help desk inform these mentioned officer name of patient, medical emergency, name of hospital, contact no of hospital to whom the Councilor has talked and reason for not accepting cheque.

6. If above officers are not contacted then the help desk can call Deputy Director, of that region and provide above information and also inform name of DHO/CS/MOH to whom they had tried to contact.

7. If Deputy Director is not answering then the help desk can contact Joint Director of Hospital. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

A donation box for throwaway money TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly The Modi government’s demonetisation that came into effect on November 8, has left people with oodles of cash spending sleepless nights worrying about their unaccounted cash. Fearing inquiry by the income tax department, an unidentified person had thrown away 51 Rs 1000 notes in the garbage on Law College Road after the demonetisation. But instead of throwing them in the garbage, the obsolete currency could be used for constructive purposes.

Following in the footsteps of Mumbai hospitals like Tata Memorial

Hospital in Parel and KEM Hospital, the state-run Sassoon General Hospital has installed a donation box on the hospital premises near the superintendent’s office, on November 16, where people can donate Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. These will be used for the treatment of poor patients.

“People with unaccounted cash are throwing away old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 in garbage and rivers. We thought these could be used for poor people’s treatment. People can put the old notes into our donation box,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.

The box is on the ground floor in front of the record office where

security guards are on duty round the clock. The box will be opened after donations are collected. A security guard said that there was poor response from people to the donation of outdated currency.

“Many people don’t know that such a box has been installed. It is not put up in front of the OPD, so there is a poor response from people and no one is putting in donations,” said a guard.

Hospital medical superintendent Dr Ajay Taware said, “There are many poor patients who come here for treatment. They cannot afford even the meagre payments, so the donations will be used for their treatment.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

New law on anvil for e-pharmacies

Chemists association opposes the move, claiming that it will make the online business legal and local pharmacies will be the worst hit TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly There is rampant self-medication and sale of spurious drugs through e-pharmacies (web portals). The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in collaboration with the health ministry is working on formulating a new e-pharmacy law. Amendments will be made to the current Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940. But till then, the online sale of prescription drugs is illegal, officials say.

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) is opposed to the implementation of such a law. After amendments to the Drug and Cosmetics Act, the e-pharmacy business will be legal, and local pharmacies will be the worst hit.

The AIOCD has already announced a countrywide one-day bandh on November 23 to protest against the government’s apathy towards resolving the issue of online sale of medicines.

“A consultative central committee on e-pharmacies was formed a year ago. It had submitted its report to the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation last week after conducting 86 deliberations. It will now forward its recommendations to the Health Ministry. The process of finalising these recommendations is on the way to regulate the e-pharmacies sector. Suitable amendments will be made to the Drug Act to make room for e-pharmacies,” said a senior officer from DGCI. Confirming the development, Joint Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration (Drug), A M Khadtare, said, “The state drug controllers have received orders to crack down on e-pharmacies selling prescription drugs, because they are not allowed to do so under the law till the new law is made and we have been notified for the same. Already the sale of drugs through e-pharmacies in Maharashtra is illegal as the high court has given a stay order on sale of drugs through e-pharmacies.

“All the e-pharmacies are operating from other places like Delhi,

Chennai, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana etc, which makes it hard to take action against them. Since the last one-andhalf years, multiple actions were taken on e-pharmacies found supplying drugs in Pune region. Notices were issued to these online drug dealers.”

“There are 43 online web portals against whom actions were taken.

After this action the online portals don’t dare to supply drugs in Pune region, we had placed fake orders but they refuse with some reason or don’t respond to the order now,” said Suhas Mohite, Assistant Commissioner, FDA (Drug) Pune Region.

Chemist Association of Pune District (CAPD) President Suresh Bafna, said, “Tranquilisers, pills for medical termination of pregnancy and other narcotic drugs can be easily purchased via web portals. Online pharmacy is against public health. The Bombay High Court has already asked the state government to keep a check on online sale of drugs. But despite the court order, online pharmacy business is continuing.

“Taking advantage of the unhelpful attitude of the government, the e-commerce companies have formed a national level Internet Pharmacy Association, to establish themselves as a separate entity for online trade. The decision will take a toll on the current business of pharmacists as they will be worst hit,” he said.

After the amendment in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, the new law could have provisions for selling medicines online in a phased manner.

1) e-pharmacies will be required to register on a central platform and dispense only non-prescription and other low-risk drugs first.

2) Initially the e-pharmacies will be allowed to sale only nonprescription drugs just to check the impact 3) High-end pharmaceutical products such as addictive medication, antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs will be allowed later.

4) A central portal with a list of all e-pharmacies companies selling online drugs will be made. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

No cash, no customers in Pune red light area

Demonetisation has hit the business in the red light area badly and CSWs have no income as the customers are staying away TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly

Waiting for the customers who are staying away

The central government’s haphazard demonetisation initiative has affected every strata of society, and commercial sex workers (CSWs) are no exception. The scrapping of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes has affected business in the red light area adversely, and the turnover has dropped significantly.

In fact, things are so bad that some of the CSWs have not had a single customer since the scrapping of the old currency notes. With the drastic slowdown in business, some CSWs have returned to their home towns or villages. Most CSWs do not have savings or bank accounts.

Some people are taking advantage of the situation, and are offering the CSWs Rs 300 in exchange for a Rs 500 note, and Rs 700 in exchange for a Rs 1000 note.

Salma Das (name changed), 20, of Kolkata said, “The Modi government’s scrapping of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes have had a adverse effect on business. The six or more customers that we used to get daily have now dwindled to almost nothing. I am neither highly educated nor qualified. My family is very poor. I have a younger brother who is studying in standard VI and my little sister is studying in standard I. My father is an alcoholic, who has troubled me a lot. He has never been able to take care of us nor support us. I have been working as a CSW for four years since I had no other means of earning money. I manage to save some money to send home every month.

But after the currency ban, there are hardly any customers. And making change has also become a big problem.”

Nidhi Sharma (name changed), 18, from Jharkhand, said, “I am going through a very difficult time as we have had hardly any customers in the last week because of the currency fiasco. My family expects me to send home some money, which I am unable to, since I have hardly earned anything in the last few days. When customers pay us with the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes, we are unable

to return their change. We don’t have bank accounts either, so we don’t have the option to exchange money. So people are taking advantage of the situation, and paying us less.

My family financial condition is very bad. My parents are poor and do not have a regular source of income. A so-called friend brought me to Pune under the pretext of finding me a job, and then sold me to a brothel in Budhwar Peth. I was helpless and I had to resign myself to work as a CSW. I have lied to my parents and told them that I was working in a private company.”

Tripti Basu (name changed), 23, from West Bengal, said, “I belong to a joint family. I have not studied much. Three years ago I fell in love with a man and then got married to him. Then we came to Pune, as my husband said that we could get good jobs here. But to my surprise, my husband sold me to a brothel in Budhwar Peth. I had no option but to work as a CSW. My owner told me that I had to repay the money he paid my husband. I did but by then it was too late for me to return home. My parents had no idea that I was a CSW. I have accepted my situation and settled down.”

Sunita Pathak (name changed), 25, of Bihar, said, “The Modi government’s demonetisation

has put us in dire straits. It has brought business to a standstill in the red light area. There are hardly any customers these days. We have some savings but we can’t exchange money because we don’t have bank accounts. PM Modi should roll back the demonetisation. We don’t have money for food, groceries, or even to recharge our mobile phones. I have not been able to speak to my family. I don’t have money to pay my children’s school fees. We can’t tender change to customers who give us Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. I blame Modi for our desperate situation.”

Founder of the Saheli non-governmental organisation (NGO), Tejaswini Sawarkar said, “We are making the CSWs aware about the exchange of currency notes. Some people are trying to take advantage of the situation, and are short-changing the CSWs. Moneylenders are offering Rs 300 in exchange for a Rs 500 note, and Rs 700 for a Rs 1000 note. People are trying to cheat CSWs in various ways. Most CSWs don’t have bank accounts. Some are waiting for hours in queues at the post office to exchange money, and are thus losing the few customers they could get. It is a difficult situation for the CSWs.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

Parl for early passage of Motor Vehicle Bill

“Agriculture is an important component. We are at the commencement of the Rabi season. We want to ensure farmers get smooth supply of fertilizers and other items.”

Pune Football League kicks off

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— Shaktikanta Das, Economics Affairs Secretary

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Real estate sector hit by currency change

PMC building department has not received a single proposal from builders in the six days since the governments demonetisation has come into effect TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeek y

The Pune Mun c pa Corpora on s PMC bu d ng perm ss on depar men s s second-h ghes source o revenue beh nd Loca Body Tax LBT Bu n he wake o he November 8 dec s on o he Mod governmen o scrap he o d Rs 500 and Rs 1000 no es no a s ng e proposa has been rece ved by he bu d ng perm ss on depar men

rom bu ders seek ng perm ss ons November 17 The rea es a e sec or has had a shor age o buyers and a s owdown n bus ness or he as coup e o mon hs And he cen ra governmen s dec s on o scrap h gh denom na on currency no es has had an adverse a ou on he rea

es a e/deve opmen sec or The PMC bu d ng perm ss on depar men n financ a year 2015-16 had se a arge o Rs 751 crore bu succeeded n ec ps ng he arge w h revenue o Rs 788 crore The revenue arge or he curren financ a year 201617 has been se a Rs 1045 crore and n seven mon hs he revenue has amoun ed o us Rs 321 crore — ess han 50 per cen o he goa I seems ha he depar men w no be ab e o ach eve s arge h s year And w h no proposa s rom bu ders a er he demone sa on he arge seems mposs b e o ach eve n he rema n ng five mon hs The bu d ng perm ss ons depar men s he bus es among a o PMC s depar men s as op bu ders po c ans ndus r a s s and c zens approach or bu d ng approva s I s a ways hronged by rea es a e deve opers/bu ders bu has seen scan v s os recen y w h no a s ng e proposa n he as s x work ng days C y eng neer and head o PMC s bu d ng perm ss on depar men Prashan Waghmare sa d “The bu d ng perm ss on depar men rece ves perm ss on proposa s rom common peop e Bu or he as s x days no proposa has been rece ved rom bu ders Bu we have rece ved wo proposa s rom common c zens or recons ruc on o he r homes We are no sure ha h s s due o he mpac o demone sa on by he governmen Bu overa here has been a recess on n he cons ruc on bus ness or he as coup e o mon hs Our depar men rece ves 6500 bu d ng perm ss on

proposa s n a year on average We had ns a ed a s ng e w ndow sys em o smoo hen he bu d ng perm ss on proposa s sanc on process Las

bu ders o ns an y connec o he bu d ng perm ss on depar men and ge speedy perm ss ons or he r proposa s They even can rack he r proposa fi e n rea me as we ” “The bu d ng perm ss on depar men n h s financ a year has genera ed Rs 321 crore revenue rom sanc on ng bu d ng proposa s and our arge s Rs 1045 crore Bu he recess on n he cons ruc on bus ness had adverse y affec ed our revenue Bu we have no os hope and w ry o genera e more revenue n he com ng five mon hs o a eas ma ch our se arge ” he added Char ered accoun an Parshuram Markad sa d “Ma or y o bu ders wh e se ng fla s ake more money rom cus omers han he ac ua s amp du y va ua on So a er s amp du y va ua on bu ders ake he surp us money rom cus omers n he orm o cash accord ng o marke ra e va ua on Th s amoun does no a n o bank ng ransac ons as here s no VAT and axes are no app cab e Th s bu der nves s he cash n purchas ng and/p o s Th s s how b ack money ex s s n he rea es a e sec or ” The Con edera on o Rea Es a e Deve opers Assoc a on o Ind a CREDAI Pune me ro chap er pres den Shan a Ka ar a sa d “Overa he cons ruc on bus ness has been ac ng prob ems or he as ew mon hs bu ha does no mean ha he ra es o homes n Pune c y w drop The Mod governmen s dec s on o scrapp ng Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency no es s n a way he p u or bus ness and w g ve a boos o he cons ruc on/hous ng

mon h our depar men wen h ech a er deve op ng Pune Urban offic a mob e app ca on app ha enab es c zens arch ec s and

sec or In he com ng days he n eres ra es o home oans w come down wh ch w ead o an ncrease n he numbers o home buyers There are crores o peop e n he coun ry who d d no keep he r money n banks bu are now depos ng money n banks or exchang ng a banks Th s s how bank depos s are ncreas ng and home oan ra es w drop n he com ng days I w no commen on he reasons he PMC bu d ng perm ss on depar men has no rece ved any proposa s rom bu ders s nce demone sa on Bu he se -proc a med econom s s are say ng ha home ra es n c y w decrease due o he governmen s demone sa on These pred c ons n he med a are comp e e y base ess The ra es o homes w defin e y rema n cons an and home oan ra es w drop wh ch w benefi home buyers The CREDAI we comes he demone sa on As he bank ng sec or ge s more money rom depos ors banks w nves he money n governmen s bonds As governmen ge s more money w nves n n ras ruc ure deve opmen I n ras ruc ures deve ops w have pos ve effec on he v ng s andards o peop e So home buyer numbers w au oma ca y ncrease n he com ng days Peop e who have excess money w nves n rea es a e ra her han n banks ha offer on y 6-7 percen re urns Bu he rea es a e offers be er re urns so peop e w nves n rea es a e So here s no ssue o a drop n ra es o homes n Pune a er demone sa on ” g eedba k@go den parrow om

Liquor sales dip to low point

Demonetisation takes its toll on liquor sales, that have dropped a whopping 50 per cent in the last week

CARS, BIKES, TRIPS, GEAR HONEST, FUN REVIEWS

TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeek y

TECHSPEC TANK PADS

TGS LIFE

Regardless of what bike you ride, your knees and thighs are typically going to come into contact with the fuel tank/airbox cover, which is usually made of painted metal or plastic. The problem is that metal and plastic don’t stick very well to textile, nylon or any material that you’d typically wear as pants on a motorcycle ride. Anchoring to your bike with your knees and thighs is critical for safety and confidence.

Most sport riders are familiar with grippy stickers that you can put in place on the sides of your tank to alleviate this.

Techspec is one such brand, which makes a unique ‘snakeskin’ pattern rubber material that can be applied to your tank with adhesive.

Unlike some other brands of grip pads that look like organic globs or some sort of acupressure surface, the Techspec item is a fairly basic,

AUGUST 6, 2016 PUNE

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TGS LIFE JULY 9, 2016 PUNE

THRILL OF DRIVING

By Tushar Burman

Road-tripping in Thailand

TGS LIFE JULY 16, 2016 PUNE

THRILL OF DRIVING

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Perfect roads as far as the eye can see

TGS LIFE

are present and are best used in sport mode or one of the sharper driving modes. There are four of those, including a “Track” mode that turns off the traction control, unleashing all 515Nm upon the rear wheels. Some of our colleagues were caught unawares as their cars did unintended 180-degree turns.

The Mustang isn’t for the hardcore trackjunkie, despite what the driving modes may say. The tendency is to safely understeer as opposed to snap-oversteer. Of course, you can get it to do the latter but it’s a deliberate effort. The upside is that it’s very easy to get used to and just, well, drive. Suspension is pliant and comfortable, ground clearance is generous, which should make it good to use in our road and traffic conditions. The interior is a bit bland — all black and grey surfaces, but with a surfeit of buttons. The steering wheel has no less than four separate clusters of buttons for various controls. Everything is generally where you expect it, save for the bonnet release, which is inexplicably in the passenger footwell. We had to get off the car for motorcycle to open the hood! Comfort is good, however, with supportive leather seats, usable rear seats (but not for adults), cup holders, armrest with storage, two west of Chiang Mai which is considered oneUSB of slots, an SD card reader and an 8” information/navigation screen. the best riding roads in Asia. Among the first All this at Rs 65 lac, ex-showroom Delhi, stopovers on this route is a popular, butshould still tiny which translate to about Rs 77 lac onroad.If Maharashtra town called Pai, which we visited.

Chiang buyers will be disappointed however, as the recent revision in RTO taxes Mai were Pune, think of Pai asmeans Wai,thatexcept the imported Mustang GT will 140km away. probably cost north of Rs 80 lac. Still, in this price waterfalls segment, one’s options are cars like the Nestled in a valley replete with Audi TT and the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG. and lush greenery, Pai is a small with all-wheel drive and much Bothtown are smaller, a growing tourist population, sharper pioneered aroundby a track, but also less practical in terms of ground clearance, comfort and backpackers. It’s close enough to the border space. With the Mustang, you have the with Myanmar to have cultural heritage, influences of and enough space in the machismo for a verybut grand tour, as long as you leave the hill tribes in terms of food andboot clothing, Our Honda CB500X proved an able, fun and comfortable ride for our trip that giant spare tyre at home. significant enough to have all the infrastructural tushar@goldensparrow.com

TANKED-UP TGS LIFE

JUNE 25, 2016 PUNE

JUNE 11, 2016

THRILL OF DRIVING

By Tushar Burman @tburman

W

that Himachal Pradesh is likely to make more of a dent in your bank balance. Food, boarding and infrastructure are organised and consistent, typical of a nation that takes tourism seriously, and with pride. You never pass a street stall without a sing-song “Sawatdi-khaaaa” (Thai for namaste, quite literally), friendly smiles and a disarming lack of guile. Thailand also has strong cultural connects to India, having a Hindu and Buddhist history. It occasionally surprises the uninformed when encountering names and iconography from the Ramayan and other Hindu mythology. There is, in fact, a Thai version of the Ramayan on TV, with Ram played

perfect sense. There’s an intimate connect Mustang, but the saving grace was that those in most minds between muscle cars and big, were around the lauded Buddh International brawny engines. That’s not to say that the Circuit, India’s only F1 track. As you’d Mustang has always had a V8. There have expect, the Mustang is pretty fast in a straight been many inline-four options over the years line. This time round, it isn’t too bad around as well, but we suspect the international the corners either, having an independent EcoBoost version would not be accepted in rear suspension instead of an ancient liveour market. The motor makes 395bhp and axle type found in most generations of the 515Nm of torque, which is down somewhat car. This is clearly a grand-tourer sort of car. from the international model. This is The suspension feels quite plush, there’s to accommodate the varying fuel perceptible body roll when you’re quality available in India. We’re hustling around the corners and Verdict pleased with this decision; a car things are generally smooth at + Comfort, like the Mustang deserves to speed. I suppose we should be price, heritage be driven, not bragged about pleased as consumers that we’ve - Middling auto when comparing specs, while come to a point where we can gearbox your staff takes a jerrycan to actually buy much harder-core the nearest 97 octane bunk, performance cars in this price TGS rating which is probably an hour away. bracket. ;;;;2 Trust us: we know what it’s like The V8 sounds nice inside the to have a hoot of a car in the garage cabin, but isn’t particularly evocative because it’s out of pricey fuel. It wears beefy insideChiang or out. It’s butjump-off muted burble Maia isdeep your point tyres shod around 19” wheels and uses large that comes to the ear; no snap crackle and adventures Brembo brakes to bring things to a halt. pop drama of European tyre-burners. The We only had five short laps in the India edition only comes with the 6-speed

The TUV300 urban SUV gets more punch with a 100hp motor

VISHAL KALE

L quor sa es shoo up dur ng he wedd ng season norma y “The s ua on h s season s d fferen and wedd ng organ sers are find ng d fficu o pay or mpor an ems requ red n marr age ceremon es ” sa d a shop owner n Ka yan Nagar g eedba k@go den parrow om

here are many legends surrounding the birth of the Ford Mustang, one of America’s most well-known performance cars. I will avoid the word “iconic” because it’s so overused in this context that I challenge you to find a launch or drive report without it. One such legend has its name inspired by the legendary P51 Mustang fighter aircraft used by the USAF, which makes sense seeing its “aviation inspired” interior on this 2015 model we drove. Other stories tell of how the entire allocation of the original run of the Ford Mustang sold out in just a few months. It has been an immensely popular vehicle since its birth in 1964-65, and this is its 52nd year in continuous production, despite the challenges of the ‘70s oil crisis, various downturns and such. Other muscle cars have come, gone and been resurrected, but the Mustang has been a constant.

The model Ford has launched in India is the Mustang GT and it wears all-new bodywork compared to the outgoing model. The previous generation started the “retro-futuristic” craze back in 2005 and has served the company well, spawning innumerable special editions and variations on performance and body style. This new model bears the same basic shape, but has a much more stylish, swoopy visage. The front is more aggressive with a wider grille and three slashes in each headlamp, while the rear looks more old-school with the same three-segment design following through.

The classic long bonnet and short boot with a fastback roofline remains, covering a 2+2 cabin and a surprisingly roomy boot! It’s all very well executed, betraying no irony or cheesy nostalgia. This truly does look like many decades of progress have been made to get to this handsome shape.

The Mustang is only available in the V8 engine option for India, which makes

MOTORS IN THAILAND Riding or driving in the country is bound to feel familiar to an Indian tourist. For one thing, they drive on the left side of the road — a colonial vestige similar to ours. They accept International Driving Permits issued in India.

Being part of the ASEAN region with a large contract manufacturing industry also means Shima a recently-released Polish brand of that vehicles tend to be similaris to what you’ll see on Indian roads. Toyota Innovas and Corollas,far less known than the typical motorcycle apparel, Suzuki Swifts, Nissans and familiar European gear you’ll see on your mates on a Sunday ride. luxury cars in urban areas. What you’re likely to they aren’t be unprepared for However, is the automotive culture of scrimping on their debut. customisation that If seems the is country. theto pervade catalog anything to go by, the lineup is It’s ridiculous! On my first day in Bangkok, I was thorough and top-notch betraying no cost-cutting. passed by a courier delivery truck with massive tested the D-Tour WP (waterproof) gloves oversize rims and We’ve tyres. Even cabs — whether licensed or Uber —and are seldom without an impressed. To begin with, have seen come away obligatory level of customisation. the price isis right: Rs 4800 for a pair of this kind Automotive enthusiasm even more is a good the dealThai indeed. evident in the two-wheelers ride. There are several things to Unlike in India, where culturally, we’re about Key is the fused liner, which like about the gloves. “bigger is better”, the Thai have a different take Shima calls NextFit/NextDry. What this means on their commuter vehicles.

Step-thrus and

SHIMA D-TOUR WP GLOVES

THOROUGHBRED @tburman

MOTO GEAR

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hen we last drove the TUV300 shortly after its launch, it was a pleasant surprise in its package, refinement and general ability around the city. At the time, we didn’t really take it on an extended highway jaunt and probably just as well; you see, in it’s previous guise, the TUV300 came with a modest 75hp output motor, which was fine in urban environs, but didn’t really have punch anywhere in the rev range.

That has now changed with Mahindra calling this iteration the mHawk100 motor -- essentially the same thing but now putting out considerably more power and torque, up to 100hp and 240Nm. If you’ve read our previous assessment of the TUV300, not much has changed, save for our experience with other, more recent SUVs in and around the same segment. The TUV300 crossover/hatchback which was globally unveiled in is surprising in its nice interior accoutrements. A great AC, Out back are the jump seats that make this he SUV,urban technically, a very decent infotainment system with Bluetooth and iPod a 7-seater. It’s doable, but not comfortable for long journeys.

Then April, Datsun’s Redi-GO finally makes its way to Indian roads. connectivity that works flawlessly, a nice two-tone Dash that again, have you seen how many passengers tourist cabs can pack The Redi-GO runs on a three-cylinder i-SAT engine mated looks contemporary and a quiet cabin that belies the intrinsic into a Scorpio these days? The jump seats fold 799 up andccrear seats nature of a three-cylinder Diesel engine. It should sound and feel fold down to liberate a lot of extra cargo room, you need it.manual transmission. It produces 53 hp, 72Nm of to ashould five-speed rough, but it doesn’t. Nothing in the SUV does.

Call us picky but this author is not a fan of the TUV’s torque and delivers a fuel efficiency of 25.17 kmpl. The top speed Of particular interest to us in this new 100hp guise of the aesthetic. I’d prefer the front of the NuvoSport with a squat stance is 140 Kmph and the ground clearance is 185mm. The vehicle on TUV, was the suspension. You see, the Mahindra NuvoSport, instead of sharp corners and the face of Bane, Batman’s formidable which we also recently tested, uses the same engine, but has a foe. That said, with a top-end model, you do get at a nice display thefinish, press launch looked solid, with most details standing up problem with considerable body roll. Not so much with the TUV, decent looking alloys and wheels that fill their wells properly. to scrutiny. While it may be built to a cost, it looks good in the flesh which is controlled and feels more secure at highway speeds. It There are even some nice extras like a start-stop system (well, not andextends doesn’t also feels a bit firmer, but that’s a trade-off we’re willing to make: really nice in our traffic), an eco mode that rangebetray while it’s budget category. some more jerks to the spine in exchange of careening off a cliff sacrificing power, and static cornering lamps, Safety which are aisboon courtesy “Datsun PRO-SAFE7” which includes on a sharp bend. Engine performance is also on par with the when turning the wide vehicle in darkness. In fact, we’re confused braking NuvoSport, but after using the TUV’s manual transmission, we about why these features don’t make it toshortest the NuvoSport, whichdistance, high strength body shell to absorb impacts, ended up missing the AMT of the NuvoSport, which somehow gets cruise control as consolation. But thegood TUV doesn’t.

Strange. visibility and wider view of the road, high bolster support while managed to keep things feeling sprightly.

Still, it’s evident from the quality of thecornering, interior that the TUV absorbing steering and a driver airbag. energy With the benefit of hindsight and experience, we can also is meant to be a bit more upmarket. But it costs between 10 and Five personalized kit options are available: Urban, Style, Kool, say that the current TUV300 feels a bit heavy to steer compared 16,000 rupees LESS than the NuvoSport. Confused?

So are we. to peers like the Vitara Brezza and NuvoSport, but retains the On our extended time with the TUV300, urban and Easy Kit - Premium. Colour options available Easywe’ve Kit done - Sporty surprisingly, far better than the NuvoSport practical turning radius we enjoyed previously. It’s squared-off commuting, Mumbai-Pune highway runs, multi-passenger are: White, Silver, Interior Grey,is,Ruby and Lime. The Datsun Redi-GO design (tank-like, according to Mahindra) has the benefit of outings and cargo runs, and we were unable to run the comes with warranty of 2 years/unlimited km andandthe car allowing excellent visibility while squeezing into tight tank dry, so anecdotally, the mHawk100 engine ais also with follow-me-home lamps, parking sensor other bellscan and be spaces, which the TUV can do despite its width. The quite efficient. Highway runs were usually whistles one expects in a India modern App’. vehicle. Mahindra is churning Verdict booked via cruising mobile app called ‘Datsun breadth manifests in internal space as well, with the between 100 and 120, which is where the vehicle out vehicles rapidly based on what are fast turning out to be + Refinement, front passenger having plenty of shoulder space. feels most comfortable. We’re sure the 240Nm is proven platforms. Perhaps at some point they will also consolidate performance, The rear seat is wide enough for three passengers capable of more sprightly performance, but the vehicles to be less confusing. As a parting googly: you can still buy price as well, though we did hear the odd complaint TUV300 weights 2.2 tonnes, so there’s only so the old, less powerful engine with the TUV300, but the new one - Heavy steering much it can do. The rest of it is up-to-date. Dual costs just Rs 8,000 more, so why would you? about jerks being transmitted up into the spine from rear passengers. airbags and ABS are present, as are keyless entry tushar@goldensparrow.com TGS rating ;;;`2

Datsun Redi-GO launched, starting at Rs 2.38 lac

VW launches Ameo compact sedan Sub-4m three-box starts at Rs 5.14 lac

the palm area and a reinforced, soft pad on the knuckle. There’s a rubber screen wiper on each thumb, which worked very well on our rainy rides.

Waterproofing is good, with light showers being repelled entirely. The D Tour WP do seem to run a bit large, so you might need to order one size smaller than your typical glove. Recommended.

Shima D-Tour WP gloves PRICE: Rs 4800 BUY AT: Kombustion Imports & Exports Pvt Ltd (+91 87938 84215)

is that there’s no inner lining flapping about behind the exterior shell. Those can be infuriating to put on and take off.

Shima’s solution is to fuse the waterproof liner with the exterior shell. This makes for a slightly stiff feel, but far more comfortable in the long run.

Fasteners are good, with a velcro cinch at the wrist and a larger velcro pad to secure the cuff, which is extra roomy to accommodate your sleeve, should you choose to wear the gloves over them. The velcro Hondapads themselves are CB500X not the typical sort, with the + Refinement, base (hooked) part being Fueling, practicality a - much Bland flatter, smoother material that catches less on TGS rating dri-fit material. Protection ;;;;2 is adequate for this sort of glove, with some leather in

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MIDDLE CHILD Hardcore performance is great for track days. Audi has a more everyday option @tburman

Minimal badging on the sides and at either end

W has finally put a price tag on its sub-4m sedan — the Ameo, and it’s very competitive. Evidently, the company has taken steps to address its reputation in making cars that are costlier to own than the competition.

In this case, the Ameo ends up being cheaper than their own Polo hatchback, Currently, the Ameo is availabel only with a petrol engine — the same 1.2l MPI three-cylinder motor we’ve seen before in the Skoda Fabia and VW Polo.

A diesel is promised soon. Volkswagen is touting several segment-firsts: rain-sensing wipers, static cornering lamps, cruise control and a centre armrest up front, but the kicker for us is that two airbags and ABS are standard on all variants, which is a big step forward at this price point.

Visually, the Ameo looks very similar to its Polo and Vento cousins, with a slightly stubby-looking front and

back. The rear boot is expectedly short, but allows a bit more cargo volume than the Polo hatchback. It’s not the Large plenty prettiest integration of a boot thatboot we’vestores seen, but VW and is easy to access have been understated in their styling of the rear. In a front three-quarter view, the boot does not draw attention to itself, which is probably a good thing.

Watch for a detailed review of the made-in-India Ameo next week. Prices:

A

udi’s S line of cars don’t get the recognition they deserve. Sitting in between the standard models and the totally performance-oriented RS cars, they sit as the middle child, often overlooked. We have, on occasion, driven the RS5, RS7, even the R8 and come away impressed by the raw power they pack into seemingly standard body styles. But let’s face it: a wolf in sheep’s clothing isn’t likely to make you a nice wool coat. It’d rather eat the coat with you in it. Not so much the car on this page: the S5, which is what Audi calls a “sportback”, basically a sedan with a hatchback rear and more rakish roofline. In terms of size, it sits somewhere between an A4 and an A6 but ends up feeling surprisingly compact.

Even in terms of performance potential, you could consider the S5 the middle child. There are sportscars in the lineup that make less power.

Why then did Audi feel the need to paint the media car in this lurid yellow, we have no idea. It’s a unique shade for sure, akin to pure printer’s ink

R is equipped with Brembo monobloc callipers, Showa big piston forks, Öhlins rear suspension and Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa Tyres.

The Thruxton R is priced at Rs 10.90 lac ex-showroom, Delhi. That’s a lot of bike for the money, and should appeal to a wide swath of motorcyclists with it’s “modern classic” vibe. This rounds out the new Bonneville platform with the Speed Twin, Bonneville T120 and Thruxton R coming in at attractive prices and all immediately available. Triumph continues to push aggressively forward in terms of models and marketing.

There are more than a few lessons for some other manufacturers to learn.

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MERCEDES-BENZ GLC LAUNCHED AT RS 50.7 LAC JUNE 18, 2016 PUNE

JUNE 4, 2016 PUNE

expanse of nice, flat luggage area and very easy to access thanks to the hatch opening. It’s a bit like THRILL the Skoda Octavias of old -- looking like sedansOF DRIVING with hatches hiding huge boots.

On the go, the S5 is a refined experience. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is quick and smooth, and shifts gears with digital efficiency.

Press the throttle with aggression and the gearbox quickly shifts down, releasing a nice V6 roar from the quad pipes out back. It’s a chatty car in that it likes to make nice growly noises when provoked, but never overpowers. The sound is enough for feedback and kicks, but does not cause discomfort.

High-rev gearshifts release a nice crackle from the exhaust. Paddle shifters are present for those times when you think you know better than the car’s electronics. Driving modes can be chosen Dash is usual Audi fare. Dark two-tone upholstery between comfort, dynamic, efficiency or tailored and carbon trim look sporty to your individual tastes. Ride quality is where the generally luxurious experience breaks, with than anything else and it drew attention wherever the large wheels and relatively low profile tyres it went. Though, we suspect, it would pass under transmitting road imperfections to the passenger. the radar in a more sedate paint job. Few, if any Setting the car in ‘Comfort’ mode didn’t do much external features stand out. You have a typical in this regard.

Audi front grille, headlamps and design language On our favourite, winding hill road, the S5 tweaked slightly to accommodate the curvaceous shone with its Quattro permanent all-wheel rear hatch. The red ‘S’ badges are also discreet on drive system. There’s always more grip than you the front and the back. need, and it works well with the performance of Step inside and the treatment is typical Audi. the motor. The specifications will surprise you if “Butat mom! my friends have SUVs with lower and the GL-class). Mercedes provides two If you’ve been in a recent A-type sedan, everything you drive the car before looking theAllbrochure: coefficients!”. IsV6! this a common refrain in engine options: the diesel GLC 220 d outputs is familiar. There’s the MMI screen, central console 329hp and 440Nm from thedrag supercharged your household? Tired of doing the school run 170hp and 400Nm of torque while the petrol and ergonomics as expected, but with a small, We’ve driven much angrier-feeling carsright angles? Mercedes GLC 300 outputs 245hp and 370Nm of torque. in an SUV that has only beendelivers listening tothis you and your burgeoning Officially, Mercedes has launched the fiddly jog dial. The steering wheel also with less power. Thhas e S5 ilk and is readyDespite to address this sticky problem.

GLC ‘Edition 1’, which is their traditional was doesn’t have explicitly labelled phone capability with little drama.

Verdict One is no longer stuck with the BMW X6 as of saying ‘first batch’. As they’ve done before, controls, which is something that being 4.7 metresthelong, the that S5 slices feelsthrough the air rather the Edition 1 cars come into the country as only SUV + Refinement, bashes itfootprint into submission.

CBUs (fully imported). This is Mercedes’ sixth will confuse those coming from compact with than a small performance, The Mercedes-Benz other car brands. Upholstery is in width-wise. Visibility is good andGLC class of vehicles luxury SUV in the country, making their lineup was launched on 2 June, conveniently slotting the most comprehensive among the luxury car unique black and dark brown and there the flat-bottomed feels into thesteering sliver of space left between the GLEpurveyors.

It’s just “nice” class and GLS-class (previously, the ML-class Expectedly, equipment levels are high. is much leather on display. There nice to till around good surfaces. are some lacquered carbon fibre The ORVMs could have done a TGS rating trim pieces along the door and other better job showing the sides and rear ;;;`2 surfaces as well, though we’re not sure if of the vehicle, but that could be down it’s the real thing. The seats are comfortable to personal preference. and supportive one-piece units for the front, lending The Audi S5 has plenty ofIn performance a surprise move, Mahindra launched vehicle from 0-80% charge in 1 hour and an all-electric feeling version of its Verito sedan, 45 minutes, is reserved only for the top (D6) a sporty look without being uncompromisingly potential, but keeps everything the eVerito, on 2 June. Mahindra variant. Fast charging needs to be done hardcore like the near-race seats you’d find in a comfortable and luxurious. It isdubbed an odd, middle claims that the sedan can go 110km on a at one of Mahindra’s designated charging sports car. child and we imagine it will have takers than fullless charge.

The manufacturer is claiming stations, while a standard full charge takes costsbecause as low as Rs 1.15/km.

8 hours and 45 minutes using a 15-amp Rear legroom is good for a person of my size more overt sportscars or luxuryrunning sedans e eVerito also phones home home plug. Other features include (5’9”) but then, few grown men are actually my of the niche it occupies. That’sThan opportunity with a variety of information regenerative braking and a Claims a size, so we’d suggest a seating capacity of four for for the buyer who wants something diff erent.

(Telematics).

Fleet sales seem feature called REVIVE, which range of to becomes a likely target, especially is basically an 8km power maximum comfort. At least one passenger we rode Certainly no other car we’ve seen in this considering the aging Verito/ reserve for emergencies. You 110km on a with commented on how his i20 felt more spacious shade. At just north of Rs 69 lac ex-showroom, Logan platform. The eVerito don’t get airbags in any variant. full charge in the back. Again, apart from the “sport” theatre, the price will give you pause. You can buy more in key is available immediately Performance is about New Delhi, adequate for city use, which is there is little else to talk about. Open the hatch spacious luxury cars for less, or cities: more overt sports Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, where Mahindra is pitching the and it’s another world. Literally! Audi claims 480 cars for as much. Stuck in the middle again. Pune, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and eVerito. Top speed is claimed at 86kmph tushar@goldensparrow.com litres of cargo space, and we believe them. It’s a vast Nagpur. and the 110km range is dependent on load.

THRILL OF DRIVING

Marks the sixth luxury SUV that Mercedes sells in India

AMEO=POLO PLUS

By Tushar Burman

bottomed steering wheel which feels nice to manipulate.

If we were to nitpick, we’d say that the touchack in 2009, when Volkswagen introduced screen infotainment system is a bit smaller than the Polo in India, it was a breath of fresh on the hatch, but it serves the purpose perfectly air. At the time, the go-to car for the well and doesn’t end-up looking aftermarket like segment was the Maruti-Suzuki Swift, and some recent cars we’ve driven. You get steeringwhile the Fabia did exist to represent a European mounted controls, cruise control and a cooled contender, it was deemed too odd and expensive glove box for beverages on hot days. A centre for what it offered. Volkswagen was reeling from armrest is available for the driver which is a slim problems with the Skoda brand’s service and unit much like in the Vento. You don’t get rear cost complaints and didn’t want to repeat the AC vents behind it, however. same mistakes with VW. Fast-forward to 2016 Rear seat accommodations are quite and anecdotally, VW cars are still considered comfortable, and the extra knee room over the expensive to run (they’re not; this author owns a Polo hatch is apparent. Headroom at the rear is petrol Polo). VW has taken specific note of this at a premium, much like the Polo hatch, so those sentiment with the Ameo compact sedan, and with long torsos (or generous behinds) may hit has launched it for a very competitive price, even their heads on the roof. slightly undercutting the Polo hatchback!

If you’ve read so far and are wondering where How they’ve achieved this was not the masala begins, well, it doesn’t. The Ameo immediately apparent to us on our long-ish test is striking in its anonymity. Even viewed from drive. The car is fundamentally the same inside the front 3/4 angle, one can barely discern the and out, save for the added boot. We drove the boot sticking slightly out of the rear. It’s a tiny Eighteen-inch alloys areHighline standard.

Mercedes sunroof, lighting switchable petrol variant (the diesel motor will ambient extension of the body, to bewith sure, since the idea during Diwali) and fit, finish and quality and is to fit a sedan within fourbehind metres tothe qualify will provide an optionalcome off-road engineering colours levels, cargo bars rear to be on par with the hatch. Plastics for lower taxes. We’ve always liked the practical package that raises the appeared ride height by 20mm seat that liberate another 30 litres of luggage are just as pleasing to the touch, with no hollow, depth of the Polo boot, and this remains useful in and offers three additional ride modes: - find.space what an up EASYplasticky-feeling spots we off could The two-and the Ameo. Mercedes Only now, the calls volume goes from dashdrive and beige interior remain,PACK and make tailgate.

294 litres inDO the hatch to 330 in the sedan.

It’s a road, incline and slippery.tone Five modes are WE HAVE YOUR the cabin feel airy. Bonus points for the flatminor bump, but it’s there. @tburman

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standard in the GLC: Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. Hill descent control is standard as well. We also see the use of Verdict Mercedes’ new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed + Safety,auto price transmission.

- Marginal enginethe Slotting in below their range-topper, rating GLC understandably gets plentyTGS of comfort ;;;22 and convenience features. There’s a panoramic

ATTENTION YET? Safety is typical Mercedes fare: ABS, ESP, Crosswind-assist, PRE-SAFE, Attention Assist, Active Parking Assist, 7 airbags, LED headlamps and adaptive tail lamps.

All this could be yours at Rs 50.7 lac for the diesel GLC 220 d, and Rs 50.9 lac for the GLC 300 petrol, ex-showroom, Pune.

It’s finally here: the Polo with a boot

The exterior of the boot itself is reasonably well integrated, and not as much of a tack-on like you’d find on the Swift Dzire. Not as good as the Ford Figo Aspire, but not bad. The tail lamps are simple and don’t draw attention to themselves.

Styling seems to be borrowed from the Skoda design language, with a crease running across the otherwise slab-like boot lid. Everything seems to be designed to be anonymous. VW have had to adjust the front and rear overhangs accordingly, and the car ends up looking a bit stubbier than the hatch.

The Ameo at present is only available in a petrol variant, utilising the venerable 1.2l MPI three-cylinder motor that does duty in the hatch.

It generates 75PS and 110Nm of torque, which felt inadequate six years ago, and continues to be. It’s a flexible engine, to be sure, with useful low-end grunt that allows you to have a load of passengers and navigate inclines with grace rather than amateurish slipping of the clutch. However, there’s no getting around the rough sound of the three-cylinder and this author continues to field the same questions he’s had to with his own car: “is this a diesel?”. Once at highway speeds, it’s okay, but overtakes take effort. You do get cruise control, however, so that sort of balances things out a bit. The stiff suspension makes the car fun

Engine and interior mimic the Polo hatch

to drive, but is hard on all passengers. We really wish VW would do something about this.

Perhaps the most important thing about the VW Ameo is the fact that it comes in at such a competitive price, and that it does so with two airbags and ABS as standard across variants.

There are some segment-firsts such as rainsensing wipers, cruise control and auto up/down power windows with anti-pinch all-round, but that’s about it. The Ameo is a competent car at a competitive price about in the middle of the pack. You can get more features for more money with a Hyundai, but you get the secure, Teutonic feel of a well-built car with the VW. The petrol engine is a mixed bag, and we suspect many will wait for the diesel this Diwali. tushar@goldensparrow.com Watch a video overview here:

Mahindra launches all-electric eVerito

Triumph Bonneville Thruxton R launched for Rs 10.90 lac

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while remaining lightweight.

Features are basic but thoughtful.

There’s a water-resistant pocket within the shell at chest level for your phone, and a felt pocket above the waist for your glasses.

Unfortunately, this pocket is unusable when the rain liner is in place. Zippers are of high quality as is the neck fastener, which uses velcro and has a soft pad where your neck meets the textile.

The jacket comes with CEapproved armour in the shoulders, elbows, and along the back. Fit appears to be European, which will work well for slimmer riders.

There are button fasteners on the sleeves to get a more snug fit, and velcro on the cuffs and waist. The RST mesh jacket will be available in this black/red combo, or the inverse: red/black.

RST mesh jacket Price: Rs 9500 Buy at: Bay City Speed Shop (baycityspeedshop@gmail.com)

TGS LIFE

JULY 30, 2016

By Tushar Burman

V

RST MESH JACKET

RST is a British manufacturer of motorcycle apparel that has recently become available in India. The distributor pegs them as a mid-tier brand, but we were impressed with the thought behind this jacket and its features.

This is a basic textile/mesh jacket with a supplied, removable rain liner. Some background: it’s very hard to stay entirely dry in motorcycle gear unless you use an impermeable rain jacket over your kit or invest in much more expensive stuff. Rain liners are nice to have, but rarely foolproof.

Thankfully, this RST jacket comes with a liner that zips into the shell using a long U-shaped zipper. Sleeves are held in place with small elasticated loops holding onto buttons on the liner.

It’s a snug fit and doesn’t move around much. This design allows the jacket to be quite resistant to rain in light to medium rain,

TGS LIFE

TGS LIFE

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wo months after the release of the Bonneville T120, Triumph has rolled out Thruxton R in the Indian market.

The 1200cc Thrurxton R runs on a high power, 8-valve, parallel twin engine generating just over 95hp and 112Nm of torque. This is a higher output version of the mill that powers the T120.

The Thruxton R carries feature like ABS, ride-by-wire, traction control, torque assist clutch, LED DRL, LED rear light, an engine immobilizer and a USB charging socket. The bike also has riding modes to choose from: road, rain and sport.

The equipment list continues; the Thruxton

B g dea

Riding your motorcycle in the monsoon is a necessity for many, but it also brings out the adventurers. You’ve almost certainly got that Facebook friend who takes his bike to impossibly wet and dirty locations just because she can. If you’d like to follow suit but prefer to stay a bit drier, we have some kit you might want to consider

MOTORCYCLING THROUGH THAILAND niceties of the rest of Thailand. Think perfect 4G If you’re a motorcycling enthusiast, or have connectivity, AirBNB and the most incredible become one in the recent past, you’ve probably gourmet burger I’ve ever eaten on the street. The known or heard of someone who’s ridden a bike Pai river itself is popular for white water rafting around our ASEAN neighbour. In fact, there at various skill levels, and you can even take a is now a land route from North-East India slow boat to Laos, which takes two days and through Myanmar into Thailand. Heck, you costs just 1750 baht, or about 3500 rupees. In can go all the way to Singapore before you hit fact, our overnight stay and jaunt in the night the inevitable shore. There are many reasons to market ended up costing less than Rs 2000 for this, not least of which is the incredible road the two ofconverter us. Try getting that deal in Panchgani automatic. It’s a traditional torque you won’t be banging and down network. You’re very unlikely toso see a badly anyupnight of thetheyear. gearbox like a dual-clutch unit, but it’s okay. In potholed section of tar. In termsterms of distances, And that, in essence, is a microcosm of the of speed, it’s somewhere in the middle the country is about 1600km longofand 1000km experience you’re likely to have on any a economy automatictype and aofperformancedual-clutch. It can be sluggish, we across, so there’s plenty to explore.tuned Of particular road trip in but Thailand — it’s cheap to the point think it matches the character of the engine. note car” is the Mae Hong a long circuit sure, we’ve driven slower. Paddle shifters What else do you call a vehicle that the term “pony was coined for?Son loop --For

By Tushar Burman

MONSOON

So close yet so far. Perfect reasons to take off for a motorcycle trip

by a Gujarati. He has a huge fan following!

Having been (and motorcycled across) the country twice, I almost tend to take it personally when people refer to the country and its sex trade, as if the nation is one giant red light district. It isn’t, and you should definitely avoid visiting it with someone who holds that belief.

This author travelled the length of the country with his spouse, feeling perfectly secure despite being a nervous traveller. It truly is a place where you can hit the road without any specific plan and come off the bike feeling like you’ve explored and seen something new.

@tburman

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till buzzing from what must have been thousands of curves across just over a hundred kilometres of road, it occurred to us that perhaps we should take a break and refuel our bodies, since the Honda CB500X we were riding showed no signs of using any significant quantity of gasoline. We were at Pai canyon, a small lookout point for tourists along the highway with four food and one coffee stall.

My spouse enjoys the occasional coffee, so she requested one. The beans were promptly ground in front of us, mixed with condensed milk, ice and water, and served in a convenient plastic container. All this while, I bit down on a prepackaged Tuna sandwich knowing full well that the nearest fresh tuna was at least 1200km away.

Both the sandwich and coffee were fresh and delicious. If this was roughing it on a road trip, it’s exactly my style.

black rubber piece. We think it goes rather well on our “modern classic” Ducati Scrambler. Grip is excellent, whether seated or standing, and it doesn’t rip up your pants or cause discomfort. Also useful is the fact that the adhesive allows you to remove and reposition the pads a number of times before losing efficacy. It also comes off without leaving residue.

Grippy tank pads are one of the cheapest mods you can do to you bike to allow you to ride safer and more confidently. It certainly helps in the rains to make sure you stay on the bike. The Techspec pads are available for most popular bikes, or you can buy them in self-adhesive panels and cut them to suit your vehicle.

Techspec ‘snakeskin’ tank pads PRICE: Rs 4000 - Rs 7500 depending on application BUY AT: Bay City Speed Shop (baycityspeedshop@gmail.com)

VISHAL KALE

The Mod governmen s demone sa on has affec ed everybody w hou excep on Even he w ne and shops have been h rea y hard w h sa es reg s er ng a whopp ng 50 per cen d p n he c y Shop owners are con emp a ng ns a ng card sw pe ac es o enab e peop e o buy quor w h cred /deb cards “The quor bus ness has aken a h o ow ng he demone za on The buyers have van shed and we are ncurr ng huge osses ” sa d a quor shop owner n Aundh “The sharp dec ne n he sa es o quor w a so resu n ower exc se revenue or he governmen ” he sa d “L quor sa es have dec ned by around fi y per cen n he c y n he pas seven days s nce he demone sa on The s ua on s even worse or coun ry made quor I s mos y poor peop e who dr nk coun ry quor and mos o hem don have bank accoun s o ge he r no es exchanged Da y wage workers and abourers are he ones who consume coun ry quor ” sa d a coun ry bar owner n Khadk “There s on y a marg na drop n he sa e o quor a our shop as we have wo sw pe card mach nes The sa e o h gh end brands o quor has been affec ed I cou d ake hree o our mon hs or he sa es o re urn o he usua eve The new currency no es are n shor supp y and peop e have o buy ng essen a ems be ore spend ng on quor ” sa d a quor shop owner n Koregaon Park

Legroom is decent at the back. Headroom is a bit tight for taller passengers.

The eVerito will be available in three variants with marginal differences between them. Unusually, fast-charging ability, which Mahindra claims can charge the

Prices start at Rs 9.5 lac ex-showroom, Delhi, for the D2 variant after state and FAME subsidies. The D4 and D6 variants cost Rs 9.75 and 10 lac respectively.

VISHAL KALE

Our YouTube channel has the most fun reviews you've seen, guaranteed. Subscribe and comment.

A large, comfortable V8 grand tourer at an attractive price. We drive the Ford Mustang GT at the BIC

The shops se ng coun ymade and b anded quo have been see ng ewe cus ome s a e

he 8/

cu ency no es ban

The Mahindra NuvoSport is a friendly, practical compact SUV at a good price. The automatic is a bonus

Royal Enfield finally gives us a bike puspose-built for the Himalayas, a traditional pilgrimage for Bulleteers

Don't be fooled by the bland spec sheet. The Kawasaki Versys is a great all-round bike at a good price

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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

The parking lot is littered with abandoned or seized vehicles

Abandoned and seized autorickshaws are gathering rust

These large trucks occupy a lot of parking space

The Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Sangamwadi caters to more than four thousand people on a daily basis, and it is a source of huge revenue for the government. There are around 150 employees in the four RTO departments, including the License department, Private Vehicle department, Transport Vehicle department and Lawsuit department.

It is all the more shocking that an office that has such a large flow of visitors completely ignores the basic needs of human beings, failing to provide even basic facilities like drinking water, helpdesks, signboards, or security.

Nearly half of the parking lot is littered with abandoned or seized vehicles, including two- and four-wheelers, trucks, buses and trailers. Then there is a section of the lot below the main building occupied by agents. Th is leaves little room for the daily hordes of visitors to park their vehicles. There is no drinking water facility and the two taps at the License department are rusted and unused. There is

only one toilet, the door of the restroom is broken, it is not disabled-friendly, and the signboard points in the wrong direction.

The RTO premises are not disabled-friendly and have neither access nor arrangements for them. There is a booth on the right which is a helpdesk for the disabled, but we did not see any disabled person being assisted here. The helpdesk at the office is unmanned and so it is of no help to visitors. There is no security to speak of besides the CCTV cameras.

Asked about the lack of facilities, Pune RTO deputy regional officer Sanjay Raut said, “We have the help centre for the disabled and clear instructions have been given to the peon and parking lot attendant to take care of the work of the disabled. The helpdesk at the office is open from morning till 2.30 pm. The process of taking action against the dumped vehicles is going on and soon auction will be done to get rid of the vehicles, to make more space available for parking.”

Trucks, buses and dumpers stand amidst garbage

Signboards at this office eliminate the need for a helpdesk People from all over Pune district come to the collector’s office often for all kinds of work. There is no ramp for the disabled here. There are no security personnel to be seen at the office on the second floor of the administrative building. The toilets are a mess as they are never cleaned regularly. But there are facilities like drinking water, signboards, parking, and canteen that are maintained in a good condition. There is no helpdesk at the entrance, so new visitors are forced to make inquiries about what is done where.

The district collector’s personal assistant (PA) P T Sanas said, “Actually there is not much need for a helpdesk at the collector’s office, since signboards put up on the office premises are self explanatory. CCTV cameras have been installed outside the office, so that people who come to meet him are visible to the collector on his computer, and he can call them to meet him.”

An exception among government offices, PCMC office is peoplefriendly

The entrance of the PCMC office

The washrooms are respectably clean and hygenic

A ramp for wheelchair-bound visitors

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) office is an exception among government offices in Pune, being remarkably peoplefriendly, and offering all the necessary facilities for visitors, including a ramp and staircase. There is a metal detector and helpdesk at the entrance. The toilets for women and men are maintained in clean and hygienic state by BVG, a private firm. The PCMC office is a four-storey building and there are signboards at each and every entrance to guide visitors. The parking, drinking water, toilets and security arrangements are efficiently operated, and the PCMC is a step ahead by providing facilities like e-governance through Sarthi.

One downside is that there are no seating arrangements on the ground floor, but the fi rst floor does have seating.

Local resident Ashok Bhondawe has come to the PCMC building for his personal work. He said, “PCMC main building is maintained in very good condition. There are facilities like drinking water and toilets for both men and women on every floor.

Cleanliness is strictly maintained and you will not see gutkha and pan spit stains anywhere in the PCMC building.”

Municipal secretary Ulhas Jagtap said, “All the necessary facilities for common people visiting the PCMC office have been provided here. Even new and fi rst time visitors have no problems finding their way around the office. We will make seating arrangements on the ground floor in the coming days.”

PUNE

This is as close to an ideal public o The Pune District Zilla Parishad office in Pune Camp has more than 2000 visitors daily, who come from all the 13 tehsils of Pune district. The office has around 640 employees, including 560 clerical staff and 80 peons. There are 13 different departments like Health, implementation etc.

The six-storey building was constructed in 2011.

There are six chambers for the Sabhapati, and eight meeting halls. Security, housekeeping, lift attendants and cleaning work has been outsourced.

Th is office is close to what an ideal public office should be. The disabled-friendly building offers facilities like lifts, parking, signboard and nameboards, helpdesk, canteen, fi re-fighting system, CCTV cameras, security guards, drinking water, toilets etc, all maintained in a spic and span condition. The canteen at the ZP office serves wholesome and nutritious food. Health and hygiene are a priority here, evident in the spotless environs.

The signboards, name boards and maps on every floor make it easy for visitors

to locate the depar ““The helpdes helpful especially The helpdesk atten departments and p There are four lifts with a lift attenda installed at the offi on every floor and whole building is 39 washrooms in t washrooms on eve washrooms for fem persons, which ca other public office Shitole, additiona Executive Officer (CEO) of Zilla Parishad.

Pune p offices a lot to be

Pune is among the select group of 100 Indian cities s public offices shows up a glaring lack of concern for alone providing a visitor-friendly environment, ev water, toilets or seating arrangemen

P

ublic offices should ideally be places that fi rstly offer their visitors a welcoming and friendly environment.

Th is kind of an aura should encourage visitors to proceed with their matter of concern with a positive attitude in anticipation of a favourable and hassle-free outcome. A great responsibility for such an atmosphere lies with the staff at the public offices, who will greet and treat visitors with a cheerful and amicable disposition, and provide them with all the assistance and guidance they need for the completion of their task or work. Th is will of course, translate into visitors being able to finish such work in the minimum of time. In the context of a city like Pune, it also helps for public offices to be spacious and accommodating,

TGS NEWS

considering the large n get on a daily basis. Th of the necessary facilit waiting areas, drinkin not to forget adequate arrangements.

Pune city has a la places/offices that b Municipal Corporation governments, including office, Zilla Parishad State Road Tran (MSRTC) depots, Pu Regional Transport O Corporation, Pimpri C Corporation, etc. Thes with visitors from all ov every day of the week, or year.

Team TGS visited

Outside the Aundh Civil Hospital

No canteen facility at the crowded Aundh Civil hospital The 210-bed Aundh Civil Hospital at new Sangvi Ravet Road is where poor patients are referred from all over the district. It gets more than a thousand people at the OPD daily, and about 15 admissions a day. The government health institute offers treatment free of cost or at minimal cost. There is no canteen facility and the large numbers of patients and their relatives have to avail of stuff from the food carts outside the hospital premises. The premises are clean enough but it is lacking in security arrangements, with just two security guards at the parking area. The toilets are in dismal condition, the seating arrangements are inadequate, there are few signboards and no helpdesk.

Th is hospital is disabled-friendly, with a ramp and parking space for them.

Pune railway station is neat and clean, with an escalator facility too

The MSRTC stand near the rail station The food stall outside the hospital premises

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

It is evident that the hospital suffers from a lack of infrastructure and manpower

office as can be

rtments and personnel. k on the ground floor is very for the illiterate or aged visitors. ndant guides visitors to the personnel they wish to meet. s and two are for the public ant. There are 13 water coolers ffice. Two coolers are installed d one on the ground floor. The disabled-friendly, and it has total. There are four ery floor, with two male and male disabled nnot be seen in any e,” said Yashwant al Chief

Sassoon General Hospital Pune, is a premier state government-run hospital of western Maharashtra. There are around 3000 persons at its Out Patient Department (OPD) and 200 patients are admitted on a daily basis, as people from all over the state come here for treatment.

The hospital premises cover 20 acres of land. It is close to the crowded Pune station area. With the constant and large flow of patients and relatives, what the large hospital needs is stringent safety and security arrangements, as well as the provision of all the basic facilities. But it is evident that the hospital suffers from a lack of infrastructure and manpower.

There is a distinct shortage of facilities such as toilets, canteen, seating arrangements etc. There is just one toilet for men and women near the casualty department, and there is no toilet near the forensics department where autopsies are done. Drinking water is only available on the ground floor. There are seating arrangements, but with the large

Yashwant Shitole

Patients’ kin squat outside the children’s ward, and inside the building on the floor

crowds, many people have to squat on the floors.

Cleanliness is a major issue here as the hospital staff only sweeps the floors in the morning. There is just one canteen and there are no signboards or helpdesk

to guide visitors. There are no facilities for the disabled at any department.

The hospital has adequate security, with 125 security guards who work round the clock in three shifts, and 48 CCTV cameras on the premises. The parking

is well managed by the organization handed the contract base, and the use of the in and out gate is well monitored.

Sassoon Hospital superintendent Dr Ajay Taware said that they strive to provide visitors with the necessary facilities.

The ST stands offer above average facilities but the disabled have been ignored

public s leave e desired

slated for the ‘smart’ status. But a survey of the city’s r the welfare and well-being of citizens, where, let ven basic requisites such as parking places, drinking nts are conspicuous by their absence

No facility for the disabled

Waiting for the right bus

S SERVICES

numbers of visitors they This entails the provision ties such as lounges or ng water fonts, toilets, e and efficient security

arge number of public belong to the Pune n, the state and central g the district collector’s d office, Maharashtra nsport Corporation une Railway Station, Office, Pune Municipal Chinchwad Municipal se offices are crowded ver the city and district, no matter what month

d a number of these

public places/offices to get a perspective on just what kind of facilities are provided for visitors. To our dismay, we found that most of these public offices lack proper hygiene and sanitation. Only a handful of the offices provide a drinking water facility for the public. As far as a visitor-friendly environment is concerned, some of the offices do not even have signboards or a helpdesk to guide visitors. Some do not provide a decent waiting area or seating arrangements. Parking of vehicles is a sore issue at some offices, while the safety and security apparatus was absent or lacking at some offices. And a majority of the public offices in Pune completely ignore disabled citizens, with no facility of a lift or ramps for the benefit of wheelchair-bound visitors. In fact, only one public office has toilets for the disabled. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Shivajinagar ST stand

The Swargate and Shivajinagar State Transport bus stations are the busiest areas in the city, with literally thousands of passengers and commuters passing though every day. They may not be described as being well-maintained, but the bus stations do not leave much to be desired in terms of facilities doe passengers.

Visitors to the Swargate ST stand are greeted by the sight of a police security van at the entrance. The cops were keeping a keen watch on the commuters. The stand offers a pay and park facility, which has too limited a space to accommodate a big rush of vehicles.

The depot has several enquiry counters and to avoid overcrowding, they have been placed at different locations. The signboards and notice boards are clearly visible, and just like on a railway station, there are electronic devices to update passengers about the bus schedules.

Every section has comfortable seats for waiting passengers.

The entire area of the stand is reasonably clean and the cleaning staff regularly sweep the floors with big brooms. There are spots littered with empty water bottles, plastic wrappers and leftovers, cast away by uncaring or ignorant passengers. But the toilets are quite clean and adequate for the large crowds.

The canteen and drinking water facilities though are not up to the mark. The canteen is small and cramped, but there are several food outlets in the vicinity. The drinking water fountain is in a poor condition and people use

No parking facility at this busy bus terminus

No facilities for the disabled at Pune Railway Station Pune Railway Station is a major junction and more than 10,000 commuters pass through here every day.

The station has six platforms, eight tracks, and 155 trains pass through daily.

In terms of cleanliness, the administration is doing a good job with dust bins for garbage, and even the tracks are cleaned regularly. The seating arrangements and toilets leave something to be desired, and there are no facilities for the disabled. There are no signboards either. There is adequate security more than 30 railway police personnel (RPF) and CCTV cameras, and the canteen and parking areas are above reproach.

No thought for the disabled at the PMC building

The platform is clean, and so are the tracks

There is a lot to be desired at this MSRTC bus stand

This drinking water facility seems dirtier than a washroom

the water to wash their hands mostly.

There is a complete lack of facilities for the disabled. Purandar resident Dashrath Veetkar, who travels home regularly from Swargate, pointed out that the toilets and other facilities were not suitable for the disabled. Veetkar, being treated for a leg ailment, uses crutches to get about and finds it difficult to use the regular toilets.

“Even the officials and conductors don’t pay much heed to us when we are boarding buses during rush hours. They should allow the disabled, elderly, women and children entry on a priority basis,” he said.

The Shivajinagar ST stand does not have a parking lot and visitors are forced to park their vehicles on the roadsides. There were no security personnel to be seen. The premises are kept clean with a Glutton Vacuum Litter Picker, a cleaning machine, making rounds of the area. But passengers were seen urinating in the open, despite a clean toilet being available.

The other facilities like drinking water, canteen and helpdesk are adequate as this place is not as crowded as Swargate station. But, just like Swargate, facilities for the disabled are totally lacking here.

In terms of conveniences for regular passengers, these two ST stands are definitely above average, but more concern should be shown for the disabled, and even passengers also should play their part in keeping these places clean.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus stand adjacent to the Pune Railway Station is a very busy one.

There are seven platforms for ordinary buses and three for interstate Volvo air conditioned buses.

The station premises are not really clean, there is no drinking water facility and the toilets are not clean. There is no ramp for the disabled.

There is no thought given to security, with not a single security guard, nor CCTV cameras.

Parking is a major issue for both four-wheelers and two-wheelers. But the stand has adequate seating arrangements, there is a helpdesk.

No ramp for the disabled at the PMC building

Paan and gutkha chewers feel free to spit in the PMC office premises

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) building has a constant and unending flow of visitors, being the apex body where citizens come to get all kinds of work done. There is a glaring absence of facilities for the disabled people here. There are two wheelchairs but as there is no ramp at the building entrance, these chairs are of no use. Cleanliness is not given much importance by the PMC, and the building is splattered with ugly splashes of gutkha and pan stains as people feel free to spit wherever they like. And the PMC sweepers do not bother to clean such stains. The toilets are stinking and dirty for the lack of regular cleaning.

There are no seating arrangements, and even women visitors have to remain standing for hours until their work is done.

Asked about a ramp for the disabled, Mayor Prashant Jagtap said, “There was a ramp constructed at the rear entrance of the PMC building that was demolished for an extension. We will construct a ramp for the disabled at the main entrance in a few days.”

The PMC building does provide drinking water, helpdesk, sign boards, security, canteen and parking facilities.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

TECH/START-UP

PUNE

‘‘Driven by growth in software and IT services revenue, IT spending in India is forecast to reach $72.4 billion in 2017, up 6.9% from 2016 estimated spending of $67.7 billion.”

— Peter Sondergaard, Senior Vice President - Research, Gartner

IoT: From buzz to biz

‘Half of China’s gay people reluctant to come out in open’ P 10

Internet of Things hits a peak in Indian business priorities Indian IoT ecosystem and are expected to drive growth going forward.But not all the brainy startups who have innovated in IoT may have the ability to roll out a solution in its entirety. This calls for a robust platform and the ability to access a global market.

MOBILE BROWSERS

BY V. SUDHAKSHINA

Here are updates on the latest improvements to two mobile browsers popular in India:

Limitless opportunity

From left: Sanjay Kaul and Glo Gordon of Cisco-Jasper with Unlimit CEO Juergen Hase at the launch of the Reliance IoT initiative in Mumbai on November 15

Gartner’s Hype Cycle is a graphical depiction of different technologies and their slow climb to popularity. This year, the analysts have created an India-specific graph for the Information & Communication Technology industry in India.

The graph reveals one thing: The technology lag that once existed between India and other major technology markets has narrowed. In fact India has leapfrogged from being about 18 months to two years behind global trends at the start of the decade, to being in sync with global trends in many areas.

The Hype Cycle identifies 25 key technologies that IT leaders in Indian enterprises will ignore at their peril. The technology at the peak of expectations today is that much bandied word, Internet of Things which Wikipedia defines like this: “The interworking of physical devices, buildings and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.” A mouthful!

But in lay person’s terms, it means putting electronics into everything so that gadgets, devices, alarms, bells, home appliances, can all talk to each other.

IoT can benefit Indian enterprises in multiple ways, but for successful IoT

implementation, Indian organizations will first have to understand the business use case for which they want to use IoT, says Gartner. Experimenting with pilot projects to understand the implications on people, process, technology and the business is an essential first step for Indian organizations.

Last month NASSCOM and Deloitte,

launched a study ‘IoT: A Revolution in the Making’, which found that the IoT market in India is worth $ 5.6 billion with 200 million connected devices in 2016. This is expected to grow to $ 15 billion with 2.7 billion devices by 2020. Interestingly, startups account for the majority (6065%) of the 120 organizations that form the

Make-in-India healthcare platform The many uses of IoT in healthcare are changing business in the medical industry through mobile medical applications, wearable devices, telehealth systems etc. Patients can capture their health data and hospitals can use IoT to keep track of the location of medical devices, personnel, patients etc.

Bangalore-headquartered product developer, iWave Systems has just unveiled a Medical Healthcare IoT device to monitor body temperature, heart rate, and other vital parameters and send the data using a WiFi or ethernet network. It is built on the Synergy platform of US-based Renesas, which allows manufacturers to roll out devices quickly to a global standard. iWave Systems developed both hardware and software for this solution that OEMs can easily turn into a product.

Yeh Power Ka Khel Hain!

Gone are the days when you needed batteries with capacities larger than 5000 mAh for your devices to last long and even use them for charging other devices.

The recently launched Asus Zenfone Max lets you do all this with just a 4100 mAh, thanks to its innovative battery technology. Asus has included an OTG cable with the Max devices, ensuring that you can use its battery as a power bank if you need to. Also, you can choose from 5 different battery modes depending on usage and how much charge remains on your phone.

After launching the Zenfone and Zenfone 2 series of smartphones over the last two years, Asus is back this year with its flagship series of mid-range devices. As an encore of its Zenfone 3 range earlier this year, the company launched two more devices in its Zenfone 3 Max series. With larger batteries and

power optimizations as its USP, the devices come in two configurations with different screen sizes, camera specs and processors.

Both the devices come with sandblasted aluminum-alloy bodies and come in three colours – Sand Gold, Glacier Silver and Titanium Gray. They come with a rather interesting claim – the fingerprint unlock button at the back apparently takes just 0.3 seconds to recognize your fingerprint, and you can program the device to recognize all the 5 fingers of your hand. Of course, you can also unlock the camera with it. The 5.5 inches Zenfone 3 Max (ZC553KL) is powered by a Snapdragon 430 64-bit processor, in addition to an Adreno 505 graphics processor aimed at hardcore gamers. The phone comes with a 16MP rear and 8MP front camera, along with an electronic

Amidst the hassle and pain of having to push and shove in unending queues for hours on end, to get back a fraction of our own hard earned money, there was a brighter moment or two. The infinitely patient aam aadmi applauded the government’s move to flush out black money, even as the same government visited needless agony on millions of citizens, through its poor planning for demonetization.

Yet the innate jugaad or frugal engineering of ordinary Indians surfaced here and there to sustain small businesses for whom cash was king. Nowhere more so than in Pune. A PTI report highlighted four days ago, that Laxman Kachi a tea seller, in the Sangvi area, faced with zero customers, harnessed technology to get back into business. He signed up to register as a merchant with an e-wallet service so that customers—at least those who themselves patronized the same service—could buy

his tea again. From zilch, his business grew again to some 600-700 rupees a day: not great but enough to survive.

Indeed the last week has seen a sharp increase in people signing up to use mobile e-wallet apps. In an unintended side effect the government’s ham handed arrangements in banks and ATMs has spurred popular acceptance of cashless e-payments in a way no amount of normal marketing could have achieved. The advantage of the half dozen or so e-wallet apps available in India is that you

Opera Mini: Made for frugal video viewing

Opera Mini the mobile version of the Opera browser claims the number one position on Google Play Store in India. It boats many features, Indians appreciate including a unique compression technology that shrinks your web pages by up to 90% of their original size. This enables faster browsing and data savings.

It is the only browser that comes with Video Boost, a feature that reduces the size of your video data, so that your videos load faster and you get less of annoying buffering delay Opera Mini UI now supports over 90 global languages out of which 13 are Indian. These include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

It also incorporates an ad blocking feature and allows users to invoke a Virtual Private Network environment that is something only enterprises can normally do. This lets you access sites that are closed to you because of your geographic location.

IoT phone

Consider Okwu, an Indian phone maker who earlier this week launched the first IoTfriendly handset, the 4G VoLTE dual SIM, “Pi” costing just Rs 5999. Okwu smartphones features apps that communicate with other devices, allowing users to control, monitor and track various appliances through the phone. Okwu’s “U-Arena”, is the first-of-itskind platform that promotes an automotive lifestyle. This built-in intelligent tool features apps that help users to integrate all their household devices and appliances with the smartphone. Think of controlling your TV and A/c, washing machine and door entry from your phone! The future of a connected lifestyle is already here!

IndiaTechOnline

The Asus Zenfone 3 Max turns your smartphone into a power bank image stabilization (EIS) feature that counteracts hand movements while shooting videos. However, the 5.2 inches Zenfone 3 Max (ZC520TL) comes with a quad core processor and a Mali T720 graphics processor. The rear and front camera configurations are 13MP and 5MP respectively. Both the variants are 4G LTE dual-Sim devices with 3GB RAM and 32 GB memory. While the 5.5 inches variant is expandable upto 128 GB, the 5.2 inches variant is expandable upto 32 GB. Priced at Rs. 17,999 and Rs. 12,999 respectively, we believe it’s a good year-end buy, for its superior camera and reverse charging features. While the 5.2 inches Zenfone 3 Max is currently available in online and offline outlets, the 5.5 inches variant is expected towards month-end.

Pune chaiwala shows the way!

BY ANAND PARTHASARATHY

Which is why the latest initiative of Reliance Group is timely: Earlier in the week, it announced a new venture, UNLIMIT, dedicated to providing Internet of Things (IoT) services to enterprise customers throughout India. It will offer a combo of Reliance’s powerful mobile network plus a connectivity management platform of Jasper, an IoT specialist now part of Cisco.

Unlimit will work in reverse too, opening up the India market to global brands. Its CEO Juergen Hase, says “IoT is a critical enabler for India’s growth, and businesses throughout the country are already utilizing its huge potential to help deliver innovative new services to their customers, while reducing cost and increasing revenue.”.

Push is coming to shove in the IoT business: Yesterday (November 18), Pune played host to an IoT Innovation conclave where the main keynote neatly set out the purpose of IoT: “Disrupt, Innovate & Monetize in a Future Connected World”.

An entire session was devoted to disruptive Innovations in Automotive Internet of Things for shaping IoT revolution in India.

The connected car is the way of the future and as the centre of the automotive industry in India, Pune can expect to be the epicentre of automobile IoT.Other sessions looked at IoT in retail trade, smart factories, healthcare, wearables -- all areas where dozens of Indian startups are actively helping create an IoT ecosystem.

don’t need a debit card, credit card or access to an internet banking password for making payment You need a way of loading your e-wallet ofcourse and that is easiest done by an online transfer. But once your wallet is loaded, you can make a variety of payments at merchants, taxis, theatres, restaurants as well as paying almost all kinds of monthly utility bills.

But one caution: Each e-wallet brand has links with a fixed number of enterprises that accept payment. Some are primarily for mobile recharge and TV bill payments.

Also you have to lock up your money in the wallet—and once the current crises is over — in 50 days as the PM claims—will you still use the e-wallet?

There are in fact 3 types of wallets: 1. Closed: This can be used only for one merchant: like Flipkart, Jabong etc 2. Semi closed: All e-wallets listed below fall in this category: They work at multiple but not at all merchant sites.

3. Open: These are created by banks

When cash is scarce, e-wallets are an option (HDFC Chillar, SBI Buddy, DBS Digibank, ICICI Pockets etc) and additionally can be used to withdraw cash at ATMs through a physical card (hardly a plus point right now!). All of them are now part of government’s Universal Payments Interface.

Some Indian e-wallets

Paytm: Possibly the most widely used and has the largest tie ups with merchants PayUMoney: Offers fixed discounts on payments .Claims over 1 lakh merchants Oxigen: Oxigen is one of the first in this business. Money can be transferred to any mobile number—which is great for small vendors and friends.

FreeCharge: FreeCharge as the name indicates was primarily a “recharge with benefits” service—but it has expanded into other vendors.

CitrusPay: CitrusPay is another combo of payments plus cash transfer service.

IndiaTechOnline

UC Browser: for TV & Bollywood fans

UC Browser, from the Alibaba group in China, has crossed 100 Million Monthly Active Users (MAU) in India.

The mobile browser claims a 57% market share in India (as per Stat Counter) and says it is the largest mobile browser in India.

UCWeb has adopted a strategy of becoming a content distribution platform from being a browsing tool and has tied up recently with Colors TV centred around four popular TV shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, 24, Big Boss and Comedy Nights Live. Users of the browser can help finalize commoner participants of the Big Boss house through a popularity poll from among 13 shortlisted candidates.

The exclusive launch of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ’s popular song ‘The Breakup Song’ on UC Browser received 6 million views. Clearly the browser is angled at users for whom their phone is an extension of TV and cinema! An added feature is the ability to go incognito while browsing.

IndiaTechOnline

IT is like that...

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

“The move (demonetisation) was implemented without any planning. This has created financial calamity and financial emergency in the country. The country has been pushed towards anarchy. The government should restore normalcy.”

- Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister and Chairperson, Trinamool Congress

Job creation sevenyear low, need for more jobs: President P 11

Oppn seeks demonetisation debate in LS under voting rule A united opposition’s relentless demand for a debate on demonetisation under a rule which entails voting forced the adjournment of the Lok Sabha for the day as the government refused to accept it.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government was willing to debate the issue under Rule 193, which does not entail voting, as it did not want two voices to emerge from Parliament, drawing incessant protests from the opposition.

As opposition parties refused to budge, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings for the day after a 25-minute adjournment earlier.

The House was adjourned as a mark of respect for a sitting member who had passed away in August.

As soon as the House met, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip

TMC Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee along with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, AAP MP Bhagwant Man and other MPs addressing the media following their meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee over demonetisation issue at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

Bandhyopadhyay said his party wanted to move an adjournment motion.

Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said

his party too wanted to move a similar motion to discuss the “hardship being faced by the people and the economic disruption and the failure of the

Centre moves SC to stay proceedings against note ban The Supreme Court agreed to hear a fresh plea of Centre seeking a stay on the proceedings before various high courts and other courts except the apex court against its November 8 decision to demonetise high denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

A bench comprising justices AR Dave and AM Khanwilkar agreed to the contention of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, that

proceedings in various courts except the apex court on the issue will create a lot of confusion. The bench said the matter will be heard by another bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur which is hearing a batch of PILs against the Centre’s demonetisation move. The apex court, on November 15, had refused to stay the government’s demonetisation notification but asked it to spell out the steps taken to minimise public inconvenience.

government to redress the plight of the people.” He said another issue his party wanted to flag was the “leakage” of the information on demonetisation before it came into force.

The Question Hour between 1100 hours and noon went on amid continued vociferous protests and sloganeering by opposition members.

“We all want a discussion under the Rule 56 so that we can know what is the stand of all parties when they vote. Then everyone will participate,” Kharge said.

Kumar insisted that people at large are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on demonetisation.

Bandhopadhyay said opposition parties were together. “We are in a mood to censure the government,” he said.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the government was ready to discuss at length the “historic” decision by suspending the Question Hour but under Rule 193 where there is no formal motion or voting.

Rejecting the suggestion, members of Congress, TMC, RJD and Left parties rushed to the Well shouting slogans. AIADMK members to entered the Well, but were raising slogans demanding release of Cauvery water by Karnataka for Tamil Nadu.

PTI

Parl for early passage of Motor Vehicle Bill

Parliamentarians cutting across party lines have demanded early passage of proposed Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016, a research advocacy body said.

CUTS International, a research and advocacy organisation which hosted a Parliamentarians’ Forum on Economic Policy Issues (PARFORE), said that the members participating in it demanded passage of the bill in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament as India accounted for a large number of deaths in road crashes.

Parliamentarians “suggested for improvements in driver licencing system and provisions for effective electronic enforcement. Parliamentarians strongly put forward the need for scientific investigation of road crashes and

PUNE

200 million Indians have high BP India is home to about 200 million adults with high blood pressure, according to the largest study of its kind which found that the number of people in the world with high BP has reached 1.13 billion.

The study, led by scientists at Imperial College London, shows that the number of people with high blood pressure across the world has nearly doubled in 40 years.

Over half of the world’s adults with high blood pressure in 2015 lived in Asia. Around 226 million people in China have high blood pressure, along with 200 million in India, the study published in The Lancet journal found.

Researchers studied changes in blood pressure in every country in the world between 1975 and 2015. They also found that men had higher blood pressure than women in most countries in the world in 2015. Globally, 597 million men had raised blood pressure, compared to 529 million women.

The study incorporated blood pressure measurements from nearly 20 million people, showing that while blood pressure has dropped sharply in high-income countries, it has risen in many low and middle-income countries, especially those in Africa and South Asia.

The country with the highest agecorrected proportion of men with high blood pressure in 2015 was Croatia (38 per cent of the population), while Niger had the highest proportion of women with high blood pressure (36 per cent).

While the UK had the lowest proportion of people with high blood pressure in Europe in 2015, South Korea, US and Canada were lowest in the world.

“High blood pressure is no longer related to affluence as it was in 1975 but is now a major health issue linked with poverty,” said Majid Ezzati, professor at Imperial.

Researchers said the reason for this finding is unclear, but it may be linked to overall better health and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The condition is also caught more frequently and earlier, and managed with medication in high-income countries. These factors may have helped counteract rising obesity, which is a risk factor for high blood pressure.

“Increasing evidence suggests poor nutrition in early life years increases risk of the high blood pressure in later life, which may explain the growing problem in poor countries,” Ezzati said.

PTI PTI

SEA OF FAITH

omitting the limit on insurer s liability in third party motor accidents in the MVA Bill, 2016,” CUTS said in a statement.

GK Pillai, former home secretary and member, Board of Trustees, Save Life Foundation, gave a detailed presentation about the MVA Bill and its key proposed amendments.

“Dinesh Trivedi, MP, AITC and Former Railway Minister and Chairman, Standing Committee on Railways opined that Indian road scenario is very scary, so there must be some deterrence and at the same time there has to be introduction of new technology and strict monitoring of the traffic violations like air traffic control, then only Indian roads can be made safer,” the statement said.

“The Bill, introduced in the Parliament on August 9, 2016, by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, ambitiously aims to fill the gaps in the road safety legal framework in the country by amending the much older Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (MVA),” the statement said.

PTI

UP leads in accident-prone zones Uttar Pradesh leads the country in the number of accident-prone zones or ‘black spots’ and the central government has taken a number of steps such as carrying out safety audits to reduce fatalities, the Lok Sabha was informed. Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways P Radhakrishnan said during Question Hour that out of 789 such spots identified across India based on fatalities, Uttar Pradesh has 104, followed by 102 in Tamil Nadu and 86 in Karnataka. To reduce accidents and fatalities, several steps have been initiated, including road safety audit, proper marking of such spots, drving lessons for comercial vehicle drivers, publicity campaigns and stress on road engineering.

Huge crowd of devotees take bath in the River Ganga on the occasion of Kartik Poornima in Patna

‘India, 3 others witnessed 50% of all terror attacks in 2015’

BY ADITI KHANNA

Vol-III* lssue No.: 23 Editor: Tushar Burman (Responsible for the selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867) Printed and Published by: Shrikant Honnavarkar on behalf of Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 and printed at PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 at Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai.

Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 1641, Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411 030, Tel: 020-41220010.

Nearly half of all terror attacks in 2015 occurred in four countries, including India and Pakistan, according to an annual terrorism index which also said India last year had the highest number of attacks since 2000.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2016 published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) found that 29,376 people died from terrorism in 2015, down 3,389 on the previous year and the first fall since 2010.

India was named among the four countries where nearly half of all terrorist attacks occurred in 2015, besides Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Improvements continued to be recorded in India, which historically has had high levels of terrorist activity. In 2015 India had the highest number of attacks since 2000, whilst paradoxically it had the second lowest number of deaths for a single year since 2000,” the report says. “75 per cent of attacks in India had no fatalities, compared to 44 per cent globally...The country had 797 attacks that resulted in 289 deaths, compared to 764 attacks with 418 deaths the previous year,” the report

said. Pakistan was also named among the five countries with the highest impact from terrorism, besides Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria. These five countries accounted for 72 per cent of all deaths from terrorism in 2015. “Pakistan continued to see declines in its levels of terrorism due to infighting within the largest active group, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, as well as to the operations of the Pakistan Army in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas,” the report said.

The index also shows that the ISIS is now officially

Index shows ISIS as the deadliest terrorist group in the world overtaking Boko Haram

the deadliest terrorist group in the world, overtaking Boko Haram, after claiming responsibility for 6,141 deaths through attacks in more than 250 different cities in 2015. And the number of countries in which ISIS has carried out attacks more than doubled, from 13 in 2014 to 28 in 2015.

IEP executive chairman Steve Killelea said: “This year’s GTI report highlights the most complex set of dynamics in global terrorism in the last 16 years.

While on the one hand the reduction in deaths is positive, the continued intensification of terrorism in some countries and its spread to new ones is a cause for serious concern and underscores the fluid nature of modern terrorist activity. The attacks in the heartland of Western democracies underscore the need for fast paced and tailored responses to the evolution of these organisations.”

Though the index identifies 274 distinct terrorist groups around the world, between them ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and the Taliban were responsible for 75 per cent of all terror-related deaths, the report said.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

The going has got tough FC Pune P 12

“The divisions laid bare by this election run deep, but please listen to me when I say this: America is worth it.”

— Hillary Clinton, Democratic Presidential Candidate who lost to Donald Trump

Immigration ban would end the incredible US experience: Biden Outgoing US Vice President identifies globalisation as among one of the key reasons for the Democratic party defeat

Obama urges ‘course correction’ on globalisation

BY LALIT K JHA Describing the contribution of the IndianAmerican community as breathtaking, outgoing Vice President Joe Biden has warned that any effort to stop the flow of immigrants to the US would end the incredible American experience.

“The amazing contribution of the IndianAmerican community is breathtaking because many of you and your friends came here not out of some sense of ...the Diaspora that ended up in Delaware were the most educated people when they arrived in America. As a matter of fact they made it hard for other people,” Biden said at the Diwali reception held at his residence.

“The day we shut things down, the day we cut these out, the day we decide to go back ... that is happening now, that’s getting to the end of this great incredible experiment,” he said.

Organised in association with Indiaspora, it was attended by some top Indian-American leaders and several current and past members of his Administration from this community.

“You are incredible group of Americans,” he said welcoming the guests as he commended Diwali as celebration that opens its arms to people of all faiths.

Biden congratulated three new Indian-Americans elected to the House of Representative on November 8 — Pramila Jayapal (from Washington State), Raja

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden pose for a photograph with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife Karen after they had lunch at the Vice President’s residence, the Naval Observatory, in Washington

Krishnamoorthi (from Illinois) and Ro Khanna (from California). The Gold Star father Khizr Khan and his wife Ghazala Khan were the special invitees for the event. In the middle of his remarks, Biden asked them to the podium.

Biden praised Khan for taking a strong stand against religious hatred during the general elections, he appealed to the attendees not to be disappointed by the results of the election. “This is America...This is kind of who we are,” Biden said referring to Khan.

“You reminded millions of Americans why there is hope and faith. I will say you that the fact that the other team won does not mean that that was rejected,” Biden said.

“We lost because of awful lot of hardworking Americans who live in areas where we did not pay much attention to.

Barack Obama won these people. They are not racist. They did not vote for the Democrats this time,” he said. Biden identified globalisation as among one of the key reasons for the Democratic party defeat.

Globalisation, despite all its advantages, hurt people in the US. “I do not want anybody to walk away thinking that you know because Donald Trump says some awful things...He is the most unpopular elected President in American history. Just as Hillary was very unpopular.

There has been no election in American history when the negatives of both the candidates have been this high,” Biden said.

“I do not care what your political affiliation is we have to not give up. One election will not change America,” he added.

PTI

Globalisation has brought many economic benefits to the world but needs a “course correction” to address growing inequality, US President Barack Obama said on his European farewell tour.

Obama spoke during a visit originally planned as a valedictory lap, but which has become focused on reassuring jittery allies after the shock election victory by Donald Trump, a staunch critic of free trade agreements. “The global path of globalisation demands a course correction,” Obama said in an eagerlyawaited speech in Athens, before continuing his journey to Berlin.

“When we see people, global elites, wealthy corporations seemingly living by a different set of rules, avoiding taxes, manipulating loopholes... this feeds a profound sense of injustice,” he added.

The outgoing president has repeatedly referred to the anger that lately brought success to populist movements in Europe and the US, such as the Brexit referendum and Trump’s shock victory. He cautioned the world must guard against “a rise in a crude sort of nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an ‘us’ and a ‘them’”.

Oz tots can now learn Hindi

BY NATASHA CHAKU In a bid to promote languages other than English, Australia announced national rollout of an online programme for preschoolers to learn foreign languages, including Hindi, from next year onwards.

The Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) Polyglots applications will help students and their teachers to learn new languages.

According to Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham, the government would extend the programme to offer Australian preschoolers the opportunity to learn Italian and Spanish in 2017 and Hindi and Modern Greek in 2018.

Birmingham said almost 10,000 children had been part of the USD 9.8 million programme so far, with almost two in three students studying either Chinese or Japanese. The government has committed an additional USD 5.9 million for the national roll out.

“We know life-long learning begins from the youngest years and our USD 15.7 million investment in the

languages app highlights the Turnbull Government’s commitment to reviving the study of languages throughout Australia’s early education centres, schools and universities,” Birmingham said. “The ELLA programme has been extremely popular with children, parents and educators and it’s exciting to see it not only expanded to a national rollout but to also include an additional four languages,” he said.

“We live in a globalised world and initiatives like the languages app are vital to supporting our children to take

full advantage of the new opportunities our economic transition presents,” Birmingham said.

“It is particularly encouraging to see in what many describe as the ‘Asian Century’ that almost two in three students are studying the vital languages Chinese and Japanese,” he added.

The minister said 32 per cent of the 8,540 current students were studying Chinese, 29 per cent Japanese, 24 per cent French, 13 per cent Indonesian and 2 per cent Arabic.

“Seeing and hearing young children counting, following recipes and singing in a language that isn’t their native tongue, you understand how engaging this app is and why it has had such positive feedback from kids, educators and families,” Birmingham said.

“The Turnbull Government is committed to backing evidence-based programmes, to backing programmes that inspire students, that involve families in learning and that are useful for educators ELLA ticks all of the boxes, he said.

PTI

‘Maths may help brew perfect cup of coffee’ Scientists using complex mathematical calculations have come a step closer to understanding how to prepare a perfect cup of coffee - one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world.

Researchers have shed light on the processes governing how coffee is extracted from grains in a filter machine which could help people optimise their cuppa by applying a more precise approach. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world and is composed of over 1,800 chemical components.

The number of cups drunk each day around the world is estimated at over two billion. Brewing the perfect cup of coffee is always going to be a subjective endeavour.

However, the research

by Kevin Moroney at the University of Limerick in Ireland, William Lee at the University of Portsmouth in the UK and colleagues offers a better understanding of the parameters that influence the final product.

Previous research has looked at the maths of coffee extraction, but there has not been much work on drip filter machines, which make up more than half of the coffee machines sold every year in Europe. These machines involve pouring hot water over a bed of coffee grounds housed in a filter. Gravity pulls the water through the filter, extracting soluble compounds from the coffee grains during the flow, ‘BBC News’ reported.

“Our overall idea is to have a complete mathematical model of coffee brewing that you could use to design coffee machines, rather like we use a theory of fluid and solid mechanics to design racing cars,” Lee said.

“We looked at the effect of coffee grain size on the way that coffee comes out of a filter coffee machine.

“The really surprising thing to us is that there are really two processes by which coffee is extracted from grains.

There is a very quick process by which coffee’s extracted from the surface of the grains. And then there’s a slower tail-off where coffee comes out of the interior of the grains,” he said.

PTI PTI

GUNS IN BLAZES

A pile of 5,250 illegal weapons are burned by Kenyan police in Ngong, near Nairobi, in Kenya. The weapons consisted of both confiscated and surrendered firearms that had been stockpiled over almost a decade and were destroyed by police as a message to the public to surrender others

Gurudwara reopens ‘Half of China’s gay people in Pak after 75 yrs reluctant to come out in open’

BY M ZULQERNAIN A pre-Partition gurudwara in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak, has been reopened in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

“Gurudwara Kiyara Sahib which was closed over 75 years ago has finally been reopened for the yatris,” Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesman Amer Hashmi told PTI. He said thousands of Sikhs gathered in Nankana Sahib to attend the festivities on the 548th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak visited Kiyara Sahib when it was reopened by ETPB chairman Siddiqul Farooq.

Farooq also laid a foundation stone of a memorial of Bhai Mardana, a close associate of Guru

Nanak, in Nankana Sahib.

He said Gurudwara Kiyara Sahib has been reopened on the wish of Sikh ‘yatris’.

He said on November 19, Angetha Sahib at Darbar Sahib Kartarpur will be reopened and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib is scheduled for January.

The main event of Palki was held in Gurudwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, 80 kms from Lahore, in which more than 15,000 people mostly Sikh pilgrims from India (2,100), US, Canada, Britain and other European countries participated. Indian Sikhs will also visit other gurudwaras in Punjab province before their departure for home on November 21.

PTI

BY KJM VARMA About half of China’s gay people, whose numbers are on the rise were reluctant to come out of the closet contrary to Chinese lesbians who would like to come out in open, a survey on LGBT community has said.

The survey was conducted by Blued, a gay smartphone hookup app, and collected responses from 16,690 LGBT people and 3,310 non-LGBT people.

About 55 per cent of gay and bisexual men as well as 49 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women said they were not likely to come out over the next five years.

However 39 per cent of lesbians planned to do so, compared to 23 per cent of gay men, state-run Global Times quoted.

The poll found that family pressure

and fears about public acceptance are the major factors that keep people in the closet 75 per cent of respondents spoke about family worries and 61 per cent mentioned public perception.

Some 70 per cent of LGBT

respondents said they live in secondtier or other less developed cities like Chengdu and Chongqing in Southwest China, a greater proportion than in last year’s survey, which according to the report indicates the

Poll finds family pressure and fears about public acceptance as major factors that keep people in the closet LGBT communities in those cities are increasingly more confident and open to the public. The survey also showed that 22 per cent of gay men and 19 per cent of lesbians live in major metropolises, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Around 8 per cent of gay men and 9 per cent of lesbians live in towns and villages. Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that China has 50 million to 70 million people who identify as LGBT, based on typical numbers in other countries.

A report from WorkForLGBT, a nonprofit business network in Beijing, said those they surveyed in China’s cities are not only doing well financially, they also enjoy traveling.

So much so that recent reports said gay and lesbian tourism is gaining traction in China.

PTI

MONEY MATT ER S “The offline share of our business has surpassed online in the past five days and forms around 68-70 per cent of the business now from the 50 per cent earlier.”

— Deepak Abbot, Senior Vice-President, Paytm

Signpost Over 62,000 plaints received from Indians working abroad Over 62,000 complaints ranging from wage related issues, violation of contractual terms to adverse working conditions have been received by government from Indians employed in Gulf and some other countries in the last four years. The data was placed before Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar while replying to a question on complaints reported in Indian missions by Indians in the Middle East.

He said a total of 13,132 complaints were received from Indians working in Middle East and some other ECR (Emigration Check Required) countries while the figure in 2014 and 2015 was 17,801 and 16,390.

NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

“It could have been a step by step move. The government could have given people some time to get things in order. The Adanis and the Ambanis already knew about it and sorted their money in advance.”

— Bhawani Singh, BJP MLA, Kota

‘Bank deposit to see sharp decline once withdrawal norms ease’

Ratings agency Moody’s expects demonetisation efforts to give impetus to people to enter the formal banking system

PTI

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with MoS Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das and Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia during the inauguration of two-day Economic Editors’ conference-2016 in New Delhi

With about Rs 4 lakh crore coming into the banking system within a week after demonetisation, Moody’s Investors Service cautioned that banks’ deposit base will witness a “sharp decline” as and when the current restriction on cash withdrawals eases.

In a major assault on black money, counterfeit notes and terror financing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and asked holders of such bills to deposit them in banks.

Moody’s said the trend of significant inflows will continue for the next 3-4 weeks.

“But, as cash availability increases and the

current restrictions on cash withdrawals are lifted, sharp declines in the deposit base will occur in the near future,” Moody’s said.

Once this volatility subsides and stability is achieved, possibly around three months from now, we estimate that bank deposits will increase by around 1-2 per cent compared to what they would have been before the demonetisation scheme, it added. Moody’s said the expectation of a relatively low level of increase is based on the assumption that the role of cash as a medium of transaction will not change materially in the near term in India’s economy.

Former RBI Governor hails note ban decision Hailing the Indian government’s decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has said it would be a positive move for investment and will result in disinflation.

“Given the scenario, my own view is that it is going to be good,” Subbarao, said.

It would be positive for investment and result in disinflation among other benefits, he said, while commenting on the government’s decision to demonetise high value currencies last week.

Importantly, it would be good for

Govt to revive Nafed The government will take necessary steps for revival of NAFED while people involved in wrongdoings in the cooperative should be punished, Minister of State for Agriculture, Purshottam Rupala said.

Inaugurating the 63rd All India Cooperative Week organised by National Co-operative Union of India (NCUI), Rupala assured that he would take necessary steps for revival of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED).

“The people who were involved in the wrongdoings during NAFED scam should be punished, but the institution should not suffer,” he said. NAFED is currently procuring pulses on behalf of the government. NAFED had incurred bad debt of around Rs 1,600 crore in the “tie-up” businesses during 2003-06.

The cooperative had provided financial support of Rs 3,945 crore to 62 private

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

parties for trading in non-agri items and out of that, many turned defaulters.

NAFED has been incurring losses because of mounting interest liability on outstanding loans due to its failed ‘tie-up business’. It has been seeking a revival package to run its operation. Rupala asked the NCUI to initiate steps to popularise co-operative model amongst youth. He said the problems which farmers are facing should be brought to government notice by NCUI. Rupala said there is a need to consider co-operative model of development as the best model of development in the country. He emphasised the need to disseminate success stories of Amul among the masses. The minister said forming co-operatives among small and marginal farmers having 5-10 acres is very important to strengthen agriculture operations in the country.

PTI

bankers to encourage people to move from hard cash to electronic transactions. It would move from a cash-intensive economy to a less cash-intensive, he said, while speaking at MintAsia’s Global Banking Conclave 2016 held in Singapore.

But Subbarao also stressed the importance of following up with tougher measures on currency management and not to allow the built up of “black money” again.

NRIs have also welcomed the government’s decision on note ban.

GST enrolment drive in Gujarat The Gujarat government announced the commencement of GST enrolment drive, under which existing taxpayers registered under various state and central tax regimes, such as VAT, need to apply online to get the Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) number.

As the system is completely online, there is no need to approach any official of commercial tax, Commissioner of Commercial Tax PD Vaghela said.

According to Vaghela, this process is a free and one time migration from existing tax structure to GST. Those who are currently registered under Central Excise, Service Tax, Entertainment Tax, VAT, Luxury Tax and Entertainment Tax need to enroll themselves for GST number. The enrolment drive will conclude on November 30. The Centre is targeting to roll out GST by April 1 next year.

PTI

“However, as the cash intensity of the economy reduces over the medium term, driven by a combination of the informal economy coming into the ambit of the formal one and a higher proportion of cashless payments, bank deposit levels may benefit in a more meaningful fashion,” Moody’s said.

According to official estimates, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes account for around 86 per cent of the existing currency in circulation and around 9.5 per cent of GDP. Of the Rs 14 lakh crore of highdenomination notes, an estimated Rs 4 lakh crore has come into the banking system since November 8. The withdrawal of these high-value notes may provide a strong impetus to greater use of the formal financial system — the banking system — for the intermediation of commercial transactions, especially in the retail segment, Moody’s said.

The government move has meant that a large proportion of the population will have to access banking channels at least once, so as to convert their existing holdings into the new legal tender.

Moody’s said studies have shown that first-time users tend to keep using the banking system once they initiate the process. Therefore, we expect a material proportion of the first-time/very infrequent users to become more sticky customers of the banks.

“This development should also benefit the banking system in the form of a higher level of low-cost deposit,” it said. Moody’s said retail payments systems will be a clear beneficiary of the demonetisation move as people may see these

Make available new currency for Ayyappa devotees: Kerala govt

The Kerala government has asked the Centre to ensure availability of new notes at ATM counters in Sabarimala in view of the impending cash crunch expected at the hill shrine where lakhs of devotees converge during the three-month pilgrimage season.

The state has discussed the problems that devotees would face following demonetisation and expected favorable steps from the Centre in ensuring enough cash at the ATMs, State Minister for Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran said.

“A letter in this regard has been sent to Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

There are a number of ATMs at Pamba and Sannidhanam. But these ATMs would become empty in short time as lakhs of devotees converge there,” he said.

Under the circumstances, adequate steps should be taken to make available cash at Sabarimala, he said. On arrangements for ‘Mandala-Makaravillaku’ pilgrimage season at the Lord Ayyappa shrine, the minister said government’s effort is to make Sabarimala and its surroundings a plastic free zone by adhering to a directive of the Kerala High Court in this regard.

channels being much more convenient compared to the hassle they may experience in transitioning to the new denomination notes.

The micro-finance segments would be impacted significantly during the transition from the old notes to the new ones as transactions in this segment are predominantly cash based, it said.

However, once the transition is complete, asset quality may stabilise. The broader asset quality of the banking system would be impacted if economic conditions remain affected beyond the transition period, Moody’s added.

PTI

Deadline for banks to clean up books ‘stands’ at March next year Reserve Bank deputy governor NS Vishwanathan said the deadline for banks to clean up their balance sheet ‘stands’ at March 2017, even as its governor Urjit Patel hinting at pragmatic approach in dealing with NPAs. “It ( March 2017 deadline to clean up of balance sheet) stands,” Vishwanathan told reporters when asked if the clean up deadline remains unchanged.

He was at Infrastructure Finance summit organised by Assocham.

Indicating a shift from his predecessor Raghuram Rajan’s ‘deep-surgery’ policy on bad loans, Patel in October had said that the RBI will

be firm but pragmatic in dealing with bank NPAs so that the economy does not feel lack of credit to support growth.

When asked about the stress asset trends in September quarter, Vishwanathan said incremental stress is coming down.

“The basic way we are looking at is that the increment (in stress) is coming down. we are seeing the trend across the sectors,” Vishwanathan said.

In August this year, RBI deputy governor SS Mundra had said level of stressed advances in banking sector has risen to 12 per cent as gross non-performing assets nearly doubled to 8.7 per cent in June quarter.

System-level stressed advances, which includes GNPAs and restructured standard advances during March 2016, were 11.4 per cent, while they were at 10.9 per cent as of March 2015.

Mundra had said stressed assets of public sector banks have jumped to 15.4 per cent in the June quarter as against 14.4 per cent in March 2016 and 13.2 per cent in March 2015.

Vishwanathan said bad loans in the infrastructure sector is close to 16-17 per cent of the total advances. “It is an important issue and we need to have various ways to deal with it,” he said.

He said structuring of infrastructure financing has to be very correct as their projects have long gestation.

PTI

Job creation seven-year low, need for more jobs: President Campuses must have a peaceful environment for students to pursue higher studies and research

President Pranab Mukherjee cautioned that a scenario opposite to job creation can spell disaster in the country.

Addressing a conference of heads of educational institutions, he said job creation figures were the lowest in past seven years and jobs creation is a priority.

Citing incidents of student unrest in institutions, the President emphasised upon a harmonious and peaceful environment for students to pursue higher studies and asked government departments concerned to facilitate academic leaders.

Mukherjee said country’s institutions must become magnets for talent by shifting from “brain drain” to

“brain rain”.

“In India, we have enough talent.

With the largest population of the young, we are poised to leverage a low dependency ratio. But that depends on the productivity of the population in the working age bracket. If there are enough jobs in the country, there will be content, refinement and perfection. An opposite scenario can spell disaster.

“The restlessness and frustration of youth manifests in unrest and upheaval.

Let us not allow such a situation to appear on our horizon. We must turn our evolving demographic configuration into strength. For that, adequate job creation is a priority. The job creation figures of 1.35 lakh in 2015, which is the lowest in seven years, are not encouraging,” the President said.

He said with machines fast replacing men, there is a need to have a look at a paradigm shift.

“From ‘brain drain’, we must shift

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ceremonial welcome of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

to abundance of ‘brain rain’, as many successful Indian professionals working abroad are keen to come back, excited by the opportunities unfolding in a changing India.

“With adequate thrust on internationalisation of our institutions, we can develop ‘brain networks’,”

Mukherjee said, addressing the second visitor’s conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said educational institutions must have a harmonious and peaceful environment.

“There have been incidences of student unrest in our institutions in recent past. Our campuses must have a

harmonious and peaceful environment for students to pursue higher studies and research. Vice-chancellors and directors must deal with any unpleasant situation with sagacity.

“They must take help of all wellwishers including inspired teachers, who by the dint of their wisdom, conviction and conduct, can inspire confidence among students and have a calming influence. The administrative ministries concerned must also facilitate the academic leaders.” he said.

Mukherjee launched the national student start-up policy which aims to create one lakh technology based student start-ups and a million employment opportunities within the next 10 years.

The President said the global rankings of our higher educational institutions belie our economic prowess.

He said to attract bright students with limited means, a support base comprising options like deferred and

variable fees and income-contingent loans will be necessary. He said the challenge to attain global standards for our higher education system is two-fold.

“We need our established institutions to graduate into world-class centers of learning. At the same time, we need new institutions to take-off successfully, overcoming the nascent-stage hurdles.

Some of the new institutions have been set up in remote areas of the country.

They hold great promise to spur the development of their regions.

“They can be the bridge to build local capacity for teaching and learning.

Necessary assistance, both financial and administrative, must be at their disposal to see that these institutions start functioning at full capacity,” he said.

The President said the road to becoming world-class institutions is through the trinity of talent, resources and management.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19-25, 2016

PUNE

SPORTS

“It’s not a big value for us what other teams think about us. The main thing is that we actually think about ourselves. I know about the problems we could have in the future, and we need to stay in the race. ” — Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager

Signposts Shubhankar, Saee to lead Pune Shubhankar Khawale and Saee Chougule will lead the Pune teams in the upcoming mini and sub-junior state selection trials for mallkhamb, to be held at Latur.

The Maharashtra team will be selected from this competition for the national level competition to be held at Bhopal later this month.

Along with Shubhankar and Saee, Adwait Pendse, Chaitanya Pendse, Arya Abhyankar, Juee Kulkarni and Kiran Liman are the other players from Maharashtriya Mandal. Sachin Pardeshi and Neha Deshmukh will be the coaches with the teams.

Three from Pune in Indian team Pune’s Ruchika Bhave, Ninad Pangare and Dilip Choudhari have been selected to represent India at the 11th World Junior Taekwondo Championship to be held at Canada. The team is as follows: Ninad Pangare, Anshuman Parashar, Shoib Shah, Neeraj Choudhari, Vibhash Roy, Divanshu Mogha, Shivam Tyagi, Riyan Sekia, Akshay Hooda, Nakul Arya. (Girls) Pooja Kumar, Shehnaz Parween, Lalita, Seema Kanojia, Sonam, Samruddhi Bahuguna, Katyani Mishra, Ruchika Bhave and Khushbu Kumari.

“We want to be at the top challenging. We’ve had some ups and downs along the way, it’s not to say that we’ve given up on winning things just yet.”

— Michael Carrick, Manchester United Midfielder

The going gets tough for FC Pune The team needs to pull up their socks ahead of the last three away matches of the season TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly FC Pune City’s coach Antonio Habas pumped in some confidence into his team after the end of his four-match ban. The back-to-back wins over Atlético de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC were enough to give the team supporters a hope to get into the top four. But the fluctuating performance of the team has raised a serious concern.

After their recent home match against Delhi Dynamos, the team will play all three away matches to finish the season. They will fi rst take on NorthEast United FC at Guwahati on November 22, and will travel to Kochi to lock horns with bottom-placed Kerala Blasters on November 25. The team will play their last league match against Atlético de Kolkata at Rabindra Sa roba r

Stadium on December 2.

Except Kerala, the other two matches are going to be tough for the Pune team. Though, they have beaten ATK at Balewadi, the Kolkata team will be eager to settle scores. In the other two matches played at home, Pune had lost to NorthEast and had shared points with Kerala as the score read 1-1.

Up front, Anibal Rodriguez has played a key role for FCPC. The 33-year-old is currently the highest scorer for the orange army this season and his runs into the box have often proved to be troublesome for the opposition defenders. His height gives him an added advantage during setpieces.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh was impressive in winning the Maharashtra derby. Coming on as a substitute, he scored the winner against local rivals Mumbai City FC. The 30-year-old’s attacking prowess, passing skills and knack of scoring goals make him a game changer. Jesus Tato has been another bright sparks for Pune. The 33-year-old’s quick passing and ability to switch flanks adds versatility to Pune’s attack.

In the midfield, Mohamed Sissoko’s

experience and vast European pedigree has proved vital for the Pune team. His quick passing and vision on the ball has kept moving for the team.

The 31-year-old has been a towering presence on the field besides being a good defensive shield for his backline.

Jonatan Lucca has been an influential presence at midfield this season. A key performer, he has been able to hold on to the ball, create chances and string together a series of passes, abilities which are key elements for Pune.

Another star midfielder, Arata Izumi has followed in head coach Antonio Habas’ footsteps, moving from Kolkata to Pune. He has scored once this year and will be a crucial factor in the away matches.

In the defence, Eduardo Ferreira’s clean tackles and smart interceptions have often decided the outcome of a match. Rahul Bheke has been another consistent performer at the back. He has kept things tidy at the back and pulled off several vital blocks and interceptions to save his side’s blushes this year. The defender is confident going forward and is also capable of putting in dangerous crosses and throw-ins from the wide areas.

However, despite impressive

performances from these two, the defence has been an area of concern for the FC as they have let in ten goals from ten matches with just one clean sheet so far.

After failing consistently to get into the semi-finals for last two editions, FC Pune City has been desperate to get into last four. Even though, technically they have chance but have an uphill task ahead.

Pune head coach, Antonio Habas, however, made it clear that he expects a tough task ahead.

“We are on the hunt for a win. Th is league is very tough and all teams are in a similar situation. We are ready to grab these three points. It is difficult for coaches to gel a team together in just one and half months and make them a strong team. Every team wants to make the semi-finals and win in the last four games. When we started this season, I was banned for the fi rst four games. So, to get the team with new players organised was difficult but now we our adapting to the high intensity attacking game,” he had quoted.

He had even praised Lyngdoh and Ferreira for their inspirational presence in the team.

“All teams, except Delhi, are close to each other on the table. The

teams who play better and score goals will be the ones who make fewer mistakes. If you look at the points table, it’s all about plus or minus two points difference. Now it’s all about minimising mistakes,” said the Spanish coach who is under pressure to deliver.

Meanwhile, FCPC created a strange record when their Ravanan Dharmaraj was handed a two-match suspension, aside from a fine of Rs 40,000, for stamping Chennaiyin FC striker Dudu Omagbemi’s leg.

Interestingly, the infringement by Ravanan during the match played in Pune escaped the match officials’ attention but he was sanctioned under the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Disciplinary Code’s Retrospective Ban provision.

The committee handed the ban on Ravanan on the basis of video evidence of the incident. Experts said that it could perhaps be the fi rst time a video evidence was relied upon to arrive at a retrospective ban decision.

(With inputs from ISL media) tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Chinmay back on winning track Chinmay Kulkarni has proved his calibre once again to win the 22nd edition of the MJ’s Trophy Every Sunday Rapid Chess Championship. The tournament was fiercely fought for other places and under-10 player Aditya Samant as well as Raghubar Tyagi, an over 60 years player, were in the top five. Aditya Samant was second with six points, while Soham Datar was third. Tyagi finished fourth and Rohan Joshi was fifth.

Pune Football League kicks off TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly The new season of the DSK Toyota Pune Football League organised by the Pune District Football Association will kick off with the third division matches at the Dobarwadi Ground, Ghorpadi, Pune.

The women’s under-14 tournament will commence from Saturday (November 19), while the Super Division matches will begin from December 1.

The first and second division matches will kick off on December 17.

In the last season, Pune Football Club had emerged winner in the women’s section, while United Poona Sports Academy finished as runners-up.

Diego Junior team won the third division title, while Beckdinho FC finished as runners-up. These two teams have now upgraded to the second division and are expected to perform well this season.

Similarly, Deccan Rovers D team which emerged winner of the second division with Jolly Range Hills finishing

as runners-up, are moving to the first division.

DSK Shivajians Under-19 team had won the fi rst division, while Bombay Engineering Group (BEG) finished as runners-up. These two teams have now moved to the super division. The previous edition’s winners of Super Division were Pune Football Club with DSK Shivajians finishing as runners-up.

In the fi rst match of the third division, Sigmay registered a onesided win over Samford FC. Louis Riemei played a key role for the team.

He scored a brace and assisted in one goal. Sumit Bhandari added one goal to take the total to 4-0. However, it was Phoenix B, which registered the biggest win of the day. They outplayed Strong Ball team 7-0. Omkar Tambule and Himanshu Dhumal scored two goals each, while Archit Bora, Aishad and Sahil Thorat added one goal each for the winning team. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Huge response for GCPL league matches TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly The league matches of the Garden City Premier League Cricket Tournament (GCPL) received huge response and the enthusiasm of the team players, sponsors, committee members and the residents were at its peak last week.

During the league matches, in the men’s category, Sachin Dodke Yuva Manch (SDYM) and Avi’s Achievers have qualified for the quarterfinals, while Investa Challengers, Indus Warriors, Warje Warriors, Kasturi Trident, Peshwas and Jawk Tigers are in the next six positions in the points table. In the women’s category, league matches are over and semifinals will be played between Palladium Realty and SDYM and Indotech Warriors against Puneri Paltan.

In the junior boys’ category, Nilanjan Blasters will play against Space Fabin while Peshwas will face SDYM in the last four. In sub junior boys’, semifinals will be played between AGC Twisters against Fun & Learn Stars and SDYM against AGC Stars. In junior girls’ category, SDYM, Peshwas, Chakde AGC, Vitasta Rockers are on the top four spots and most likely will qualify for the semis unless there is some major upset in the last league match that is yet to be played.

Along with team performances, few individual excellent performances have created excitement in GCPL so far. Along with six sixes in an over, six wickets in an over, two hat-tricks and also a super-over that was played between Printex Solutions and Katuri Tident. The over ended in a nail biting finish with Kasturi winning the match. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

International supercross to hit Pune again TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly Pune is set to witness international supercross for the second year running when the fi fth leg of the FMSCI National Supercross Championship is held here on November 26.

There will be riders from six countries including the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, as well as FMX stuntmen from Australia, who are the star attraction of the event.

The international round will be concurrently held along with the fi fth and penultimate round of the National

Supercross championship. The final round in Bengaluru will also be an international event and is scheduled for December 4.

Last year, over 100 riders took part in the championship in the eight different categories. Champion rider KP Aravind rode flawlessly through the challenging track created for the Pune International Supercross event as he won both Motos to fi rm up his chances for the Overall title in the MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross championship in 2015.

Meanwhile, TVS Racing’s star rider Aravind rode his TVS RTR200 to win the fi rst SX1 Moto in the Group

Riders from six countries to participate in the penultimate round of the National Supercross

A Class 1 category. Following him was Pune’s Rugved Barguje in second place and Abdul Wahid Tanveer in third place, in a TVS Racing sweep.

Th is year Godspeed Racing, organisers of the event, intend to make the track even more challenging.

“We will run the event under floodlights and have added an overlapping bridge and a tunnel as an added challenge on the course, which will have a high table top finish just as last year,} informed Shyam Kothari, founder president of Godspeed Racing and former international rider.

There will be Suzukis, Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis and Huskeys roaring through the track designed and put together under the supervision of South Africa’s Anthony Reynard, the reigning South African champion.

“What we are putting together is a tunnel and bridge at one place. While the leader would be crossing over the bridge the following riders would be entering the tunnel making it an amazing scene for the motorsports fans,” said Kothari.

“Another attraction that we are bringing in Pune are three Australian freestyle motocross artists who will perform with their bikes over high table tops under floodlights.”

Shaun Webb is returning to Pune and Joe Duffield and Jared Morison are the other FMX riders who will be performing in Pune. MRF MOGRIP is the title sponsor of the event with Sidvin Energy, Indian Oil Corporation, TVS Motor Company, Aprilia, Ducati and Harley-Davidson being the associate sponsors. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com