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PAGES: 68 VOL.6 | ISSUE: 2 MARCH, 2018
EDITORIAL Editorial
VOL:6 I SSUE:2 I MARCH, 2018 `30 Editor SUDHAKAR
Special Correspondent D Bal Reddy
Correspondents Mallesh Babu Mattipati Yanadi Reddy Mandha Ravi Kumar G.P. Nagaraju
Reporters M.Praveen Kumar, P Vishnuvardhan Reddy Photographers M Vijay S Sridhar, Shair Ali Baig Cover & Layout T. Srinivasa Rao
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he latest fraud of $1.8 bn on the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) by the accused Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi may not have been unleashed with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government. But, there is a growing anger against the Modi government among the common people. While it is immaterial whether fraudsters like Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi had the blessings of politicos, people are angry at the current dispensation for not bringing the culprits to book even as the fraudsters lead a lavish life abroad. Though the government has asked all the public sector banks to check all NPAs above Rs 50 crore for possible fraud, its move has not been taken by the common people on a positive note. Instead, common people are of the opinion that banks refuse simple financial assistance on account of flimsy reasons and in some cases for want of bribe, whereas hundreds of crores are advanced to corporate without even proper verification resulting huge financial fraud. This growing anger among the common people, particularly the rural masses, who cannot understand the intricacies of the banking operations, is a great threat to Modi government in the forthcoming elections. Middle class population of the country had lot of hopes on Modi government so far as bringing back black money and punishing fraudsters are concerned. However, keeping political criticism aside, Modi dispensation has not been able to do much on this front. Added to this, increase in prices of essential commodities and increase in the cost of living doubled the anger against the dispensation. And the Opposition Congress has been taking advantage of the situation. The latest fraud on PNB is a warning bell for Modi and his party. Unless some concrete measures are taken to infuse confidence among masses, it will be tough for the BJP to come back to power in 2019. (Sudhakar) THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
4 Content
Fruit vendors relocated
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Centre’s attitude causing unrest: AP CM 18
Cotton seed delinting
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Cotton is one of the most important fiber’s and cash crop’s of India and plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh jointly are in the third place in cotton production in the country. While this is a welcome situation, there are two things that have become serious cause of concern.
Aadhaar helped cancel 3 cr fake, duplicate 24 ration cards
Nizam-era cannon found while digging in Hyderabad 7
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Content
Gautami levels shocking charges on Kamal
KGP-IIT develops paper battery from bacteria A research scholar of IIT Kharagpur has developed a disposable and exible battery made from paper that could generate power from the bacteria present in sewage water, the premier institute said on February 26.
55 21 Clearing the air that she was not in contact with actor-politician Kamal Haasan since October 2016, actress Gautami has said the period since her walking out has been consumed by her eorts to rebuild a stable and secure environment for her daughter and herself.
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Sridevi ruled hearts for five decades
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Fifty years ago, in a studio in Chennai, a young girl faced the cameras for her debut as a child artiste. Not many in the audience that watched this wisp of a girl would have wagered that this lass with luminous...
Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati dead
PNB FRAUD TOUCHES `12.6K CR
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THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
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6 Courage
OďŹƒcer carries her 5-day-old baby to husband's funeral
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ollowing the tragic micro helicopter crash in Majuli, Assam, that killed two pilots, a picture of the family of one of the deceased pilots, Wing Commander D Vats is going viral on the internet. The picture shows his wife, Major Kumud Dogra in uniform, walking up to pay
her last tributes to her husband while carrying their five-day-old child. The heart-wrenching picture has been shared extensively in the social networking platforms. While people are lauding the brave officer for her strong-mindedness, her baby is being showered with love. A twitter user, Parul Mathur tweeted: "This is heartbreaking yet
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
reinstate the emotion of courage in me, both at the same time. This is Maj Kumud Dogra her five day old baby is in her arms and she is feet marching towards the dead body of her husband Wng Cmdr D Vats. Not only she but courage epitomize her too. #Salute." Another user tweeted: "#Major #Kumud Dogra...In her arms is her five day old baby and her feet marching towards the dead body of her husband Wng Cmdr D Vats...A rare epitome of courage... Salute you #Major #Dogra JAI HIND" The crash took place at Darbar Chapori, a sandbar in the mighty river Brahmaputra on February 15. Commander J James was the other pilot who was killed in the crash, at an area that has no human habitation.
Telangana
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Nizam-era cannon found while digging in Hyderabad
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onstruction workers stumbled upon what looks like a Nizami-era cannon and cannon balls while they were digging the ground to lay the foundation of a plot in Farhatnagar near Dabeerpura on February 25. According to reports, the workers were digging for construction in a 40-square yard private property and during the process they found the canon and a few cannon balls. As the word spread, locals soon flocked to the construction site to have a look at the ammunition and took videos and selfies. Soon, police were alerted about the discovery, following which
they informed the findings to the Archaeological department. However, the Archaeological department could not ascertain the history of the cannon and confirm if it was made during the Nizam period. South Zone DCP V Satyanarayana said, “Police constables were sent to the site immediately upon intimation and a letter to the Department of Archaeology and Museums.” Earlier in 2016, an old cannon was found during the road widening from Hussaini Alam to Kokka-Ki-Tatti near Charminar. The canon was recovered from underneath a building which was demolished for the purpose of road widening.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
The cannon was presumed to be cast in Gunfoundry by Frenchman Monsieur Raymond in the 1780s. In a similar incident, in October 2017, four canons presumed to belong to the British era were recovered from the iconic Queen’s Mary’s High School in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The arms were found while workers were digging the ground to lay foundation stones for the new building of the school. The ammunition was presumed to be designed by the East India Company. The arsenal could have been in the premises of the school as it used to be an ammunition centre during the British era, claimed heritage experts.
8 Telangana
CHARMINAR PEDESTRIAN PROJECT
Fruit vendors relocated
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ays after they protested against the 'high-handedness' of the traffic police, fruit vendors around Charminar in Hyderabad were relocated to the bus depot nearby. The ongoing Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP) has hit the business of several fruit vendors as well as hawkers around the historic monument in Hyderabad. Several policemen were deployed on February 24, as the Pathergatti corporator of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Charminar MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri reached the spot to talk to the vendors. This development comes just two days after Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Prinicpal Secretary Arvind Kumar, inspected the CPP with senior officials of the state government. The Principal Secre-
tary said that the shops in the Charminar area must have uniform display boards detailing the heritage background, to safeguard the historic monuments in Hyderabad's Old City area. The Principal Secretary also stated that a team of officials would shortly be sent to Isthanbul in Turkey, to study the integration of Architecture and heritage structures with transport and tourism. The entire pedestrainisation project would cost around Rs 35 crore, he said. Last week, after speaking to the project contractor along with the vendors and the traffic police, the local legislator managed to postpone the shifting temporarily. The MLA also assured the hawkers that an alternate place would be identi-
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
fied for them, in view of the pedestrian project. According to reports, the CPP aims to pedestrianise a radius of 220 metres around Charminar, by diverting vehicular traffic through the Inner Ring Road (IRR) and the Outer Ring Road (ORR). Meanwhile, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is also busy carrying out repair and conservation works on the monument and its pillars itself. Charminar, which was built during Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah's rule in 1591, is a protected structure, as any construction within 200 meters around the monument can only be done after permission is obtained from the ASI and the National Monument Authority.
Telangana
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Telangana ushers in m-governance with launch of T App Folio
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ll public services in Telangana will now be delivered over mobile phone with the government on Wednesday launching T App Folio, the official digital application of the state. The youngest state of India, which claims to be a pioneer in e-governance in the country, has brought on one platform all the apps of government departments. With this, Telangana has become the second state in the country after Karnataka to launch anywhere, anytime, mobile service delivery gateway for all the departments. Using their smart and feature phones, citizens can avail all the services currently offered through MeeSeva centres and the online portal. They can get birth, death, income and other certificates, make payments for utility services, pay property tax, Road Transport Authority (RTA) fee, pay Internet bill and recharge mobiles, apply for driving license and avail land-related services. T Wallet, the app of RTA offering driving licence and vehicle registration documents in digital format, various se-
T Wallet, the app of RTA offering driving licence and vehicle registration documents in digital format, various security-related apps of the police department and the services offered under Public Distribution System (PDS) will be integrated with T App curity-related apps of the police department and the services offered under Public Distribution System (PDS) will be integrated with T App. To begin with, the mobile platform offers 150 services and the Electronic Services Delivery (ESD) plans to take this number to 1,000 services in one year. Available in English and Telugu, the T App
Folio can be used by smartphone users through Android and iOS-based app. It will also be available over web (m.gov.telangana.gov.in) while for feature phone users the service will be available through USSD, SMS and call. T Wallet, the state's official digital wallet, launched last year has been integrated with the T App Folio. T App Folio
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
will not only offer all most used services by the government departments but will also be open to private apps used by the people. Launching the T App Folio, Minister for Information Technology K. T. Rama Rao said this would literally bring governance to the fingertips of the common man. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, said the state was contemplating a legislation to make delivery of all services by digital means compulsory. He claimed Telangana is the only state to have an official payment gateway with its app, something which the Karnataka app or even the government of India's app 'Umang' lack. G.T. Venkateswar Rao, Director of Electronic Services Delivery, said that ESD currently offers 600 citizens services through MeeSeva centres and franchises across the state. Launched in 2011 as ESeva, it handled 2.5 crore transactions till 2014. During the last three years, over 7.5 crore transactions were conducted.
10 Telangana
Telangana urges Centre to sanction defence corridor
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he government of Telangana has urged the Centre to sanction a defence industrial production corridor as the state has the required eco-system and it is also number one in the country in ease of doing business. In a letter to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 27, state Industries Minister KT Rama Rao outlined the various advantages of Telangana and Hyderabad. Reminding that the fledgling state of Telangana needs all the support possible from the Union Government, the minister said that the state has trained manpower and the proposed corridor would generate much needed jobs for local youth. He also stated that the defence
industrial production corridor would boost the manufacturing sector in the state. Union Budget 2018-19 proposed two defence industrial production corridors. While the first corridor was proposed between Chennai and Bengaluru, the second one was proposed in Bundelkhand. Rama Rao, who is also the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, pointed out, “Telangana is strategically located in the centre of the country and is home to several public sector defence enterprises and DRDO labs including RCI, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Bharat Dynamics Limited [BDL], Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory [DMRL], Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. (MIDHANI), Nuclear Fuel Complex, Electronics Corporation India Limited [ECIL],
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Bharat Electronics, Ordinance Factory, CITD, BHEL and others.� The industries minister wrote that the state already has a vibrant ecosystem in the private sector with several established companies in the aerospace and defence sectors. The state has two operational aerospace manufacturing parks near Adibatla region, besides an aerospace park operated by GMR adjoining the international airport. The state is also planning to set up a larger aerospace and defence park in Eliminedu and create another aerospace cluster within the National Investments and manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) planned at Medak district. The state is planning to set up a defence incubator in Hyderabad with support from the central government.
12 Cover story
COTTON SEED DELINTING Seed processing units raking in moolah Use of acid causing damage to environment, people in Telangana Administration reluctant to take action THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Cover story 13
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D BAL REDDY
otton is one of the most important fiber’s and cash crop’s of India and plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh jointly are in the third place in cotton production in the country. While this is a welcome situation, there are two things that have become serious cause of concern. One is increasing number of cotton farmers committing suicide and another is the environmental and health hazards of the cotton seed processing in Telangana. Though mechanical delinting process is available, many a seed companies prefer acid delinting due to cheaper cost of processing and perceived higher germination capacity of the seeds processed through acid delinting. In fact, the procedure of using concentrated sulfuric acid to prepare cotton seed for planting is tedious and also hazardous to both the seed and the workforce. Delinting with sulphuric acid (H2SO4) may damage the seed coat, re-
sulting in poor seed quality and storability. Further, delimiting with sulphuric acid causes health hazards for those involved in delinting and also pollutes the environment as the untreated sulphuric acid is abandoned in the ground and small water bodies around the cotton farms. The Indian cotton seed market is dominated by a few private companies which have the rights to sell their own varieties. These companies procure seeds from small firms and producers and the small firms and producers do not bother about safe seed treatment practices. These firms and producers process the seed through acid delinting process after ginning. The concentrated sulphuric acid used for delinting causes great amount of environmental pollution. In India, delinting through concentrated acid seems to be the most favorable one since it is easier for the producers to apply due to lower cost of equipment. The process involves only one tank with an agitator mixing the cotton seed straight with the high concentrated acid released at the end the acid in the environment. It means that the acid released after the delinting process changes the morphology of the ground where it is disposed and is absorbed further polluting the ground water reserves causing a great deal of environmental pollution. The contamination of the ground water reserves is so serious that the water becomes useless
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
14 Cover story
even for irrigation and very harmful for the people of the surrounding areas. Despite this, authorities concerned, particularly the pollution control boards are turning a blind eye to the menace. This situation can be seen in many parts of Mahbubnagar and Gadwal, where cotton production is taken up on a large scale and delinting is done using concentrated sulphuric acid. One can observe burnt and discolored arms of the labourers engaged in cotton seed delinting, along with health issues associated with respiration. While the cotton seed manufacturers are raking in the moolah at the cost of human lives and environment, the political parties simply engage in mudslinging with complete disregard to the welfare of the people. The Congress leaders have started making demanding stern action against those who are encouraging delinting using acid. Protests have been organized to this effect. Leaders like D K Aruna alleged that TRS leaders were protecting those encouraging delinting using acid in return for huge cuts.
cotton seed manufacturers are raking in the moolah at the cost of human lives and environment, the political parties simply engage in mudslinging with complete disregard to the welfare of the people
She also alleged that water streams, water bodies and ground water reserves have completely been polluted because of indiscriminate dumping of acid used in
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
delinting of cotton seeds. She demanded that the authorities should ensure use of modern methods of delinting of cotton seeds to prevent pollution. However, the ruling TRS leaders were quick in retorting the allegations. They alleged that the Congress leaders were silent on this issue as long as they were in power. Now that the Congress is not in power, the leaders are trying to create unrest with unrealistic issues. The TRS leaders went on to say that their government has taken steps to prevent environmental pollution as well as to protect the health of the workforce engaged in cotton seed delinting. In the melee, some private companies continue to carry on the cotton seed delinting using highly concentrated sulphuric acid allegedly with the support of corrupt administration. It is time the government and private agencies associated with the cotton crop take up a campaign to create awareness among the farmers and the people of cotton belt about the hazards of using acid for cotton seed delinting and find an amicable and everlasting solution for the issue.
16 AP News
AP studying feasibility of Hyperloop transportation facility
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ndia's first Hyperloop transportation facility is likely to be introduced in Andhra Pradesh, connecting Vijayawada with upcoming state capital Amaravati. The state government is currently studying the feasibility of the project and if introduced, the 40 km distance between the two cities can be covered in just six minutes. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies chairman and cofounder, Bibop Gresta, told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing CII Partnership Summit here that the technology has the potential to transform the mass transportation system in the country. Hyperloop, an idea originally floated by Tesla CEO and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk, involves a futuristic and technology-intensive
transportation system that propels a pod-like vehicle through a nearvacuum tube at nearly 1,100 km per hour. The Los Angeles-based company "Hyperloop One" announced a proposal in March last year to evaluate construction of five Hyperloop lines in India. The five proposed lines include Bengaluru to Chennai, Mumbai to Chennai via Bengaluru, Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai to Delhi and Mumbai to Kolkata. If the Hyperloop line is completed, people can travel from Bengaluru to Chennai in 20 minutes. The 1,102 km Mumbai to Chennai via Bengaluru line will cover the distance in 50 minutes. Gresta claims that their technology is radically different from the existing ones. "Our system uses a combination of renewable energy THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
to generate more electricity than it consumes. This ensures affordable cost of construction and maintenance. The capsule can move at a very high speed consuming very little energy, making the system highly efficient," he said. Last year, the AP Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) and US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) had signed an Mo). The government had announced that it will study the feasibility of the project. "Once that is done and if the Chief Minister gives us the goahead, we will be ready to roll out the project," Gresta said. He is confident that they can complete the project in four to five years. He believes that Amaravati is the best place to launch the project as it is located on river front and has unique environment.
Politics 17
TJAC announces launch of political party to take on TRS
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MANDHA RAVI KUMAR
utting speculations to rest, TJAC chairman Prof Kodandram Reddy announced the launch of his political party to take on the might of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and his erstwhile ally K Chandrasekhar Rao. The announcement was made at the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC’s) general body meeting held at Turkayamjal in Ranga Reddy district in the first week of February. Speaking at the event, he said, “We need to form a political party to fulfil dreams of Telangana people while allowing TJAC to retain its apolitical face. The decision was taken after a pressing demand from TJAC leaders who attended the general body meeting on Sunday,” The Times of India reported. He said that the launch of the party had become inevitable, to fight the issues grappling the state like farmers’ suicide, unemployment, non-remunerative prices for agricultural products and to provide justice for those who fought for the state. “How long the TJAC will carry on struggles on behalf of people without any result? Therefore, it was decided to launch a party to implement the people’s agenda,” reported The Hindu. He said that though over 3,400 farmers have committed suicide, the TRS government recognised
only 786. “As much as Rs 6 lakh ex gratia has to be paid to family members of farmers who committed suicide, but the state has washed its hands of after compensating only 500-odd families,” he said. Kodandram had clarified that the TJAC will remain a non-political entity and continue to highlight the government’s failures. Kodandram announced that the name and plan of action of the party would be decided in consulTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
tation with persons concerned. The TJAC chairman said that padayatras and bike rallies will be conducted to strengthen the party at the grassroots level and to highlight the failures of TRS government. He also announced a massive public meeting in Hyderabad after the padayatra. Before the announcement, the TJAC discussed the reports submitted by it over the plight of farmers in the state.
18 Politics
Centre’s attitude causing unrest: AP CM
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MATTIPATI YANADI REDDY
ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on February 26 said the nonfulfillment of commitments made to the state by the Centre was causing unrest among people. He stated this during the ongoing CII Partnership Summit here. Naidu, who focussed on signing a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) during the first two days of the Summit to attract investment to the state, opened up on the last day to vent out his feelings on the key issue amid straining of ties with the Centre. Sharing the dais with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at a session, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president targeted his ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"What they committed, they are not giving, causing unrest among people," said Naidu, whose party is a partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The TDP had stalled proceedings during the budget session to protest the raw deal meted out to the state in the Union Budget 201819. Naidu said injustice was done to Andhra Pradesh while dividing it to carve out Telangana state in 2014. He recalled the problems he had to face in making a beginning from the scratch. He said he was working hard to develop the state as an innovation valley and using technology to solve people's problems. The Chief Minister said people had more expectations from him. Naidu had long been demandTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
ing with the Centre to fulfil all commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He is seeking liberal financial assistance and handholding by the Centre. Over the last few weeks, Naidu hinted that his patience was growing thin. Naidu made the remarks when the moderator sought his views and that of Ravi Shankar on the importance of patience. Ravi Shankar said while he was not for division of Andhra Pradesh, he now feels that had this not happened, Naidu would have been confined to Hyderabad. He said it was heartening find the young state coming up well and competing with the world. He said the state endowed with abundant natural and human resources had vibrant atmosphere.
20 News Bytes
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Telangana staring at water shortage this summer!
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vailability of water has become a major cause of concern for the state with Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam in Krishna basin stooping down to a mere 62 tmc (thousand million cubic) ft. Reports suggest that this year might be another 'near scarcity' situation for the Telugu state. While widening constrain has created ripples in management of drinking water till August- this year, irrigation needs can be served for the next couple of months. As per reports, with no substantial water supply given for Kharif crops under the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal, farmers have massively increased their dependency on Yasangi. While 25 tmc of water was used for irrigation purposes
under the left canal, 16 tmc would be required by the season-end. In addition, the state further requires another 9 tmc to satiate its thirst. While the 'nawabi' city requires around 9 tmc, till August, 4 tmc will be required under the Alimineti Madhav Reddy Project (AMRP). Moreover, the AMRP and Hy-
derabad Metro Water Supply (MMWS) were alloted 4.4 tmc by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) only for the current month. With the growing distress, water management practices if not channelised properly could lead to a repeat of the previous year's condition, feared irrigation authorities.
I-T attaches Rs 1,200cr SEZ unit of Gitanjali in Hyderabad
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he Income Tax Department on February 22 said it has attached a Rs 1,200 crore worth property of the Gitanjali group, located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Hyderabad, in connection with its tax evasion probe. The officials said the property has been provisionally attached under the Income Tax law and the action was taken to "recover outstanding tax demands". They said the valuation of the property, in the SEZ at Rs 1,200
crore, has been done by the assessee and the department has put up a notice on the property. The department, in the last few days, has similarly attached nine bank accounts and seven properties of the group and Choksi. The department had first raided billionaire diamond jeweller Nirav Modi in January last year on charges of alleged tax evasion and had also surveyed Gitanjali Gems promoter Choksi's businesses.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Modi, Choksi and others are being investigated by multiple probe agencies after it recently came to light, following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), that they allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of Rs 114 billion, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have registered two FIRs each to probe this case.
South 21
Gautami levels shocking charges on Kamal
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learing the air that she was not in contact with actorpolitician Kamal Haasan since October 2016, actress Gautami has said the period since her walking out has been consumed by her efforts to rebuild a stable and secure environment for her daughter and herself. "An environment where we could breathe free of the stress and tension of a greatly traumatic situation," she said in her latest blog post, adding that she still has salary dues pending from Kamal. She also dropped clear hints that Kamal did not allow her to work for other films when they lived together for more than a decade. "During the nearly thirteen years of our life together, the work that I did as Costume Designer, was only for films produced by Raajkamal Films International, (RKFI), and for films that Mr. Haasan made for other producers. And this was my primary source of income as my working both in front of and behind the camera in other's projects was actively discouraged," she said. "In addition to this, it grieves me greatly to have to say that as of October, 2016, I had salary dues pending right from earlier films like Dasavataram, Vishwaroopam, etc," she added. Stating that these pending salary dues were the only financial resource at the time for rebuilding her life, she said, "I had made repeated efforts to recover the pay-
ments from Mr. Haasan and RKFI. I am deeply anguished to say that inspite of repeated entreaties and requests, there is still a significant amount from my due salary pending payment." On why she decided to break away from Kamal, she said, "I had taken the decision to walk out and make my own life because it had become painfully clear to me over a time period even prior to October 2016 that our personal code of conduct and commitment had become completely divergent. In my commitment to our relationship, I had believed that we shared the values and ideals that I have held dear all my life. Mutual
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
respect, love, commitment and honesty are indispensable in any relationship and especially in sharing a life. And when these are absent, everyday life becomes an unrelenting torment with a shattered self-respect." She also said Kamal's daughters Shruti and Akshara did not have any role in their separation. Stating that she would spend the rest of her life on spreading awareness on cancer and other good things, Gautami said there is no question of getting back to Kamal. "I have absolutely nothing to do with him or his actions in any way – professionally, personally, politically or otherwise," she added.
22 National
Make in India for defence oundering, says report
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he much-vaunted 'Make in India' initiative for the defence sector is floundering for a variety of reasons, including lack of accountability, too many decision points, and a tendency to find fault, according to a Defence Ministry presentation. According to sources, the presentation was made by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre for Prime Minister Narendra Modi late last year and points to staggering delays in procurement, blaming it also on a disjointed approach, lack of planning and poor coordination, among a range of other issues. The presentation contended that, more than a year after the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) -- the guidebook on defence procurement -- pushed for domestic defence manufacturing, acquisitions under the Buy and Make in
India category still take the longest to fructify, while the least time is taken by the Buy Global category acquisitions. It said the defence procurement procedure "continues to languish" because of "procedural delays" and suffered from "multiple and diffused structures" and that there was "no single-point accountability, multiple decision-heads, duplication of processes, delayed comments, delayed execution, no real-time monitoring, no projectbased approach and a tendency to fault-find rather than to facilitate". The presentation noted that out of 144 schemes contracted during the last three financial years -since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power -only 8-10 per cent were concluded within the stipulated time period. The average time taken by these 133 schemes was 52 months -more than twice the laid-down time-frame. THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Citing an example of delay, it said once a deal is at the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage -- which is a letter inviting competing vendors -- the average time taken to clear files is 120 weeks -- against a target of 37 weeks laid down by the ministry in 2016. It said the armed forces continue to view the Ministry's Acquisition Wing "as an obstacle rather than a facilitator" and pointed to the need for a "tectonic change" in mindset of the ministry's officialdom. The 27-point presentation, sources said, also suggested the planning task for the three services needs to be further synergised, and stressed the need for scientific models to formulate plans. The presentation also blamed delays on factors such as repeated queries, delays in assessing vendors and submitting comments. It also stressed that there was a tendency to accept delays, which was unacceptable.
National 23
Indians care more about phones than people they love: Study
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early 33 per cent of people, specially the younger generation that has grown up in a digital world, care more for their smartphones over engaging with individuals they love and India tops the list with 47 per cent, according to a report. The study by telecommunications company Motorola, which is developed in partnership with Nancy Etcoff -- expert in 'MindBrain Behaviour and the Science of Happiness', from Harvard University, said: "We, as a generation, are losing control of our lives." "Over half of the respondents (53 per cent) described their smartphones as their best friend and companion. India tops the chart with 65 per cent," the study, issued by the independent research company Ipsos, noted. India again topped the list with 64 per cent when it came to people wanting help with phone-life balance. The global numbers stand at 61 per cent where individuals said they wanted to get the most out of their lives when they were not using their phones. Motorola defines phone-life balance as the desire to have a technology to support lives without be-
coming the center of it. The study pinpointed key problematic smartphone behaviours that impacted people's relationships with others and themselves. "Approximately 50 per cent people agreed that they check their phone more often than they would like and nearly 44 per cent felt compelled to perpetually check their phones. India figures at the top with 65 per cent and 57 per cent respectively," the study found. Almost 35 per cent of the respondents agreed that they are spending too much time using their phones with 44 per cent of them belonging to Gen Z -- people who were born from the mid 1990s to the early 2000s.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
India figures at the top with 48 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. Further to this, 53 per cent Indians said that they would be happier if they spent less time on their smartphones. Nearly, 65 per cent people panic when they think they have lost their smartphone. "India stands at the top in emotional overdependence of phone with 77 per cent of respondents admitting that they panic when they lose their phone," the study said. Even while not using their smartphones, 46 per cent Indians were thinking about using it the next time that they get a chance to check their devices.
24 National
Aadhaar helped cancel 3 cr fake, duplicate ration cards
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THE NEWS BUREAU
early three crore fake and duplicate ration cards have been cancelled during the three years of the NDA government, CR Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said on February 26. It had also saved the country Rs 17,000 crore every year during this time, he added. Linking the ration card to the holder's Aaadhaar number had allowed the government to clean up the system, the minister said. He was speaking at the 21st National Conference on e-Governance here. "Out of 23 crore ration cards in the country, 82 per cent (19 crore) are linked with
Aadhaar. We have removed 2.95 crore fake or duplicate ration cards in the country in the past three years which has resulted in a saving of Rs 17,000 crore annually. It has ensured that foodgrains are being delivered to the rightful person," he informed. Chaudhary said that e-governance could help in increasing the ease of doing business in the country which, in turn, would help a t t r a c t
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foreign investment. Telangana's Minister of IT and Industries, KT Rama Rao, who also addressed the conference, said that 4,500 "Me-Seva" centres in the state were handling 1.5 lakh transactions every day. He informed that these centres had completed 10 crore transactions since they began seven years ago. He added that an upgraded version of the project, covering 180 government services, would be launched soon. He informed that 6,000 clearances had been given to industries under the state industrial policy called TS-iPass, and this involved an investment of Rs 1.2 lakh crore and had the potential to create three lakh jobs.
News Bytes 25
Farmer erects Sunny Leone poster in field for good harvest
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THE NEWS BUREAU
ollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone could be spotted in a field in a small village in Nellore district, not to attract the villagers, but to ward off their evil eyes. A poster of Leone in a red bikini is raised at a 10-acre land of A Chenchu Reddy of Banda Kindi Palle village that grows cauliflower and cabbage. Rather than putting up strawfilled scarecrows or horrifying models, Reddy installed the image of Leone to divert the gaze of passers-by, whom he believe cast evil eyes on his harvest. Reddy is content that the commuters stopped staring at his field after the actress' picture rose up. ‘Orey, nannu chusi edavakura' (Hey, don’t cry or feel jealous of
M
me) is captioned with the Leone image. He quipped at agricultural officials who would find the act objectionable, saying that they never bothered to solve their problems and why should they be disturbed now.
The use of evil eye doll is pervasive in the hinterlands of Andhra Pradesh to 'protect' against jinxes that is believed to cause misfortune and can be seen erected in front of houses and near farms.
TELANGANA BOXER ENTERS STRANDJA CUP SEMIFINAL
THE NEWS BUREAU
aking a pitch for his entry to India's Olympics contingent, Telangana's Mohammad Hussamuddin entered the semifinal of Strandja cup boxing tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hussamuddin, who hails from Nizamabad, outwitted US boxer Raymond Fort 5-0 in the
quarterfinals of the bantam weight 56kg category. He will encounter Russia’s Ahmedo Shakhrier in the semifinal on Saturday. Considered as the oldest amateur international boxing competition in Europe, the tournament often determines the contenders for the upcoming Summer Olympics. As Hussamuddin enters the ring
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
today, he is assured of his fifth international medal. Worry of injury haunted the Indian boxer before the start of the tournament as he survived a cut on his left eyebrow. A silver medalist in the previous year's tournament, Hussamuddin is confident of edging past the Russian ringster today.
26 News Bytes
Telangana: Warangal to get monorail services soon
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THE NEWS BUREAU
fter the success of the Hyderabad metro rail services, efforts are being intensified to introduce monorail services in Telangana's second largest city. A seven- member team from a Switzerland-based monorail company, Intamin Transportation, and three other companies visited the city on Thursday, to study the feasibility of the same. Rampur, Kazipet, Pochamma Maidan and Venkatrama theatre localities were a part of their study. The team was accompanied by Mayor N Narender and officials of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), vice-presidents of Intamin Transportation, Franz Zurcher and Gerard Slenders. Tika Mustafa Hasan, president of Global Spectrum, (Management consultancy) said that the length of the monorail project was 12km. It will start from Kazipet to Venkatrama theatre in Warangal. He also said that the fully automated rail service will transport 5,000 persons per hour. The project aims to introduce four to five such trains that will carry 80100 passengers each. He further went on to say that the project will be completed within 18 months, with an estimated cost of
Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400 crore. If everything goes on as planned, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between Telangana and Intamin Transportation. The visiting team is scheduled to meet IT and Industries Minister, Telangana, KT Rama Rao at Hyderabad on Friday. The minister has already held talks with the representatives of Intamin Transportation during his visit to Davos recently. Calling the initiative 'another milestone for the historic Warangal city,' Mayor Narender assured all support to the companies.
Telangana to link land ownership passbooks to Aadhaar
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THE NEWS BUREAU
head of the distribution of "pattadar" (land ownership) passbooks to owners from March 11, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on February 23 said that they would have to be linked to their Aadhaar numbers failing which the lands would be considered benami. He said that farmers who had
been assigned lands should also be given these passbooks just like other farmers, an official release said. The Telangana government, the release said, was introducing a system similar to banks to administer land records. It added that it was a first for any state in the country. It aimed at facilitating immediate changes in land records whenever any transaction took place, officials said.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Rao said that lands under the possession of beneficiaries should be identified and clarity should be provided on ownership rights. "The passbooks should be made in the names of the owners. If a farmer having land in the village is also the owner of nonagriculture land, those details also should be entered in an additional column," Rao said. Rao said that some people in Medchal, Rangareddy and some other districts had not linked their Aadhaar cards with these records and asked them to do so at the earliest.
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News Bytes 27
Mobile numbers to have 13 digits from 1 July
he department of telecommunication has decided on adding three digits to the existing 10 digit mobile numbers. The department has asked the service providers to provide 13 digit numbers from July 1, 2018. The decision is applicable to mobile to mobile services. The DoT has said that the telecom service providers are required to change the existing 10 digit mobile numbers to 13 digits between 1 October, 2018 and 31 December, 2018. According to BSNL,
by December 2018, old mobile numbers would also be updated under the process. The telecom circles and chief general managers of DoTs in the metro cities were informed about the decision in a letter that was sent to them. However, the process of changing the numbers hasn't been decided yet. It is alleged that the big service providers like Vodafone, JIO and Idea were not aware of any such decision being made by the department.
Google removes 'View Image' option from Search I
n its latest update, tech giant Google announced the removal of the 'View Image' option for images on its search engine. The MNC, in a tweet, said the View Image button would be removed, but the visit button would remain intact for users to view images in the context of the
web pages they're on. With this change in place, users will face difficulties when attempting to download an image for personal use, while improving attribution of the contributors' work. Google has drawn flak from photographers and publishers, who alleged that image search
allowed people to steal their pictures, following which the company decided to get rid of the view image button, reports The Verge. Additionally, the firm also announced the removal of the "search by image" button that appeared when one opened up a photo on Google Search.
AI technology is ‘Good for the world’: Humanoid A
robot argued that the benefits of AI technology outweigh the concerns. The main attraction at a UN-hosted conference in Geneva was Sophia, a humanoid robot who argued that the benefits of AI technology outweigh the concerns associated with the rise in AI technology. “AI is good for the world, helping people in various ways,” reported Agence France-Presse, according to Phys.org. According to the source, it said that she tilted her head and furrowed her brow in an almost lifelike manner aside from the various cables coming out of the back of her head.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
28 Bank Fraud
PNB fraud touches `12.6K cr
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he ongoing Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case took a turn for the worse on February 27 as the bank reported an additional Rs 1,300 crore unauthorised transactions, taking the estimated quantum to around Rs 12,600 crore in the scam related to diamond trader Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems, Mehul Choksi. In a 11.22 pm filing with the stock exchanges on Monday, the bank said: "In continuation to our filing with stock exchanges on February 14, 2018, we have to inform that quantum of reported
unauthorised transactions can increase by $204.25 million." Earlier on February 14, PNB, the second largest public sector bank in India, had said it had detected a $1.8 billion or Rs 11,300 crore, fraud in the Brady House Branch in Mumbai. On Tuesday, the bank said in regulatory filings with the stock exchanges that it had appointed a group Chief Risk Officer. In another development, Firestar Diamond Inc, the US company of Indian billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi filed for bankruptcy in a New York court, under chapter 11. THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
According to the court filing at the Southern District Of New York on Monday, the firm listed assets and liabilities in the range of $50 million and $100 million. A Chapter 11 filing under the Bankruptcy code usually allows a company to reorganise its business. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed the first FIR in the scam on February 14 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal, uncle Mehul Choksi and his firms Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamond. The CBI on Tuesday said it had questioned former Punjab National Bank Managing Director Usha
Bank Fraud 29
PNB SCAM ADDITIONAL RS 1,300 CR FRAUD REVEALED
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Anant Subramanian and ICICI Bank Executive Director N.S. Kanan in connection with ithe bank fraud case. "The agency also questioned the ICICI Executive Director because it was the leader of a consortium of banks that sent money to Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group," a CBI official, who did not want to be named, said. In the evening, a statement from ICICI said it was a lender of working capital to the Gitanjali group of companies along with several other banks in the consortium. It said its exposure was not the largest in the consortium and it had not lent any money to the Nirav Modi group, nor did it have any buyer's credit exposure against LoUs to the two groups. The CBI also questioned two PNB General Managers, Nehal Ahad and Vimlesh Kumar, apart from two statutory auditors of the PNB. The agency has till date arrested 12 persons in the case. Keeping in view the biggest-
ever banking fraud in India, the government on Tuesday set a deadline of 15 days for public sector banks (PSBs) to examine all non-performing assets above Rs 50 crore for possible fraud and to identify operational and technical gaps. "PSB MDs directed to detect bank frauds and consequential wilful default in time and refer cases to CBI. To examine all NPA accounts > Rs 50Cr for possible fraud. Involve ED/DRI for PMLA/FEMA/EXIM violations if any," Financial Services Secretary Rajeev Kumar said in a tweet on the Finance Ministry's Twitter handle He also said that executive directors and chief technological officers of the PSBs have to prepare a blueprint for combating increasing risks. With the escalation of the fraud amount, the bank's shares tanked on the bourses. The bank's stocks closed 12.11 per cent down on Tuesday at BSE at Rs 98.35 per share.
he fraud-hit Punjab National Bank (PNB) has reported an additional Rs 1,300 crore unauthorised transactions, taking the estimated quantum to Rs 12,600 crore in the scam related to diamond trader Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems, Mehul Choksi. In a 11.22 p.m., late night filing with the stock exchanges on Monday, the bank said: "In continuation to our filing with stock exchanges on February 14, 2018, we have to inform that quantum of reported unauthorised transactions can increase by $204.25 million." The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday said it questioned PNB Executive Director K.V. Brahmaji Rao, two General Managers and a retired official in connection with its probe into the multi-crore fraud. The Income Tax Department also said it had attached 66 more bank accounts related to accused Choksi. Earlier, PNB, the second largest public sector bank in India, had said it had detected a $1.8 billion fraud in the Brady House Branch in Mumbai. "The bank has detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions (messages) in one of its branches in Mumbai for the benefit of a few select account holders with their apparent connivance," the filing by PNB earlier said. Initially it had put the quantum of such transactions at around Rs 11,300 crore. The bank's shares dropped drastically on Tuesday after this regulatory filing and it was trading at Rs 102.45 per share, down 8.45 per cent at 10.46 a.m.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
30 Bank Fraud
CBI grills PNB ex-MD, ICICI Bank ED in `12,600cr fraud case
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THE NEWS BUREAU
he CBI said on February 27 it has questioned former Punjab National Bank (PNB) Managing Director Usha Ananthasubramanian and ICICI Bank Executive Director N.S. Kanan in connection with the over Rs 12,600crore bank fraud case. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said Ananthasubramanian was quizzed at the agency's Mumbai office. Ananthasubramanian is currently the CEO and MD of Allahabad Bank and also the chief of the Indian Banks' Association. "The agency also questioned the ICICI Bank Executive Director because it was the leader of a consortium of banks that sent money to Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group," the official said. According to CBI officials, a loan totalling Rs 5,000 crore was given to the Gitanjali Group in 2016 by a consortium of 34 banks. The official said the ICICI Bank had an exposure of about Rs 773 crore and the PNB over Rs 500 crore. But, the ICICI Bank in a statement said that it has not issued any Letter of Undertaking (LOU) nor does it have any buyer's credit exposure against LOUs with respect to the Nirav Modi group of companies as well as the Gitanjali group of companies. "We are working capital lenders to the Gitanjali group of companies along with several other banks in
the consortium. And our exposure to the Gitanjali group of companies is not the largest among lenders in the consortium," the bank said. "We are fully co-operating with the investigating agencies in their efforts," the ICICI Bank added. The agency official also said that the CBI received a complaint from the PNB alleging a loss of Rs 1,251 crore -- all linked to the Gitanjali Group. Besides, two PNB General Managers Nehal Ahad and Vimlesh Kumar were also questioned, apart from two statutory auditors of the PNB, in the case. On Monday, the CBI questioned three statutory auditors and two General Managers of PNB. Earlier in the day, the Income Tax department also said that it has filed prosecution cases against Nirav Modi under various sections of the IT Act, 1961. According to the IT officials, the tax agency prayed for a NonBailable Warrant (NBW) against Nirav Modi for his failure to THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
comply with the summons issued by it in a Mumbai court. "The court has decided to issue summons to Nirav," an IT official said. The CBI had filed the first FIR in the scam on February 14 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal, uncle Mehul Choksi and his firms Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamond. Nirav Modi, his family and Choksi left the country in early January. The FIR mentions fraud of around Rs 6,400 crore. The CBI filed a second FIR on February 15 for Rs 4,886.72 crore fraud against the Gitanjali Group headed by Choksi. The official said the CBI had written to the Chief Vigilance Officers of five banks to share details of money credited to Nostro accounts of PNB on receiving Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, which were then withdrawn by Nirav and Choksi's group as buyers' credit. The agency has till date arrested 12 persons in the case.
Bank Fraud 31
Nirav Diverted SEZ diamonds worth `1,216 cr
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he Income Tax department has found that in the last financial year the Nirav Modi group had illegally diverted Rs 1,216 crore of diamonds meant for export from its special economic zone to the domestic market, selling them in cash. The Director-General of Income Tax (Investigations) had found that in 2016-17, the group which had units at the Surat SEZ diverted high quality diamonds imported for processing and export, to the domestic market for huge profit. Instead, low-quality diamonds were exported to associate units abroad to keep up the appearances. Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, along with direc-
tors of the Modi and Gitanjali groups are under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Department for allegedly committing fraud amounting to Rs 11,300 crore against Punjab National Bank, whose Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit were illegally used to raise and rollover money. Both Modi and Choksi, along with other family members left the country in January this year. The DGIT (Inv) also found in its probe that the group had claimed deduction on 100 per cent of the profits from exporting diamond as allowed under section 10AA of the Income Tax Act for the SEZ. It had claimed deductions THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
to "the tune of hundreds of crores in last six years," the report by DGIT (Inv) said. "The assessee has not been able to explain the reason for the drastic difference in valuation satisfactorily," the investigative wing of the Central Board of Direct Tax said in its report. It also said that availing of deduction under 10AA was wrong. "The difference in stock valuation of SEZ units has been worked out to the tune of Rs 1,216.31 crore in financial year 2016-17 which represents the unaccounted sale of imported diamonds diverted to domestic markets," the report said. The DGIT (Inv) raided Nirav Modi's premises and offices in Surat's SEZ in January 2017.
32 Bank Fraud
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FORM IV
Punjab National Bank detects $1.8 bn fraud at a Mumbai branch
unjab National Bank, the second largest public sector bank in India, has detected a $1.8 billion fraud in one of its branches here, the bank said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges on February 14. "The bank has detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions (messages) in one of its branch in Mumbai for the benefit of a few select account holders with their apparent connivance," the filing by the bank said. It had quoted the quantum of such transactions was to the tune of around $1,771.69 million (around Rs 11,515 crore). The amount of fraudulent transactions is equivalent to eight times the bank's net income of about Rs 1,320 crore ($206 million). This case has happened at a time when the Indian banking system is already grappling to tackle its swelling non-performing assets. "Based on these transactions other banks appear to have advanced money to these customers abroad. In the bank these transactions are contingent in nature and liability arising out of these on the bank shall be decided based on the law and genuineness of underlying transactions," the filing said. The bank informed: "The matter is already referred to law enforcement agencies to examine and book the culprits as per law of the land." On February 5, the Central Bureau of Investigation had booked billionaire diamond service provider Nirav Modi, his brother, wife and an enterprise companion for allegedly cheating Punjab National Bank of over Rs 280.70 crore last year. Following the complaint, the CBI registered a FIR under the Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the four. The stock of Punjab National Bank was trading at Rs 149.20 per share, down 7.70 per cent at the BSE at 1.59 p.m.
Statement about ownership and other particulars about newspaper (The News You Like) to be published in the first issue every year after the last day of February 1. Place of publication : Rangareddi 2. Periodicity of its publication : Monthly 3. Printer’s Name Nationality Address
: Ramya Sree : Indian : H.No.11-38, Pragathi Nagar, P&T Colony, Saroor Nagar, Dist Rangareddi – 500 060.
4. Publisher’s Name Nationality Address
: Ramya Sree : Indian : H.No.11-38, Pragathi Nagar, P&T Colony, Saroor Nagar, Dist Rangareddi – 500 060.
5. Editor’s Name Nationality Address
: Sudhakar : Indian : H.No.334,B, Prajay Sai Gardens, Keesara Mandal, Dist - Rangareddi, A.P
6. Names and addresses of : individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding more than one per cent of the total capital I, Ramya Sree, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Sd/Date: 1-3-2018 Signature of the Publisher
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Fact File 33
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Students turn robbers
P VISHNUVARDHAN REDDY
team of Rachakonda police that was on routine vehicle checking job near Mansoorabad Cross Roads took four young men into custody in the first week of January 2018. At that point of time, the police team was not aware that they have laid their hands on a notorious gang of chain snatchers. However, within no time the police team realized that it was a prize catch. The gang members were identified as engineering students who are living double lives as chain snatchers. Even their parents had no clue about this until the robbers were accidentally nabbed by the police. The robbers were identified as Chavan Raju, Kommu Pavan Kumar, Mohammed Owais Ahmed and Mamidi Rohit Kumar – all pursuing engineering in different colleges.
Police officials said that the vehicle checking team grew suspicious when the four youngsters failed to show the documents related to the vehicles. Further, police found one gold mangalsutra and a gold chain in the possession of the men and none of the four persons could give satisfactory answer as to the ownership or presence of the gold ornaments with them. Consequently, they were taken to the police station where they were thoroughly interrogated. It was then the four persons disclosed their identity and spilled the beans. The four engineering students told their interrogators that they had been committing robberies for easy money. The students turned robbers told the police that they were addicted to consuming liquor, marijuana and other vices for which they needed money. And they could not tell their
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
parents about the need for money to buy liquor and marijuana. So, they chose to commit robberies, police said. Accordingly, the four students used to borrow motor cycles from their friends and robbed gold chains from women during the early hours. They used to sell or mortgage the stolen gold jewellery in return for cash and spent it lavishly, police said. The students turned robbers confessed to have committed as many as 18 robberies and police recovered stolen gold ornaments weighing little over half a kilogram apart from two motor cycles used in the robberies, police said. Image grabs taken from the CCTVs installed at the places where the gang resorted to robberies corroborated the fact that the four students had indeed committed the offenses. Consequently, the students were arrested and sent to judicial custody.
34 Crime
CBI arrests Karti Chidambaram in INX media case
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THE NEWS BUREAU
arti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI from Chennai in connection with its ongoing probe into the INX media case, an official said on February 28. The Central Bureau of Investigation official said that he was arrested from the Chennai airport after he returned from London and will be taken to Delhi later. On May 15, 2017, the CBI had registered an FIR against Karti Chidambaram on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, accepting gratification by corrupt or illegal means, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct. Karti Chidambaram allegedly received Rs 3.5 crore from the Mumbai-based INX media, now 9X Media, for helping it get Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance, when it was run by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, both accused in the Sheena Bora murder case. The FIR does not mention Chidambaram senior, though it said he cleared the FIPB approval for Rs 4.62 crore Foreign Direct Investment in the firm at an FIPB meeting on May 18, 2007. Meanwhile, Congress party termed the arrest of Karti Chidambaram a "diversionary tactic" of the Narendra Modi government to hide its "corrupt governance model". The Congress also said that the arrest made from Chennai
in connection with an FIPB clearance case, will not deter the party from bringing out the truth before the people. Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the move smells of "vendetta politics" of the Bharatiya Janata Party against its opponents. "Classic diversionary tactic of the Modi government to hide their THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
own corrupt governance model that is being exposed on a daily basis-be it Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Dwarka Das Seth Jewellers," Chaturvedi said. "The BJP government continues its vendetta and vindictive politics to target opponents. However, it will not stop the Congress from bringing the truth out before the people," Chaturvedi said.
Crime 35
Cybercrimes cost businesses $600 billion globally: McAfee
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THE NEWS BUREAU
ybercrimes have cost businesses close to $600 billion globally -- or 0.8 per cent of the global GDP -- which is up from $445 billion reported three years back, according to a report. The report by the global cybersecurity firm McAfee, prepared along with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that over the last three years, cybercriminals have quickly adopted new technologies to ease
the process of engaging in cybercrimes. "Ransomware-as-a-Service Cloud providers efficiently scale attacks to target millions of systems, and attacks are automated to require minimal human involvement," Steve Grobman, Chief Technology Officer for McAfee, said in a statement. "Add to these factors cryptocurrencies that ease rapid monetisation, while minimising the risk of arrest, and you must conclude that the $600 billion cybercrime figure reflects the extent to which our
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
technological accomplishments have transformed the criminal economy as dramatically as they have every other portion of our economy," he added. The report, titled "Economic Impact of Cybercrime -- No Slowing Down", said that banks remain the favourite target for cybercriminals. Russia, North Korea and Iran are the most active in hacking financial institutions, while China is the most active in cyber espionage. "Our research bore out the fact that Russia is the leader in cybercrime, reflecting the skill of its hacker community and its disdain for Western law enforcement," said James Lewis, Senior Vice President at CSIS. "North Korea is second in line, as the nation uses cryptocurrency theft to help fund its regime, and we're now seeing an expanding number of cybercrime centres, including not only North Korea but also Brazil, India and Vietnam," Lewis added. Cybercrime losses are greater in richer countries; however, the countries with the greatest losses are mid-tier nations that are digitised but not yet fully capable in cybersecurity, the rpeort noted.
36 Crime
ACB to probe VIP treatment to Sasikala, Telgi at Bengaluru prison
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THE NEWS BUREAU
n the latest development involving VIP treatment doled out to influential prisoners like VK Sasikala at the Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara jail, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked the AntiCorruption Bureau to further investigate the matter. The ACB probe will be carried out as per the recommendations of retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar’s report on allegations made by former DIG (Prisons) Roopa IPS. The ACB is expected to file a report in three months and also examine if both the officers flouted service rules. Roopa, IGP (Home Guard) told reporters that she remains hopeful of getting justice but says that it is demoralising at the same time that the government has denied her information from the Vinay Kumar report even after filing an RTI. Denying allegations of violating service rules, “I have actually operated in an accountable and transparent manner which every public servant is supposed to. The newly inserted service rules in August, 2014 demands this, and I have spoken about the incident following just that,” Roopa said. “I have never made a critical comment on the government. The Supreme Court in a recent judgment held that bringing out malad-
ministration is not equal to criticism of the government,” She added, “If I had not exposed this, I would have also been framed as a part of this.” Sources in the state Home Ministry, however, claimed that there might not be any real headway in the case. Maybe this is an election gimmick. Things are going on at the jail as they were. There has been no action. CCTVs, jammers do not work as in the past. The man THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
who was working as a middleman when money changed hands is a close aide of the then Home Minister. So, I doubt if there will be any justice, since it is the same party in power, a source said. This may be to ensure that the issue is neutralised before the elections. ACB reports to the CM's office anyway, the source added. However, Vinay Kumar said, “What more can you expect? The government has taken cognizance of the report and given it to an independent agency to probe further,” but refused to divulge details of his report citing confidentiality terms. It may be recalled the then DIG (Prisons), D Roopa had blown the lid off an alleged bribery racket involving then DG (Prisons) IPS HNS Rao. Roopa’s allegations caused huge embarrassment to the state government. Following this, both of them were shunted out of their positions even though Rao was due for retirement for the following day. Further, Rao filed a Rs 20 crore defamation complaint against Roopa. Roopa had alleged that Rao had taken a bribe of Rs 2 crore for favouring the likes of Sasikala and Telgi, the late fake stamp paper kingpin.
Economy 37
Wealth migration
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Thousands of high net worth individuals left India in 2017
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ndia witnessed the second largest number of millionaire outflow globally after China with 7,000 high net worth individuals changing their domicile during 2017, 16 percent more than last year, according to a report. According to the report by New World Wealth, 7,000 ultra-rich Indians shifted overseas in 2017. In 2016, the figure stood at 6,000, while in 2015 as many as 4,000 millionaires shifted base. Globally, as many as 10,000 super-rich Chinese changed their domicile in 2017. Other countries that witnessed large high net worth individual (HNWIs) outflows include Turkey (6,000), United Kingdom (4,000), France (4,000) and Russian Federation (3,000). As per the migration trends, Indian HNWIs moved to the US, the UAE, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, while Chinese
HNWIs moved to the US, Canada and Australia. The report, however, noted that the outflows of HNWIs from India and China are not "concerning" as these countries are producing far more new HNWIs than they are losing. "Also, once the standard of living in these countries improves, we expect several wealthy people to move back," it added. On the other hand, Australia was the top country for HNWI inflows in 2017 with 10,000 ultrarich people shifting base to this country, beating out its main rival the US for the third year running. Over the past 10 years, total wealth held in Australia has risen by 83 percent compared to 20 per cent growth in the US. As a result, the average Australian is now significantly wealthier than the average US citizen, which was not the case 10 years ago, it added. The US was the second most
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popular destination for migrating HNWIs in 2017 at 9,000, followed by Canada (5,000) and United Arab Emirates (5,000). As per the report, India has been ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with total wealth of USD 8,230 billion. India is home to 3,30,400 HNWIs (individuals with USD 1 million or more in net assets). Globally, India was ranked 9th in this aspect. The country has 20,730 multi-millionaires, 7th largest in the world. And in terms of resident billionaires, India with 119 such individuals was named among the top three countries globally, after the US and China. A billionaire is defined as an individual with net assets of USD 1 billion or more. Global wealth migration is accelerating and around 95,000 millionaires (HNWIs) migrated in 2017, compared to 82,000 in 2016 and 64,000 in 2015, the report noted.
38 Economy
Move to examine NPAs above `50 cr will cleanse banking system: Ficci
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day after the government set a 15-day deadline for public sector banks (PSBs) to examine all non-performing assets above Rs 50 crore for possible fraud and to identify operational and technical gaps, industry chamber Ficci said on February 28 that the move would help in ensuring the much-required cleansing of the banking system. The chamber also added that it
would establish a transparent and effective risk management mechanism in the functioning of the state-run banks. "This whole effort, especially linking of frauds to the wilful defaults, though, is an exercise that needs to be carried out cautiously and the government must ensure that investigations don't cripple lending and dampen business sentiment further," said FICCI President Rashesh Shah.
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"With continuous efforts from the government and RBI, PSBs should strengthen their risk management practices with an immediate sense of urgency. Simultaneously, with the action on the existing NPA accounts, an effective time-bound action plan for infusing transparency and a robust risk management system in these banks is a necessity," he added.
Contact to CLASSIFIEDS & ADVTs:
Ph: 97011 41377, 99490 15509
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
39
AP signs MoUs worth `1.75 L cr, RIL to invest `55 K cr
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eliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and its partners plan to invest Rs 55,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh as the southern state on Sunday received total investment commitments of Rs 1.75 lakh crore from various companies across sectors. RIL and partners propose to make investments in energy, electronics manufacturing, digital infrastructure and other sectors over next five years, officials said on February 25. The Mukesh Ambani-led group
signed MoUs for this purpose with the Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday, the second day of the CII Partnership Summit. The investments committed by RIL and partners are expected to generate 25,000 new jobs in electronics, petroleum, retail, agri-processing, e-governance and other sectors. India Gas Solutions Private Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture company of RIL and BP International Ltd (BP) in the business of marketing gas and LNG in India, signed a MoU with the state government, committing an investment of Rs 40,000
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crore RIL and BP plan to develop offshore gas discoveries in Block KGD6 in the Krishna Godavari basin, through three projects with investments up to Rs 40,000 crore, officials said. Development of the three projects is expected to bring a total of 30-35 million cubic metres (1 billion cubic feet) of gas a day of domestic gas production on stream, phased over 2020-2022 and will create considerable direct and indirect employment during the construction phase over the next 5 years. RIL and BP plan to pursue skill
40 Business
development programmes as part of the execution of these projects. Reliance Jio Infocomm, a subsidiary of RIL, will also invest Rs 15,000 crore to set up a world class electronics manufacturing unit on 150 acres in Tirupati, where it plans to manufacture Jio phones, set-top boxes and other electronics devices. The company will also create digital infrastructure in Amaravati, the new state capital. This investment in the fields of digital infrastructure, citizen services and industrial development, is expected to generate over 20,000 new jobs. The MoUs were signed by the officials of India Gas Solutions and Reliance Jio Infocom with the state government officials in presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Kiran Thomas, President, Reliance Industries Ltd. "Every project that we signed MoU with the government is going to be implemented in a time-bound manner, starting from next three months to three years," P.M.S Prasad, Executive Director, RIL, told reporters later. He further said the projects
Every project that we signed MoU with the government is going to be implemented in a time-bound manner, starting from next three months to three years -P.M.S Prasad related to e-governance and entrepreneurship programmes would also be executed within the time span agreed with the government. On the second day of the CIIPartnership Summit, the Andhra
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Pradesh government signed a total of 285 MoUs with various companies involving an investment of nearly Rs 1.75 lakh crore. This is expected to generate employment for 2.86 lakh people. The energy sector alone accounts for investment of nearly Rs 1.12 lakh crore. Ten MoUs worth Rs 9,406 crore were signed in aerospace and defence sectors. The MoUs envisage investment of Rs 5,337 crore in textiles, Rs 3,534 crore in food processing, Rs 5,090 crore in health and Rs 39,281 crore in other sectors. On the first day of the Summit, the government had signed 79 MoUs that can bring in investments worth Rs 44,246 crore and create 98,291 jobs, according to the updated information provided by the state government.
Business 41
AP signs MoUs worth over `4 L cr at CII Partnership Summit
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he Andhra Pradesh government signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 4.39 lakh crore at the CII Partnership Summit which concluded on February 26. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the government signed 734 MoUs with various companies. The investment is expected to create 11 lakh jobs. Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day event, he said the state received investment commitments from several major companies including Reliance, Adani Group, Lulu Group and Google. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its partners had on Saturday announced Rs 55,000 crore investment in energy, electronics and other sectors in the state. Naidu said RIL signed MoUs for three projects. These include a
unit at Tirupati to manufacture one million mobile phones. He said the company will also create best ecosystem for innovation incubation, and startups with venture capital. United Arab Emirates-based Lulu Group signed a MoU to build a convention centre, hotel and shopping mall in Visakhapatnam. The Adani Group has announced an investment of Rs 9,000 crore including the development of a port at Bhavanapadu. In terms of sectors, on February 25, 10 MoUs were signed in the Aerospace and defence sector, attracting an investment of Rs 9,406 crore, expected to employ 6000 people. The food processing sector saw 169 MoUs being signed worth Rs 3,534 crore, expecting to employ 48,498 people. In the textiles industry, 26 MoUs were signed worth Rs 5,337 crore, with an expected employment of 33,092 people. The energy
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
sector saw 20 MoUs worth Rs 80,435 crore, employing 25,011 people. Twenty five MoUs were signed in the health space attracting an investment of Rs 5.090 crore and is expected to employ 4,750 people. There were 19 MoUs signed in the industries sector worth Rs 9,061 crore. Two MoUs signed in the IT & Electronics space worth Rs 18,220 crore is expected to employ a whopping 38,000 people. In the infrastructure space, 15 MoUs were signed with a total investment of Rs 43,486 crore, which is expected to bring in employment for a massive 112,020 people. Naidu said he would personally monitor the progress of the projects and assured the investors that all clearances will be granted within 21 days. "If you have any problem you can bring it to my notice. I am only a call away," he said.
42 Education
In a first, Hyderabad madrasa opens science lab
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oving away from the conventional way of teaching, a madrasa in the city has opened a scientific laboratory and research centre for its students. Perhaps, Al Mahad Al Aali Al Islami would be the first Islamic seminary in the country to have a science lab. Speaking about the initiative, madrasa rector Moulana Khaled Saifullah Rahmani said the move will change the public mindset about madrasas and its students. The lab was inaugurated by Moulana Sayeed ur Rahman Nadwi of Darul uloom Nadwat ul ulema, Lucknow. The organisers had also showcased the contributions of Islamic civilisation in the spheres of Mathematics, Geogra-
phy, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry and Medicine in connection with the event. The science lab was set up with the support of ILM Foundation.
UoH team develops medicine to kill deadly malaria parasite
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research team from the University of Hyderabad has developed a medicine that efficiently kills the plasmodium falciparum parasite that causes malaria. A release from the varsity said that the polymerbased nanomedicine was developed by a research group led by Pradip Paik, Associate Professor of the School of Engineering Sci-
ences and Technology at the University. Prof Paik said that the new formulation was efficient in killing plasmodium falciparum infection in red blood cells and THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
added that the medicine could now be used for animal trials. Prof Paik is currently on assignment as Associate Professor of the School of Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. The World Health Organisation estimates that malaria, one of the deadliest scourges of mankind, afflicts about 212 million people every year and causes 4,29,000 deaths annually.
Research 43
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Demanding targets make employees sleep less
THE NEWS BUREAU
early 56 percent of corporate employees sleep less than 6 hours in a day due to high stressed levels that arise out of tough targets set for themselves by employers and cause diseases like hypertension, sugar etc., according to a report by ASSOCHAM. Setting of unreasonable and unrealistic targets causes lack of sleep has wide ranging effects including daytime fatigue, physical discomfort, psychological stress, performance deterioration and low pain threshold and even increase absenteeism, adds findings of report brought out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Releasing findings of the report, ASSOCHAM pointed out that sleep deprivation costs USD 150 billion a year in higher stress and reduced workplace productivity. The work performance pressure, peer pressure, difficult boss, all of this is taking a toll on physical and mental health of people, adds the survey. As per the findings, about 46% of the workforce in organisations in India suffers from some or the other form of stress. The stress could be related to personal issues, office politics, or performance target issues. There is a rising case of metabolic syndrome that includes diabetes, high uric acid, high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol. ASSOCHAM findings,
however, further reveal that 46% of respondents say that they feel fatigue on regular basis due to sleep disorders and close to 42% of participants in the survey admit that they suffer from regular headache. Sleep disorders cause depression among 49% of respondents. In terms of physical fitness, it is found out that 30% of corporate employees say that they hardly exercise against 25% who physically exercise but for less than 1 hour a week. About 24% of employees exercise for 1-3 hours a week
corporate employees suffering these lifestyle diseases. High blood pressures and diabetes are still another diseases with a share of 9% and 8% respectively as suffered among corporate employees. Spondolysis (5.5 per cent), heart disease (4 per cent), cervical (3.0 per cent), asthma (2.5 per cent), slip disk (2 per cent) and arthritis (1 per cent) are the diseases that are mostly suffered by corporate employees. According to ASSOCHAM, depression, fatigue and sleeping dis-
against 9% of employees who exercise for 3-6 hours a week and merely 5% stay fit by exercising for more than 6 hours a week. About 16% of sample population of the report claim that they suffer from obesity. It is found that obesity alone can modify occupational morbidity, mortality and injury risk that can further affect workplace absence, disability, productivity and healthcare costs. Depression is another hit heart disease that is observed among the responds with 11% of the sample
order are conditions or risks that are often associated with chronic diseases and have the largest impact on productivity. It is observed in the report that corporate employees tend to ignore treatment for these chronic conditions. Though several progressive companies provide annual health risk assessment check-ups for employees and have facilities such as gym and fitness centres in office premises, many people at the top level do not even have the time to avail of these.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
44 Research
Moon's water may be widely distributed: Study
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new analysis of data from India's Chandrayaan-1 mission and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests that Moon's water may be widely distributed across the surface, not confined to a particular region or type of terrain. The water appears to be present day and night, though it was not necessarily easily accessible, according to the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. "We find that it doesn't matter what time of day or which latitude we look at, the signal indicating water always seems to be present," said Joshua Bandfield, a senior research scientist with the Space Science Institute in the US, and lead author of the new study. "The presence of water doesn't appear to depend on the composition of the surface, and the water sticks around," Bandfield added. The results contradict some earlier studies, which had suggested that more water was detected at the Moon's polar latitudes and that the strength of the water signal waxes and wanes according to the lunar day (29.5 Earth days). The findings could help researchers understand the origin of the Moon's water and how easy it would be to use as a resource.
If the Moon has enough water, and if it is reasonably convenient to access, future explorers might be able to use it as drinking water or to convert it into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel or oxygen to breathe. The new finding of widespread water suggests that it may be present primarily as OH, a more reactive relative of H2O that is made of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom. OH, also called hydroxyl, does not stay on its own for long, preferring to attack molecules or attach itself chemically to them. Hydroxyl would therefore have to be extracted from minerals in order to be used. For the study, the researchers analysed data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper spectrometer onboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. They came up with a new way to incorporate important temperature information, creating a detailed model from measurements made by the Diviner instrument on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. The researchers are still discussing what the findings tell them about the source of the Moon's water. The results point toward OH and/or H2O being created by the solar wind hitting the lunar surface, though the team did not rule out that OH and/or H2O could come from the Moon itself, slowly released from deep inside minerals where it has been locked since the Moon was formed.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Science & Tech 45
‘Technology taking away privacy is bothersome’
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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
FEBRUARY 24, 2018
ven as technology has played a significant role in bringing people closer to each other, for Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak it is bothersome that the same technology is taking away citizens' privacy. "Technology is taking away our privacy. Everything I do is accumulated by Google, amazon etc and that's bothersome," Wozniak, also nicknamed "The Woz", said at ET Global Business Summit on February 24. "But Apple doesn't do that," he said. Wozniak also spoke about what prompted him to co-found Apple with late Steve Jobs and how the Silicon Valley grew over the years. "One thing I've found in my life is that it doesn't matter what you know as long as you want to do things," he said, adding, "If you want to start a company, you should not just have an idea on a piece of paper. You should have a working model, a business plan." He told the gathering that he got a job with HP to design their product without an engineering degree. They interviewed and hired him on the spot. "Growing up, there were no books describing what a computer was. I didn't think there were jobs in computers, I just wanted to know how to make these things," the technology entrepreneur said.
"I knew Steve Jobs for five years before Apple. He didn't know anything about insides of a computer, he wasn't an engineer but he knew how to look at products. Steve wanted to live a zero money life, he was more of a true hippie," he added. According to "The Woz", Steve Jobs was good in learning everything about the company and he was good in engineering. He said that the Silicon Valley grew organically with engineers and hardware, but to be successful, THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
"every city needs to find its own formula." The innovator also heaped praise on Jobs and Elon Musk by saying that both the innovators were very good salesmen. "Favourite entrepreneur? hmmmm Elon Musk. He has the vision; He has a large family and he had to build a large car. Tesla. Super charger stations is a great idea," he said. On future of jobs, Wozniak said that there would be social displacement but the next generation would have different types of jobs.
46 Science & Tech
KGP-IIT develops paper battery from bacteria
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research scholar of IIT Kharagpur has developed a disposable and flexible battery made from paper that could generate power from the bacteria present in sewage water, the premier institute said on February 26. The novelty of the research by Ramya Veerubhotla, of the premier institute's Department of Biotechnology, is that the device is made on a paper platform unlike other batteries, which are heavy. The battery is made using air cathode, and the anode can be pre-
pared from any simple carbon based materials. The other novelty is the start-up time. "Normally microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can take as long as couple of days to start power production as the bacteria need to get adjusted to the environment. But for this device, the power production starts within 10 seconds, that is, almost immediately," says Ramya. For the battery cell to start energy production, sewage water containing bacteria needs to be injected into it. Other "continuous capillary driven flow mode" could also be used for the generation of bioelectricity. The research presented by IIT Kharagpur's 'Team Electrodes' at KPIT
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Sparkle 2018, won the first prize and a cash award of Rs 10 lakh competing with 12,000 students from across the country. The Platinum Award received by Ramya was decided on the basis of novelty, affordability and commercial viability of the proposed idea by an international panel of judges consisting of eminent industry experts, technologists, academicians, and business leaders. The power generated from one cell is in the range of a few microwatts. More cells mean more power. "It may be difficult to power household devices with this, but it can power certain electronic components," says Ramya. The device is flexible and can be stacked together. "For more power, you can make more units, stack them and fold them in a compact shape," he says. Ramya's PhD supervisor, Professor Debabrata Das, says the device is "100 per cent biodegradable and environment-friendly, which is not the case with chemical batteries".
Science & Tech 47
ArtiďŹ cial eye to help correct blurry images
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nspired by the human eye, researchers have developed an adaptive metalens -- essentially a flat, electronically controlled artificial eye -- that automatically stretches to simultaneously focus and correct several factors that contribute to blurry images. The adaptive metalens simultaneously controls for three of the major contributors to blurry images: Focus, astigmatism and image shift. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, demonstrates the feasibility of embedded optical zoom and autofocus for a wide range of applications including cell phone cameras, eyeglasses and virtual and augmented reality hardware. "This research combines breakthroughs in artificial muscle technology with metalens technology to create a tunable metalens that can change its focus in real time, just like the human eye," said co-author
Alan She from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). "It also shows the possibility of future optical microscopes, which operate fully electronically and can correct many aberrations simultaneously," the researcher added. To build the artificial eye, the researchers first needed to scale-up the metalens. Prior metalenses were about the size of a single piece of glitter. They focus light and eliminate spherical aberrations through a dense pattern of nanostructures, each smaller than a wavelength of light. "Because the nanostructures are so small, the density of information in each lens is incredibly high," said Alan She. To solve this problem, the researchers developed a new algorithm to shrink the file size to THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
make the metalens compatible with the technology currently used to fabricate integrated circuits. In a paper recently published in Optics Express, the researchers demonstrated the design and fabrication of metalenses up to centimetres or more in diameter. "This research provides the possibility of unifying two industries; semiconductor manufacturing and lens-making, whereby the same technology used to make computer chips will be used to make metasurface-based optical components, such as lenses," the researchers said. The researchers also demonstrated that the lens can simultaneously focus, control aberrations caused by astigmatisms, as well as perform image shift. Together, the lens and muscle are only 30 microns thick.
48 Science & Tech
India ranks 47th when it comes to inclusive Internet: Facebook
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ompromised by low usage and poor quality, India is ranked 47th out of 86 countries when it comes to inclusive Internet and connectivity for all, a Facebook report said on February 26. Facebook, which commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to create a comprehensive "Inclusive Internet Index," found India in the middle of Asian countries (12th out of 23) when it comes to connectivity. "India places at or near the top of the lower-middle-income bracket on most indicators, except for availability, where it is 13th out of 23, compromised by low usage and poor quality despite relatively strong infrastructure," the report said. The EIU is a British business within the Economist Group, providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis.
This year's index covered 91 per cent of the world's population and an expanded data set of 86 countries, up from 75 countries in 2017. Across the indexed countries, on average, men are 33.5 per cent more likely to have Internet access than women. "The gap is even larger in lowincome countries, which have an average gender access gap of 80.2 per cent compared with 3.7 per cent among high-income countries," said Molly Jackman, Public Policy Research Manager at Facebook. The index assessed a country's Internet inclusion across four categories: availability, affordability, relevance and readiness. "Bringing people online can offer life-changing opportunities, but there are still approximately 3.8 billion people without Internet access. At Facebook, we're working to change that," added Robert Pepper, Head of Global Connectivity Policy at Facebook, THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
in a blog post. "Global connectivity has increased 8.3 per cent and more people are connected than ever before. While this progress is encouraging, we are still far from achieving full Internet inclusivity," Pepper added. According to the index, the Internet is empowering, especially to citizens in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Nearly 67 per cent of survey respondents believe that access to the Internet is a human right. "Not only do people say that the Internet helped them become more confident to express themselves, but the majority of respondents also say that the Internet has helped them become more independent and economically empowered," the index noted. Emerging markets, especially in Africa, experienced the fastest and greatest progress over the last year. According to Facebook, mobile Internet services are increasingly vital in many low-income countries. "In some countries, fixed-line Internet access is too expensive or inaccessible - that's why mobile services are critical. The index reveals that coverage of 4G networking services grew significantly as networks in low-income countries are being upgraded," Facebook said. In fact, the average 4G coverage rate for low-income countries increased year-over-year from 9.1 per cent to 17.3 per cent.
Health 49
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Health tips to help students perform well in exam season
THE NEWS BUREAU
t's that time of the year when both students and parents feel "exam pressure". Students are under pressure to perform their best, but doing so requires a balanced approach to health, in addition to consistent studying. This balanced approach helps students boost their memory and remember what they have studied. Experts recommend the following tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the upcoming exams: Exercise regularly: Physical activity is an effective tool to improve academic performance. Studies conducted at the University of British Columbia have shown that regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of the part of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning. Exercise also helps in improving memory and thinking ability for students by increasing oxygen flow to the brain. It's easy to forget to exercise your body in the midst of all the mental exertion, but this is important as physical exercise boosts brain function in a variety of ways. Maintain a healthy diet: Eating healthy is a good practice to maintain at all times, but it assumes greater significance in the exam season. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy, fish and poultry is particularly good to adopt at this time. It will enable students to fulfil all their nutritional needs, so their bodies can perform at an optimum level. They require
adequate nourishment to fuel brain activity and aid in memory retention. Eating healthy also helps prevents illnesses which can be detrimental while focussing on studies. Appropriate herbs in daily diet: According to Ayurvedic texts and modern research, Brahmi helps promote memory, intelligence and enhances alertness. It is a potent mental tonic that calms the mind, provides clarity in thinking and boosts memory retention. Taking this herb regularly improves certain brain chemicals that will improve mental agility, helping students to achieve their goals. Get adequate sleep: While preparing for exams, one of the body's most important needs is sometimes foregone -- sleep. StuTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
dents preparing for their exams should get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night to maintain good mental and physical health. Studies conducted by Harvard University have shown that there is a strong relationship between sleep and memory: Students who get adequate sleep usually get better grades than those who do not. Sleep solidifies and boosts shortterm memory into long-term memory. Adequate sleep helps students be more receptive to information and, consequently, enables better performance in exams. Following these simple tips in addition to regular and effective studying will help students retain information more efficiently and provide the much-needed boost for their upcoming examinations.
50 Health
Beetroot juice supplements can beneďŹ t heart failure patients
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eetroot juice supplements may help certain heart failure patients by enhancing their exercise capacity, according to a study. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients' quality of life and even survival. The study examined the impact of dietary nitrate in the form of beetroot juice supplements on the exercise capacity of eight heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, a condition in which the heart muscle doesn't contract effectively and can't get enough oxygen-rich blood to the body. Tens of millions of people suffer from heart failure. In about half of all such people, the ejection
fraction of the heart is reduced. Because of their condition, these patients exhibit labored breathing, have diminished peak oxygen uptake and use more energy while exercising than would otherwise be the case. Researchers found that the beetroot supplement resulted in significant increases in exercise duration, peak power and peak oxygen uptake while exercising. Those improvements were not accompanied by any changes in the breathing responses of the patients, and there was no change in their exercise efficiency, a measure of how much external work a person gets for a certain input of energy. "Abnormalities in aerobic exercise responses play a major role in the disability, loss of independence and reduced quality of life that accompany heart failure," said Andrew Coggan, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management at IUPUI and one of the researchers who conducted the study. "Perhaps more importantly, elevations in ventilatory demand and decreases in peak oxygen uptake are highly predictive of mortality in patients with heart failure." A second important aspect of the study is there were no untoward side effects from the dietary nitrate, Coggan said: "In this case, lack of any significant changes is good news." The data suggests that dietary supplementation may be a valuable addition to treatment for exercise intolerance among heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, Coggan said. The findings have been published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Health 51
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Are you eating your way to cancer?
THE NEWS BUREAU
ou may want to cut down on the intake of highly processed ("ultraprocessed") food as a recent study has suggested a possible link between it and cancer. Further exploration is needed, but these results suggest that the rapidly increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods "may drive an increasing burden of cancer in the next decades," warned the researchers. Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, ready meals and reconstituted meat products - often containing high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, but lacking in vitamins and fibre. They are thought to account for up to 50% of total daily energy intake in several developed countries. A team of researchers based in France and Brazil evaluated potential associations between ultraprocessed food intake and risk of overall cancer, as well as that of breast, prostate, and bowel (colorectal) cancers. Their findings are based on 104,980 healthy French adults (22% men; 78% women) with an average age of 43 years who completed at least two 24-hour online dietary questionnaires, designed to measure usual intake of 3,300 different food items (NutriNet-Sante cohort study). Foods were grouped according to degree of processing and cases of cancer were identified
from participants' declarations validated by medical records and national databases over an average of five years. Several well known risk factors for cancer, such as age, sex, educational level, family history of cancer, smoking status and physical activity levels, were taken into account. The results showed that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with increases of 12% in the risk of overall cancer and 11% in the risk of breast cancer. No significant association was found for prostate and colorectal cancers. Further testing found no significant association between less processed foods (such as canned vegetables, cheeses and freshly made unpackaged bread) and risk of cancer, while consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods (fruits, vegetables, pulses, rice, pasta, eggs, meat, fish and milk) was associated with lower risks of overall cancer and breast cancer. This is an obser-
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
vational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers point to some limitations. For example, they cannot rule out some misclassification of foods or guarantee detection of every new cancer case. Nevertheless, the study sample was large and they were able to adjust for a range of potentially influential factors. "To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate and highlight an increase in the risk of overall - and specifically breast cancer associated with ultraprocessed food intake," wrote the authors. They stress that further work is needed to better understand the effects of the various stages of processing, but suggest policies targeting product reformulation, taxation, and marketing restrictions on ultra-processed products and promotion of fresh or minimally processed foods may contribute to primary cancer prevention. The study appears in The BMJ.
52 Health
Know few unknown facts about sudden Cardiac Arrest
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ollowing the death of the veteran actress, Sridevi, of sudden cardiac arrest, many people are left with confusion and anxiety over the cause of it. Lack of proper knowledge has left many people in shock over the suddenness of it. Dr KK Aggarwal, Padma Shri awardee, President Heart Care Foundation of India and Immediate Past National President IMA, has come forward to make some common facts of sudden cardiac arrest clear.
Over 70 percent of all sudden cardiac deaths are due to underlying heart blockages The frequency of heart blockages is much lower in sudden deaths occurring under the age of 30 (24 percent) About 10 percent of sudden deaths are due to underlying structural heart disease (congenital coronary artery anomalies, myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic, and right ventricular cardiomyopathy). The frequency is much higher in subjects under the age of 30 (35 percent) Around 5 to 10 percent of
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
sudden cardiac deaths are arrhythmias occurring in the absence of underlying structural heart disease (long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic VT, all abnormalities seen on ECG). Around 15 to 25 percent of cardiac arrests are non-cardiac in origin. The causes include trauma, bleeding, drug intoxication, intracranial haemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, near-drowning, and central airway obstruction. Sudden cardiac deaths account for 30 to 50 percent of deaths in pa-
Health 53
tients with heart failure Women are less vulnerable to sudden death than men and a higher fraction of sudden deaths in women occur in the absence of prior overt blockages About 60 percent of deaths associated with acute heart attack occur within the first hour and were attributable to a ventricular arrhythmia, in particular, ventricular fibrillation Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) refer to the sudden cessation of cardiac activity with hemodynamic collapse, often due to sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Other causes of SCA and SCD are asystole and pulseless electrical activity. These events most commonly occur in patients with
In a review of over 430,000 patients with a confirmed acute heart attack from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2, one-third had no chest pain on presentation to the hospital.
structural heart disease (that may not have been previously diagnosed), particularly coronary heart disease. Silent angina is defined as the presence of objective evidence of myocardial ischemia in the absence of chest discomfort or another anginal equivalent symptom (For e.g. breathlessness, nausea, sweating etc).
Between 25 and 45 percent of patients with coronary heart disease have myocardial ischemia during daily life, and most (>75 percent) of these ischemic episodes are not associated with chest pain. Most 'silent' ischemic episodes occur during minimal or no physical exertion. Patients with diabetes, older adults, and those with prior heart attack or prior bypass surgery are particularly susceptible to silent myocardial ischemia In a review of over 430,000 patients with a confirmed acute heart attack from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2, onethird had no chest pain on presentation to the hospital. THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
These patients may present with breathlessness alone, nausea and/or vomiting, palpitations, syncope or transient loss of consciousness, or cardiac arrest. They are more likely to be older, diabetic, and women. About 65 percent of out of hospital cardiac arrests occur at home. If not resuscitated, fewer than two percent will be alive after one month. Having an arrest at home is a strong independent predictor of adverse outcome. Bystander CPR is the only answer in out of hospital cardiac arrest. Survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic status improve approximately twofold with bystander CPR Bystander CPR with chest compressions alone results in improved survival to hospital discharge. Dr Aggarwal gave some tips for effective first-aid in case of sudden cardiac arrest. The guidelines of Heart Care Foundation of India encourage the performance of CPR using excellent chest compression alone. Lay rescuers should not interrupt excellent chest compression to palpate for pulses or check for the return of spontaneous circulation and should continue CPR until an electric shock machine is made ready to give a shock, a doctor to assume care, or the patient wakes up. Mouth-to-mouth ventilation is not required.
54 Life Style
Fashion tips for men to look dapper in summer
Fashion is not just for women but for men too. The right kind of backpack and accessories can make a lot of difference, suggest experts. Salesh Grover, Business Head, OSL Luxury Collections Pvt Ltd and designer Sunil Mehra, Founder and Designer at Corneliani, have given few inputs
Wearing formals during the hottest season of the year looks like a nightmare but there are several tips and tricks that can be followed to avoid embarrassed meetings. Try to keep it as minimum as possible and avoid wearing everything at one go. Linen, cotton blends, chambray are the breathable fabrics that one should opt for. Exchange black formal staple with that of light colours and nudes for a sweat free summer. * Backpack: Looks small but is spacious! It looks classy and helps keep multifarious gears all at one place. Shades, protein shaker, diet food and your keys are all sorted. A leather, suede or canvas backpacks are a great option to add an element of style to your look.
* Sneakers: We all are crazy about sneakers and these days a pair white sneakers is owned by most men. Introduce more muted tones to your wardrobe and flaunt them with or without socks. It works best for casual affairs.
* Prints and patterns: With the rising temperature, increase your dapper quotient by adding prints and patterns to your look. Quirky prints like paisley, floral, checks, stripes, pinstripes, polka dots and pin dots are what this summer season is all about.
* Accessorise: Summers really can't go without a cool pair of sunglasses. This not just work as a shield to protect your eyes from the virulent sunrays but also add to the person's entire look.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Sridevi ruled hearts for five decades
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ifty years ago, in a studio in Chennai, a young girl faced the cameras for her debut as a child artiste. Not many in the audience that watched this wisp of a girl would have wagered that this lass with luminous, bright eyes and a prominent nose would one day become the toast of not just South Indian cinema, but Bollywood as well. Sridevi performed as a child artist in a number of films, but landed her first signifi-
cant role in a Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit Chattakari. Titled Julie and directed by veteran director KS Sethumadhavan, the film saw Sridevi cast as the heroine Lakshmi’s nubile younger sister. But, the biggest challenge of her fledgeling career came to her in the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu, directed by star maker and the man with the Midas touch – K Balachander. As a thirteen-year-old, she was saddled with the role of the wife of an aging widower (played by Calcutta Viswanathan) and the stepmother of Rajinikanth.
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Kamal Haasan had a guest role in the film and the highlight of the film was the sequence of scenes between Sridevi and Rajinikanth. Balachander was later to cast her in another successful film Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu, which had Kamal in the lead, and Sridevi in the role of a young girl with a wayward father who falls for Kamal. Another director who played a stellar role in turning Sridevi into a household name was Bharathiraaja. His debut film Pathinaru Vayadhinile, a pastoral drama, had Sridevi playing the central role of the village beauty, Mayil, with Kamal Haasan as a physically challenged Chappani and Rajinikanth as the scheming villain Parattai. The film turned out to be a blockbuster hit. Sridevi, who had not yet established herself in the industry, threw caution to the winds, exhibiting the voluptuousness of her lithe frame, sending the front benchers into raptures of delight. Bharathiraaja again cast her op-
posite Kamal in the suspense thriller Sigappu Rojakkal, where Kamal played a homicidal maniac hunting down the heroine only to perish in the climax. The Sridevi-Kamal Haasan pair was a rage in Kollywood for several years, and the duo worked together in over forty films, including comedies like Meendum Kokila and intense dramas like Moondram Pirai. Moondram Pirai, helmed by cinematographer-turned-director Balu Mahendra, was a milestone in Sridevi’s film career. It tells the story of a professor (Kamal) who picks up an amnesia-struck waif, rendered senseless after a near-fatal accident. He takes her home and shelters her in the cocoon of his heart, but eventually loses her in a dramatic denouement when, after recovering her mental faculties, she is unable to recognize him as her saviour. But for the climax, where Kamal goes overboard with his emotions, the entire film belonged to Sridevi.
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Glamour took a back seat in the film as the actor essayed her role with aplomb, touching a new height in her career, dwarfing even a seasoned performer like Kamal. Ironically, it was Kamal who won the National Award for his performance while Sridevi was overlooked in the Best Actress category. Sridevi also worked with other Tamil heroes like Sivakumar in Kavi Kuyil and turned in a memorable performance in the Mahendran-directed Johnny opposite Rajinikanth, with whom she had also acted in the SP Muthuraman directed Priya. Sridevi forayed into the Malayalam and Telugu industries too, and while Mollywood only cast her in lacklustre roles, well fleshed-out roles came to her in Telugu opposite veterans like Nageswara Rao (Premabishekam, a smash hit), NTR, Krishna, Shobhan Babu, Chiranjeevi and so on. Sridevi was the heroines in such Telugu hits as Konda Veeti Singham, Kshana
Obituary 57
Police take Boney Kapoor's statement in Sridevi case
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he Dubai Police has recorded the statement of Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, husband of late veteran actress Sridevi who died here of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness. Sources told Gulf News that Boney was called to the Bur Dubai police station for questioning. The police took his statement after which he was allowed to return to his hotel. Indian diplomatic officials told Gulf News they were trying their best to get all approvals so that the body was repatriated. However, they did not provide a definite time for the process. India's Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri in an earlier interview with the Indian media had said that they had got clearance from Dubai authorities to repatriate the 54-yearold actress's mortal remains. However a diplomatic source said that with the new development of the case being
referred to the Public Prosecution, the repatriation issue is now open ended. He added that the Indian Embassy was in talks with the Dubai authorities to get clearance and is hopeful it will happen soon. "In such accidental death incidents, the
further detailed investigations and decide on any future law enforcement procedures accordingly, he added. Dubai Police has transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases, according to the
results of the postmortem and forensic examination reports are referred to the Public Prosecution as part of ordinary law enforcement procedures. The papers are revised by the prosecutors of the jurisdiction where the incident happened. An official order to hand over the body of the deceased to the family or relatives is issued shortly after that," a chief prosecutor told Gulf News. In case of any suspicious foul play, prosecutors would carry out
Dubai Media Office. Initial investigation showed that Sridevi drowned following loss of consciousness in the bathtub of her hotel room. They found traces of alcohol in her body and this may have led to the accident. "The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned," an official said. The police are trying
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to piece together the sequence of events and find out who was with her when the incident happened. Sources have said that the Dubai Police have released the forensic report on Sridevi's death to her family and the Indian Consulate representative. The envelope has not been opened. It has been sent to the Bur Dubai police station. Both the representatives have gone to the police station with it. Once opened by Dubai Police, and the information revealed to the family, then the next step for the process of repatriation will be decided. Dubai Police have confirmed that there will be further delays in repatriating the body of the Indian actress who died in here on Saturday. Sridevi's mortal remains are expected to be released later on Tuesday after blood and organ test results are out, Gulf News has learnt. A forensic source here said that the biopsy of blood and organs is routinely carried out in cases where cause of death is not clearly known.
58 Obituary
Kshanam, Veeragadu, Sardar Pasparayudu and Bobbili Puli, Jagadekaveerudu-Atilokasundari. Sridevi’s first foray into Bollywood as a heroine was with Bharathiraaja’s 1978 remake of Pathinaru Vayadhinile titled Solva Salwan, which however turned out to be a damp squib. It was in Himmatwala released in 1983, where she was paired with Jeetendra, a favourite of producers down South, that she created a significant impact. Suddenly, Sridevi and her ‘thunder thighs’ came into sharp focus across the nation. The Sridevi-Jeetendra pair was much like the Sridevi-Kamal combination down south, and films like Mawali and Tohfa clicked in a big way, while almost all their other films too did brisk business. Jeetendra, dubbed ‘Jumping Jack’ for his dancing prowess, was in awe of Sridevi. In a recent interview, he commented that he found it tough to match steps with her in the dance sequences as she was such a brilliant dancer. Not all her Hindi films did justice to her talent or versatility as they were mere potboilers focusing on entertainment. But there were notable exceptions like Sadma (the remake of Moondram Pirai), Mr India, Chandni, Chaalbaaz (in a dual role with Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth), Khuda Gawah (again, playing dual roles of an Afghani mother and daughter, opposite Amitabh Bachchan), Lamhe, and Gumrah. Shekar Kapur’s Mr India (which critics felt should have been titled Miss India as Sridevi hogged the limelight) was a delightful comedy caper, where she acted opposite Anil Kapoor. The “Hawa Hawaii” song, where she danced with gay abandon, became a craze, as did her Chaplinesque act that brought the
roof down. Ace director Yash Chopra was so fascinated with her talent that he cast her in the dual role of a mother and daughter in his film Lamhe. Already, she had won hearts in his earlier film, Chandni, in a role tailor-made for her. Commercial hits like Nagina, Karma, and Janbaaz kept coming, right down to her last project before bidding au revoir to the industry, Judaai. Marriage to Boney Kapoor, Anil Kapoor's elder brother and a producer in his own right, turned the
husband Boney Kapoor and directed by newcomer Ravi Udyavar featured her in the lead as the mother of two children played by Pakistani actors Sajid Ali and Adnan Siddique. The film also saw Nawazuddin Siddique and Akshay Khanna sharing frames with her. There’s no dearth of admirers even within the industry for the woman recently chosen as India’s greatest actress in the last hundred years by a popular news channel. Salman Khan, for instance, had said that Sridevi is greater than all the
queen of the box office into a demure housewife. But when even her most die-hard fans thought she had hung up her boots for good, Sridevi sprang a surprise by returning to the silver screen after a fifteen-year hiatus. In 2012, Sridevi made a powerful comeback with the English Vinglish, directed by Gauri Shinde. The film’s theme centred on Sridevi as a housewife, who after being taunted by her husband and daughters on her lack of proficiency in English, strives to match their expectations by opting for a crash course in the language. The film was a runaway hit and the actor proved that she could still carry a film on her shoulders. Sridevi’s film Mom, produced by
Khans in the industry, while veteran actor Anupam Kher dubbed her the Queen of Hindi cinema. What is remarkable about her rise to this throne is that she never had any godfathers in any of the industries she worked in. Instead, she made her rise to the top thanks to her versatility, her commitment to cinema and the hard work she put in over several decades. Bollywood has always been a haven for actresses from the South, with the likes of Vyjayantimala, Waheeda Rahman, Padmini, Hema Malini and Rekha all carving niches for themselves. But Sridevi has always been in a different league altogether, which is saying a lot considering that these other stars had massive followings in their heydays.
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Obituary 59
State honours for Sridevi’s funeral
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housands of fans joined a long procession to mark the final journey of veteran Bollywood actress Sridevi, which started from near her residence to a crematorium in Vile Parle this afternoon. A tall, air-conditioned truck, fully decorated with white flowers -- her favourite colour -- carried her body which was first draped in the National Tricolour and then accorded a police gun salute, as cries of "Sridevi Amar Rahe" rent the air.
Maharashtra government has accorded full state honours for the funeral of Sridevi, who was conferred a Padma Shri in 2013, which included draping her body in the national Tricolour, elaborate arrangements by the Mumbai Police, and a gun salute before the cremation. Inside, Sridevi was lying serene with full make-up, a large south Indian style 'sindoor' wearing a ceremonial gold and maroon Kanjeevaram sari, a necklace, since she died a 'suhaagan' (still married), THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
and almost appeared like a goddess in a deep slumber. Her grieving family members, including husband Boney Kapoor, his son Arjun Kapoor and brothers Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor were among those who travelled in the truck with the body. The approximately six km long journey was expected to be completed by 3.30 p.m. as the truck slowly wend its way through some of the poshest areas of Andheri and Vile Parle sububrbs, a massive portrait of Sridevi visible from a dis-
60 Obituary
tance as the truck moved ahead. The procession was led by several family members, close relatives, friends and even neighbours of the Green Acres CHS where the family lived in Lokhandwala Complex. Earlier, Sridevi's body was kept for three hours at the Celebrations Sports Club, where thousands joined to pay their last respects. The final journey commenced around 2 p.m. to the Vile Parle Seva Samaj Crematorium and Hindu Cemetery on S.V. Road, where it will reach around 3.30 p.m. Many mourners, including Bollywood personalities, politicians and business persons, grieved for the queen of the silver screen Sridevi and prepared to bid her a final goodbye. Since dawn thousands of tearyeyed fans and admirers of the late actress, many carrying flowers, had queued up outside the Celebration Sports Club for a final 'darshan' of their idol.
After the flower-bedecked body was brought to the club premises a steady stream of celebrities came in their vehicles and where whisked inside to pay their last respects. Among the early callers seen were Rekha, Aishwarya RaiBachchan, Arbaaz Khan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Farah Khan, Nitin Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vidya Balan, Sushmita Sen, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhandsali, Jackie Shroff, Farhan Akhtar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, John Abraham, Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Anupam Kher and Sulabha Arya, among many others. Earlier, in the past four days since her demise, the Kapoor household had witnessed a steady stream of visitors, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Krishna Raj Kapoor. Most of the visitors Wednesday were sporting dark sunglasses to THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
ward off the harsh early-summer glare, carrying flowers or small bouquets, embraced and consoled the bereaved family members, fleeted in from the main entrance and out from the other side as fans tried to catch a glimpse. Sridevi's body was flown to Mumbai from Dubai where she passed away around 11 p.m. on February 24, and from the airport was taken to the Kapoor residence in Green Acres. Sridevi passed away following accidental drowning in a bathtub in her hotel room in Dubai, plunging millions of her fans in shock as the news emanated on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Green Acres Cooperative Housing Society Limited on Wednesday cancelled Holi celebrations on March 2, in view of the sudden demise of Sridevi. The Mumbai Police effected elaborate security arrangements at various venues, and arranged special traffic and crowd management for Sridevi's last journey.
Obituary 61
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Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati dead
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ayendra Saraswati, the 69th pontiff of the Sankara Mutt, died on February 28 in a private hospital in Kanchipuram. He was 82. He was ailing for quite some
time. He was admitted to a private hospital in Kanchipuram early on February 28 after he complained of breathlessness. Doctors said the pontiff died following cardiac arrest. His last rites were conducted on March 1
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and his body will be interred in the Mutt premises itself in accordance with traditions followed for Hindu seers. The mortal remains of Jayendra Saraswati were kept at the Nandavanam in Kanchi mutt for devotees
62 Obituary
to offer their prayers. He was given 'maha samadhi' at the Nandavanam, near the Chandrasekarendra Sarawathi Swami's. Meanwhile, junior pontiff Vijayendra Sarawati was elevated and given the charge of heading the mutt. Born Subramaniyam Mahadevan on July 18, 1935, in Irulneekki in erstwhile Thanjavur district, Jayendra Saraswathi was anointed successor to the Mutt by Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamigal and was given the title Sri Jayendra Saraswati on March 22, 1954. Jayendra Saraswati had a huge following in South India and had sought to play the role of a mediator in the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute during the BJP governments headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1998 and 2004. He was also mired in controversy when he was arrested in 2004 during the regime of late J Jayalalithaa and made an accused in the murder of Sankararaman, an official of the famous Varadharaja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram. He, along with junior pontiff of the Mutt Vijayendra Saraswati and
21 others, was acquitted by a court in 2013 in neighbouring Puducherry where the case was transferred from Tamil Nadu. Another controversy in which he was involved was in August 1987 when Jayendra Saraswati suddenly decided to leave the mutt. After spending 17 days in Tala Cauvery in Kodagu in Karnataka, he returned to the Mutt to a warm welcome by thousands of devotees. He then kick-started his social organisation, Jana Kalyan. Jayendra Saraswati sought to diversify the activities of the Sankara Mutt, which was largely run on orthodox lines for long, by entering into charitable activities. It ran several schools, eye clinics and hospitals. He had his spiritual tutelage from 'Maha Periyava' Chandrasekarendra Saraswati and travelled the length and breadth of the country with his guru. In January 1994, when Chandrasekharendra Saraswati attained siddhi, Jayendra Saraswati formally took over as the head of the Kanchi Mutt. There began a spiritual journey that saw several highs
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
and lows for the institution. As news of his death spread, a pall of gloom decended on the Kanchi mutt with hundreds of his followers thronging the mutt to pay their homage. A host of national leaders and even political leaders in Tamil Nadu, who had differences with Jayendra Saraswati and the Mutt, condoled his demise. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who expressed their condolences. Meanwhile, the mortal remains of the seer are kept in the Sankara Mutt in Kanchipuram so that people can pay homage. Expressing his condolences, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: "Sad to hear of the passing of Jayendra Saraswatiji, the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Our country has lost a spiritual leader and social reformer of rare eminence. My condolences to his countless disciples and followers." Prime Minister Modi also shared on the social media an old
picture of his with the seer along with a condolence message. "Deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswati Shankaracharya. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul," Modi said. "Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya was at the forefront of innumerable community service initiatives. He nurtured institutions which transformed the lives of the poor and downtrodden," he added. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said he was "saddened" to hear about the death of the Kanchi seer. "I am saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswati Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham," Gandhi wrote on Twitter. "He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings. May his soul rest in peace," the Congress President added. Senior BJP leader and former Union Home Minister L.K. Advani in his condolence message said that he knew the seer closely who played a key role in defusing acrimony between the Hindu and Muslim communities over the Babri Masjid dispute. "I had the privilege of knowing Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji very closely. Our association became closer during the rule of NDA-I, when I was the Minister of Home Affairs in the government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji," Advani
said in a written message. "Swamiji proactively initiated a dialogue with various religious and social leaders of the Muslim community to evolve an amicable solution to the Ayodhya dispute. This dialogue helped a lot in promoting mutual trust and goodwill between Hindu and Muslim communities," he added. The BJP veteran said he joined millions of devotees of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt in "offering prayers
to the Almighty and in seeking peace to the departed soul". Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: "Deeply saddened by the demise of Jayendra Saraswatiji, the Shankaracharya of the Kanchipuram Kamakoti Peetam math. With his demise we have lost a great saint of present times, who has been a guiding force for the millions. My prayers for the liberated soul." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Saddened at the Mahasamadhi of Kanchi Acharya Pujya Jayendra Saraswatiji." Tamil Nadu Governor BanwarTHE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
Obituary 63
ilal Purohit and leaders of political parties on Wednesday expressed their condolences. In a statement, Purohit said: "Yesterday only I have met him and got blessings of Sankaracharyaji. "During his period, Jagadguru Sankaracharya had started many schools, eye clinics and hospital, Childs Trust Hospital, Hindu Mission Hospital, Tamil Nadu Hospital and other public welfare institutions for the welfare of the society. His death is a great loss to the society particularly to his followers," he added. Former Union Minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said the pontiff had moved well with the people and his death is a great loss to those who are associated with him. DMK leader M.K.Stalin, in his message, condoled the demise of Sankara Mutt pontiff and conveyed his condolences to those who are close to Jayendra Saraswati. The Tamil Nadu unit Chief of BJP Tamilisai Soundararajan said the nation has lost a spiritual leader with a nationalist outlook. She said the seer got down to the ground and worked against the conversion of downtrodden people. He also set up several educational institutions and hospitals by going beyond the spiritual calling, she said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) condoled the seer's death and said Jayendra Saraswati served for protection of Hindu Dharma, Hindu culture and uplift of Hindu society. It is a great loss not only to Tamil Nadu but also to the entire Hindu society.
64 Sports
BCCI Media Rights
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Members in dark as COA decides on e-auction
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ew Delhi: In a major revamp in its bidding process, the Committee of Administrators has decided that the media rights of BCCI (broadcast and digital) for the upcoming international and domestic matches will be granted through eauction -- a departure from the sealed tender documentation process used till this year's IPL. The e-auction is expected to be held on March 27. The rights have been split across three categories -- a global television rights plus rest-of-world
meeting of the BCCI. "Yes, we have been sent a note that says that BCCI's media rights for international matches will be held through e-auction process. Now the note doesn't mention why a sudden departure after BCCI got a whopping Rs 16,347 crore deal from Star India Pvt Limited for IPL rights. As per convention, they didn't even bother to summon a general body meeting," an aggrieved senior official told PTI today. It is learnt that e-commerce
digital rights package, an Indiansubcontinent digital rights package, and a global consolidated rights package. However, a major policy decision has been taken unilaterally by the COA led by Vinod Rai without even calling for a general body
major 'mjunction', who are known for conducting e-auction in various spectrums, will be in charge of the process. "Now what was the process of roping in 'mjunction' for the eauction is also not known. In any case, the COA doesn't like being
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
asked a few probing questions," the angry official alleged. BCCI's broadcast rights for India's international and domestic matches is currently with Star Sports, who pay Rs 43.2 crore per match (Tests, ODIs or T20s). However, with Star bagging the lucrative IPL, it will be interesting to see if they are interested in entering the fray in any of the categories. Interestingly, one of BCCI's most powerful functionary currently (apart from COA) was not in favour of eauction as he felt that "price discovery" takes a hit when competitors are aware of each other's capability of bidding. "For example, the surprise element of price discovery is gone if company A knows that company B will stop at Rs 100 during an eauction process (if its a forward auction, which will be the case here). Company A will then bid for Rs 101. But had it been sealed tender and there was desperation, if Company A bid Rs 100, company B could well bid Rs 500. "That's what happened when Vivo and Oppo bid for India's shirt sponsorship. Despite being part of same parent concern, they didn't know each other's bidding price." For the record, Oppo bagged India's team sponsorship deal for Rs 1079 crore while Vivo had bid for Rs 768 crore.
Social menace 65
Social media use may aect relationships
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ven as effects of social media use on mental well-being is hotly debated, a new study says that spending too much time online can create problems in real life relationships of teenagers and vice versa. Results of a survey conducted by Professor Candice Odgers of University of California, Irvine and her colleagues showed teenagers from low-income families reported more physical fights, face-to-face arguments and trouble at school that spilled over from social media. On the other hand, the researchers found that adolescents from economically disadvantaged households are also more likely to be bullied and victimised in cyberspace. "The majority of young people appear to be doing well in the
digital age, and many are thriving with the new opportunities that electronic media provides. But those who are already struggling offline need our help online too," Odgers said. In a commentary published in the journal Nature, Odgers argued that while smartphones should not be seen as universally bad, vulnerable teenagers experience greater negative effects of life online. "What we're seeing now may be the emergence of a new kind of digital divide, in which differences in online experiences are amplifying risks among already vulnerable adolescents," said Odgers, who is also a fellow in Canadian Institute for Advanced Research's Child & Brain Development programme. For the last 10 years, Odgers has been tracking adolescents' mental health and their use of smartphones. THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
In her survey of North Carolina schoolchildren, 48 per cent of 11-year-olds said they owned a mobile phone as did eighty-five per cent of 14-year-olds. The study showed that teenagers from families with a household income of less than $35,000 per year spent three more hours a day on screen media watching TV and online videos than teenagers in families with an annual income of more than $100,000. The increased screen time could also convert to more problems offline, the findings showed. "The evidence so far suggests that smartphones may serve as mirrors reflecting problems teens already have. Those from low-income families said that social media experiences more frequently spilled over into real life, causing more offline fights and problems at school," Odgers said.
66 Feature
This entrepreneur is on a mission This small scale entrepreneur is on a noble mission. He rides to promote the concept of innovation, product development and Make in India campaign among young engineers and motivates them to work for the country
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he man on the mission – Srinivas Chamarthy – started his Journey to Realize Self in 2015. So far he has delivered over 181 lectures during 233 interactions with the youth across the length and breadth of the country. Royal Enfield sponsored him Thunderbird 500 bike for executing the noble mission. Srinivas has travelled about 63700 kms till now on the bike sharing his experiences with students of engineering, science and sociology and inspiring them to become the torch-bearers for making the country self-reliant in
all fields. “I hate Indians being seen just as copycats by the world outside when we have talent and able minds. What we require is channelizing our energies in the proper direction with support and encouragement, wherever necessary,” says Srinivas. A masters degree holder in engineering from Osmania University, Srinivas has one question in his mind from childhood — “why can’t the country make all the equipment it needs”. Giving an example of the dire necessity of making the ‘Make in India’ happen practically, he points out that the country imports nearly 90 per cent
THE NEWS YOU LIKE | MARCH 2018
of high-end medical equipment from overseas and within a few years, they become obsolete so much so that getting spare parts would be a Herculean task since the manufacturers upgrade models constantly. “That’s where my urge for Make in India endeavour has become stronger and stronger inspiring me to launch ‘A Journey To Realise Self’ with an idea to ride, interact, learn, share, work and self-realise our potential to innovate,” explains Srinivas. Specialized in integrated fields using DSP, Control and Power Applications, his focus is to promote the concept of Innovation, Product Development and Make in India in young Engineers and motivate them to work for the country. It is self funded project and the aim is to cover all parts of India. His vision is to reach out to the ocean of students and children to encourage them in their fields with positive approach through interaction, to promote the concept of Indigenous development of technologies and products wherever possible and encourage students to think and work in basic techno-social needs.
The News You Like March, 2018
RNI No: APENG/2013/48048 P.R. No. LII/RNP/HD/1187/2017-19 (DOP: 1st of Every Month; DOP: 8/9-3-2018)