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Showing posts from 2017

LIVE updates: BJP takes lead in Gujarat, Himachal polls; Modi magic intact

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The results of the Gujarat Assembly election 2017 for 182 seats and the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election for 68 seats will be announced after counting of votes today Counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections has started. The result will be announced today itself. The 182 constituencies in the Gujarat Assembly had gone to the polls in two phases – on December 9 and 14. The electors in Himachal Pradesh’s 68 seats had voted to elect their legislators for their respective constituencies on November 9. The Gujarat election 2017 is seen as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been ruling his home state for over two decades. It is also considered a litmus test for Rahul Gandhi, the newly elected president of the Congress party. Gujarat elections result (152/182 seats) Party Leads Won BJP   82 Congress   70 Others   2 ALSO READ:  All eyes on Gujarat as stage set for counting toda

1st phase of Chabahar port launched: 10 key points explaining its relevance

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Would provide opportunities to Indian companies to penetrate and enhance their footprint in the region The first phase of  Chabahar port  was inaugurated on Sunday by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.The Chabahar project, located on the Gulf of Oman, only 85km from China's Gwadar port in Pakistan, is important for India as it will allow it to bypass Pakistan in accessing Afghanistan and Central Asia. Business Standard is republishing this 31/10/2017 article which explains the significance of the port. India sent its maiden cargo of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port in Iran, bypassing Pakistan on Sunday. The shipment will pave the way for operationalisation of the Chabahar port as an alternate route providing reliable and robust connectivity for central Asia. Also Read :  First phase of Chabahar port inaugurated Also Read :  Iran opens Chabahar port: India, Afghanistan can now trade bypassing Pak The shipment was flagged off from the Kandla por

India's crime capital: Delhi sees most murders, rapes, abductions in 2016

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Delhi had most cases of cruelty by husband or his relatives (3,645) Delhi had the highest incidence of murder, rape and abduction among 19 cities with populations more than 2 million, national crime data for the year 2016, released on November 30, 2017, show. Further, Delhi also reported the highest crime rate (1,222.5 crimes per 100,000 population) under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to data published by the National Crime Records Bureau. Delhi was followed by Kochi (757.9) and Jaipur (756.5), data show. Delhi accounted for nearly 39% of all crimes under the IPC reported in cities in 2016, followed by Bengaluru (9%) and Mumbai (8%). IPC crimes in Delhi increased 43% in two years from 139,707 in 2014 to 199,445 in 2016. Source: Crime In India, 2016: National Crime Records Bureau As many as 2,194 murders were reported across 19 cities in India, down 6% over 2014. Delhi reported the most–479 murders in 2016, with a murder rate of 2.9 per 100,000 pop

2 yrs after Maggi ban: Food firms, regulators still walk on thin ice

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Analysis of ash content in food, for the uninitiated, involves the burning away of organic content, leaving inorganic minerals On Wednesday, instant noodle brand Maggi was in the spotlight for failing laboratory tests conducted in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The current run-in coming after the lead-in-noodle issue that surfaced in May 2015 and was finally settled in 2016. This time food regulators found excess presence of ash content in Maggi, manufactured and marketed by Nestlé India, points to the difficult relationship shared by the company and the regulator. Nestlé, however, is not the only company to come under regulatory scanner in the past few months. Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved was twice in the news this year for food safety violations pertaining to its atta noodles and amla juice, respectively. Earlier in the year, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked Hardcastle Restaurants, which runs McDonald’s outlets in west and south India, to serve

India, US will work for inclusive growth: Ivanka Trump ahead of GES Summit

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Ivanka said 52% of entrepreneurs will be women, attending from 127 different countries India and the US will continue to work together to increase economic opportunities and inclusive growth, US President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser  Ivanka Trump today said, days ahead of her visit to Hyderabad for a global business summit. Ivanka, 36, will lead a high-powered American delegation of officials, women entrepreneurs and businessmen for the  Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 in Hyderabad, a three-day summit beginning November 28. The summit will be attended by 1,500 entrepreneurs from 170 countries and would have around 350 participants from the US, a large number of whom are Indian-Americans. ALSO READ:  GES 2017: Economics, Ivanka and Hyderabad's green card-holding rich beggars Ivanka would deliver the keynote address at the summit, which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She said that her aim for this summit is to

Act fast on GST rate cut or face action: Hasmukh Adhia

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Finance secretary says onus of passing on the benefits is on companies Companies, including FMCG firms, might be prosecuted if their retailers do not immediately cut the prices of products whose goods and services tax (GST) rates have been slashed. Union Finance Secretary  Hasmukh Adhia  says the retailers or the companies cannot continue with higher prices on grounds that the old stocks have not been exhausted. “We have made provisions for the companies to claim the difference from the government as input tax credit. But I am not willing to accept their argument to postpone passing on the benefits to consumers till they have disposed of their old stocks.” According to him, the new prices should be effective from November 15. The GST Council in its last meeting this month cut the tax rate on 176 items from 28 per cent to 18 per cent and on two to 12 per cent. There was a huge demand to make these cuts. Speaking in a Doordarshan interview in which Business

Only God can save us, say officials as BJP, AAP, Cong spar over Delhi smog

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An estimated $600 mn is needed to provide farmers with alternatives, but the BJP of PM Narendra Modi and Opposition parties in power in New Delhi and nearby Punjab are squabbling over who will pay As pollution level climbed to 12 times above the recommended limit this week in India’s capital, government officials said they knew what was needed to control the smoky haze, but nothing would be done, at least this year. A major source of the smog at this time of year across northern India, including New Delhi, is farmers burning the stubble of the previous crop to prepare for new plantings in November. An estimated $600 million is needed to provide farmers with alternatives, but the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition parties in power in New Delhi and nearby Punjab states are squabbling over who will pay, said three federal government officials who have been briefed on the situation. “Nothing more is likely to happen this year,” said

Padmavati row: Karni Sena wants Bharat Bandh, Bhansali gets security cover

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Bhansali has been facing the ire of various groups and self-styled experts on what they term as 'erroneous' depiction of Rajput queen Rani Padmavati. The Shri Rajput Karni Sena on Wednesday called for a 'Bharat Bandh' (shutdown) on December 1 if Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie "Padmavati" releases on that date, while the Maharashtra government provided a precautionary security cover for the filmmaker in view of the increasing controversies and growing threats. "We will hold rallies across the country, including Gurugram, Patna, Lucknow and Bhopal before the release date," Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder-patron of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, told media persons in Jaipur. He said all communities, including Muslims, supported the Sena on the issue. "We demand a complete ban on the film. Now, we don't want any pre-screening of the movie. All we want is a ban," he said. He cl

Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy resigns over land grab allegations

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Chandy is the third minister quitting Kerala govt in just 18 months; he was alleged to have got a road constructed through government-owned land Battling land grab charges, Kerala Transport Minister  Thomas Chandy  on Wednesday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who forwarded it to the Governor. Chandy was alleged to have got a road constructed through government-owned land and levelled water bodies to facilitate easier access to his Lake Palace Resort located near the Punamada Lake in Kerala. Chandy is the third minister quitting the Kerala government in just 18 months. The first to go was Industries Minister E P Jayarajan who quit last year. Saseendran followed in March this year. Speaking to the media at the Secretariat later, NCP leader T P Peethamabaran said the resignation letter had been handed over to Vijayan. "All the details will be told to you at 2 pm". Sources close to Chandy said he will approach the Supreme Co