In an apparent attempt to cosy up with Congress, the Shiv Sena has cautioned the Maharashtra BJP government against preparing to win the next trust vote by suspending Congress legislators.
The Devendra Fadnavis government had on Wednesday won a contentious trust vote in the state Assembly amid dramatic protests by the Opposition. Later, five Congress MLAs were suspended for allegedly causing “injury” to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao when they tried to block his entry into the legislature complex.
“Running the government is not a child’s play. Even if you get power in your hand, you cannot suspend MLAs and (by doing this) prepare to win the next trust vote after six months. If you are trying to cheat people by doing this, remember you are digging your own grave,” the Sena said today in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
“It has been alleged that some people tried to heckle the Governor following which he got injured. It is surprising that inspite of being injured he could walk in and give a long speech. We could not see any sign of injuries on him that day. Inspite of this, five Congress MLAs were suspended on false charges,” it alleged.
Taking a jibe at its former ally, the Sena said since the Governor is a BJP leader from Telangana, only leaders from that party would be able to gauge the extent of his injury.
The editorial said that though the BJP government managed to win the trust vote in the Assembly, it lost the people’s trust.
“All newspaper headlines are showing that the BJP has won the trust vote, but lost people’s trust. They (the BJP) have lost every moral right to govern now,” it said.
“Whoever fails to follow the constitutional rules will get a severe beating from the people. By trampling upon all the rules and regulations and traditions of the state to claim stake to the government, they have earned the wrath of the people. People have watched the shameful act committed by the BJP,” the Sena added
At recently held press conference at Mumbai Press Club, Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation, Nitai Mehta released its first white paper on Status of Affordable Housing in Mumbai. The white paper contains a complete report of the status of housing as per the population of Mumbai. The report states the following statics of housing as per the population.
11.36 lakh households stay in slums in Mumbai, out of a total of 28 lakh househols
15,274 homeless households
57% households live in one room
8% households do not have one room, but share a room with others
Only 203,624 units of public housing created between 1995-2014
Average cost of 269 sq ft house (at minimum ready recokner rate) is 12 times the median annual income of Mumbaikars, whereas the norm is that it should be less than four times the annual income.
To study the problem and come up with solutions Mehta said “Paraja has brought together a team of experts led by Mr Shirish b Patel, a vastly experienced civil engineer and urban planner, one of the three authors who originally suggested the idea of Navi Mumbai.
Mr K.G Krishnamurthy Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Property fund
Mr Aditya Somani, Chairman of Everest industries and
Mr. Ashok Dattar, Chairman of Mumbai Enviromental Social Network
Along with this team of experts, Praja will be putting forward as series of booklets, papers, notes and possible solutions to the this problem. The first booklet released today discusses basic issues such as housing, , FSI (Floor Space Index ) Crowding and densities. This booklet explains these Concepts to the citizens of Mumbai a user friendly manner.
Milind Mhaske, Project Director, Praja Foundation added, The political –social industry discourse to solve the problem of housing revolves around two extremes: One provide free or hugely subsidized houses and second increase FSI thus increasing supply and rationalizing costs.
Under the free housing schemes MAHDA has provided free housing to slum dwellers to a certain extent. Unfortunately these schemes are badly flawed with high corruption. Real News of India had reported about such housing scheme where slum dwellers are kept in shifting for a period of more than 7 years without a trace of being handed over their permanent houses. The present condition that they are living is below human standards at Golibar, Bandra East.
The other solution as suggested by the experts is new settlements moving out of the main and proper areas of the city. This can be very possible and successful if the government expands the network of trains and buses to new settlement areas. The public could purchase land space at a much lesser price than compared to the high unaffordable prices in Urban Mumbai.
It is to be seen what measures the new BJP led government would take up to solve this acute problem of housing.
Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says daughters are special and help to bind a family together.
The father of Shweta Nanda is all praise for daughters.
“Daughters are special very special. They become the soul of the home. They are the reason for the warmth that embraces us all,” he shared on his official blog srbachchan.tumblr.com, Tuesday.
“They conduct, command, secure, analyse, dictate, rule, govern and spread that tender thread which binds an entire family together.”
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“They are reason. They are consult. They are opinion. They are guidance. They are supreme,” he added.
The 72-year-old then shared his photographs with actress Deepika Padukone with whom he is filming “Piku” in Kolkata.
New Delhi: In a first for Indian hockey, the national federation today decided to have the ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ wherein the top players in the men’s and women’s categories will walk away with a prize money of Rs 25 lakh each.
Hockey India will be identifying and rewarding the most promising and potent players from the current as well as upcoming teams.
Speaking on the announcement, Hockey India secretary General Md. Mushtaque Ahmad said, “It is huge leap that we at Hockey India are preparing for. These awards are not only focused towards the welfare of the players but will ultimately help in boosting the morale of the players and motivating them to perform even better.
“The Hockey India family as an organisation takes pride in announcing the Hockey India Annual Awards for the Players and shall strive to take more such steps for the enhancement of the sport as well the players.”
HI has decided to name the individual trophies after HI President Dr Narinder Batra’s son Dhruv, who passed away recently.
“The Hockey India Executive Board and the Indian hockey community recognise and acknowledge the major contribution that Dr. Narinder Batra in particular and his family have made to Indian hockey. Dr Batra was also recently honored internationally by being awarded the FIH Presidents award at the FIH Congress on 1 November 2014 for his role in the development and growth of hockey in India over the recent years,” he said.
“In remembrance of the late Mr. Dhruv Batra who expired on 29 October 2014, during the FIH Congress, the son of President, Dr Narinder Batra, the Board thought it was fitting to name the ‘Player of the Year? awards in the category of men and women to the remarkable young man that was Mr. Dhruv Batra,” Ahmad added.
Each award will consist of a trophy, certificate and cash award. The decision to announce the awards was taken in the 26th Meeting of the Hockey India Executive Board here.
The 26th Meeting of the Hockey India Executive Board was Chaired by Hockey India Senior Vice President, Ms Mariamma Koshy and attended by Executive Board Members including Md.
Mushtaque Ahmad (Secretary General), Rajinder Singh (Treasurer), Tapan Das, Anandeshwar Pandey, Rajeev Mehta, Hitesh Sindwani, Asha Thakur, Asunta Lakra and Dr. R.P Singh.
List of Awards:
Dhruv Batra Player of the Year (Men) – Rs 25,00,000
Dhruv Batra Player of the Year (Women) – Rs 25,00,000
Upcoming Player of the Year (Men U-21) – Rs 10,00,000
Upcoming Player of the Year (Women U-21)- Rs.10,00,000
Goalkeeper of the Year – Rs.5,00,000
Defender of the Year – Rs.5,00,000
Midfielder of the Year – Rs.5,00,000
Forward of the Year – Rs.5,00,000
Award for Invaluable Contribution (For coaches and support staff) – Rs.5,00,000
President Award for Outstanding Achievement – Rs.5,00,000.
Who’s who of the Hindi film industry got together for an evening of fashion and glamour at the Hello Hall of Fame Awards 2014. From Sonam Kapoor to Sonakshi Sinha, Fawad Khan to Abhishek Bachchan, one spotted most of the well-known names of the Tinsel Town coming together for this year’s edition of the awards.
While actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam Kapoor stuck to the western route, Nandana Sen was spotted in a saree – much like her Rang Rasiya avatar. Nita Ambani also paid a visit to the event. Among the others who had made it to the occasion are Arjun Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sonakshi Sinha, Ankita Lokhande, Sophie Choudry, Manish Malhotra and so on. Tennis ace Sania Mirza, too, was spotted at the awards.
Indian companies will need active help from the new government in expanding overseas, but such support has been lacking in the past as against China which has always put its might behind its enterprises, leading industrialist Sunil Bharti Mittal said today.
“We are facing might of Chinese state wherever we go abroad,” said Mittal, who heads telecom-to-retail conglomerate Bharti group.
Sharing his experiences from the past, Mittal said when his company ventured into Sri Lanka, the government there was expecting assistance of USD 100 million for a project.
“I conveyed it in MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and officers in PMO (Prime Minister Office) but nothing moved after that. I could only convey. Few months after that, China doled out cheque of USD 1 billion to Sri Lanka which helped its companies,” Mittal said at the India Global Forum here.
He said Indian companies started venturing abroad and investing big after Tata acquired European steel firm Corus in 2006 and soon it was followed by acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover.
“Indian companies are making big investments abroad. Some of them are extremely successful, some moderate and some are in the process. In Africa, I have seen good amount of goodwill for India. Though we cannot match the amount of money they (China) commit in Africa but government can support Indian businesses there,” Mittal said.
Airtel acquired African telecom operator Zain in 2010 for USD 10.7 billion. The telecom major operates in 17 African countries but is yet to register profit.
At the same event, Wockhardt Chairman and Group CEO Habil Khorakiwala said that Indian companies have brought down price of HIV drugs by about 98 per cent in Africa which was earlier unaffordable for people there.
Mittal said positive changes are taking place under the new government but more needs to be done.
“PM (Narendra Modi) is now making bold moves overseas. He asked us to introduce ourself in Japan,” Mittal said.
But unlike foreign businessmen who are made part of delegation when their ministers visit overseas, Indian businessmen are given a badge which says “coinciding with visit of Prime Minister”, he added.
“I have asked senior officials to at least make ‘accompanying’ if not call it delegates. We deserve some respect,” Mittal said.
Bharti Enterprise chairman recalled a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin where Russian conglomerate Sistema’s chairman Yevtushenkov was present during the meeting between heads of the two states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi among other leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asian summits in Myanmar next week in his first interaction with the pro-democracy icon.
Modi leaves for Myanmar on November 11 on the first leg of his three-nation ten-day visit that will also take him to Australia and Fiji. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin replied in the affirmative when asked at a media briefing whether Prime Minister Modi will meet Aung San Suu Kyi.
“The Prime Minister will be meeting Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said. Modi is also due to have a meeting with the host nation’s President Thein Sein.
The spokesperson said the prime minister is extremely keen to meet as many people as possible during his foreign visits and there will be several meetings on the sidelines of the multilateral events. Modi will be also attending the G-20 summit in Brisbane on November 15-16.
Myanmar is in the midst of a national debate on whether to allow Suu Kyi, an opposition leader, to contest the 2015 parliamentary elections, which she is barred from at present, due to a provision in the Constitution. Suu Kyi had visited India in November 2012.
Myanmar is one of India’s most important neighbours, both for security and as a gateway to Southeast Asia. An ambitious project is underway to develop a 3,200-km highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand. It was originally envisaged to be completed around 2017 but it is behind schedule and is now expected to be completed in 2018.
The 12th ASEAN-India summit and the 9th East Asian summit will take place in Nay Pyi Taw on November 12 and November 13 respectively.
A 40-year-old woman was allegedly paraded half naked on a donkey by Panchayat members on the suspicion of being involved in a murder case at Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, police said on Monday, a PTI report stated.
“The panchayat members stripped down the victim, blackened her face and paraded her naked on a donkey in Thurabad village here on Saturday evening, on the suspicion of being involved in the murder of her nephew Vardi Singh,” said Yogesh Chauhan, SHO Charbhuja police station.
A case was registered against 39 people under various sections of the IPC following the complaint filed by Uday Singh, the victim’s husband on Sunday, he said.
Singh’s family had approached the Panchayat suspecting the role of the victim in the death of her nephew, police said.
District Collector KC Verma, SP Sweta Dhankar and other officials visited the village after the incident.
The nation is awaiting to see Sonakshi Sinha and Arjun Kapoor together. The duo will be seen in their upcoming film Tevar directed by Amit Sharma. The film has created a tremendous buzz already courtesy their ‘Tevariffic’ motion poster and promotional stints. The team has released two new posters today and boy do we need to watch out for Sona and Arjun’s attitude!In the first poster, the couple’s much talked about chemistry speaks volumes where Arjun looks his raw scruffy and macho self, being the protective munda to a dainty damsel in his arms, being played by Sona. In the second poster, the film’s campaign motto “Tevar Dekh” is personified in its true sense by the lead couple, where they are seen running, hand in hand with all the ‘tevar‘ they have to show off.
The I-T department had said Vodafone India under-priced shares in a rights issue to its parent. The tax demand was for the two financial years ended March 2011
he finance ministry is yet to decide on filing an appeal against the Bombay High Court order of October 10 in favour of British telecom major Vodafone, that it did not have to pay the additional tax of Rs 3,200 crore as demanded by the income tax (I-T) authorities.
An appeal has to be filed within a month after the court order. A source at the ministry said: “It is studying the order. Even after one month, the ministry can file an appeal and a delay condonation petition.”
However, it does not mean an appeal will necessarily be filed, said the source.
After the order, the ministry had sought the Central Board of Direct Taxes’ view on the transfer pricing case. The law ministry has also been consulted. If it is decided not to move the court, it might lead to resolution of other transfer pricing cases. Shell, IBM, Cairn and Nokia are all fighting transfer pricing cases here.
The I-T department had said Vodafone India under-priced shares in a rights issue to its parent. The tax demand was for the two financial years ended March 2011. The amount covered tax and interest for the tax demand, for assessment year 2009-10. After a few days of the first order, the Bombay HC again ruled in favour of Vodafone, waiving Rs 1,400 crore of tax for a different assessment year.
A company spokesperson had said: “Vodafone has maintained consistently that this transaction was not taxable.”
Vodafone India had issued shares at Rs 8,000 each, with an investment of Rs 246 crore. The department had determined the price at Rs 53,000 a share, saying the company had underpriced these and that the shortfall and differential ought to be treated as taxable income of Vodafone India through an international transaction.
The HC had decided the share issue at a premium did not give rise to income and there was no international transaction to trigger transfer pricing provisions. Transfer pricing is the value at which companies trade products, services or assets between units in different countries, a regular part of business for a multinational company but a practice tax authorities feel it is often exploited. Rules require all cross-border transactions between group companies to be valued at ‘arm’s length’ or as if the transaction is with an unrelated company.
However, even if the finance ministry decides not to file an appeal against this order, it would not be the end of Vodafone’s tax woes in India. It is fighting a capital gains tax controversy for the purchase of 67 per cent stake from Hutchison in 2007, the claim for which stands at Rs 11,200 crore. Though the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Vodafone, the earlier government came out with an ordinance to tax the company with retrospective effect. The matter is under arbitration.
The appointment of the third arbitrator for the case. Former Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti and Canadian lawyer Yves Fortier were appointed as the arbitrators for Indian Government and Vodafone Plc, respectively.
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