General Affairs
PM Modi Pays Tributes To 9/11 victims; Remembers Swami Vivekananda's 'Historic' Chicago Speech
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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to the victims of 9/11 and remembered the 'historic' speech of Swami Vivekananda that was delivered in Chicago on this day in 1893.
"11th September...two contrasting images come to the mind. Today we pray tributes to all those who lost their lives in gruesome 9/11 attacks. On this day in 1893, Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic speech in Chicago & won many hearts & minds," Prime Minister Modi said in a series of tweets.
He said Swami Vivekananda's speech in Chicago demonstrated the strength of India's rich culture and the power of universal brotherhood and harmony.
More than 2,750 people were killed when two passenger jets destroyed the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001.
While another jet slammed into the Pentagon, a fourth jet crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after those on board tried to overpower the hijackers.
Swami Vivekananda's speech at the first Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago is considered among his most significant contributions to the world - so much so that a three-day world conference was organised to commemorate his 150th birthday in 2012.
The speech made him a 'hero' in the US. The opening lines of his speech "Sisters and brothers of America" earned him a two-minute long standing ovation from the audience.
"11th September...two contrasting images come to the mind. Today we pray tributes to all those who lost their lives in gruesome 9/11 attacks. On this day in 1893, Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic speech in Chicago & won many hearts & minds," Prime Minister Modi said in a series of tweets.
He said Swami Vivekananda's speech in Chicago demonstrated the strength of India's rich culture and the power of universal brotherhood and harmony.
More than 2,750 people were killed when two passenger jets destroyed the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001.
While another jet slammed into the Pentagon, a fourth jet crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after those on board tried to overpower the hijackers.
Swami Vivekananda's speech at the first Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago is considered among his most significant contributions to the world - so much so that a three-day world conference was organised to commemorate his 150th birthday in 2012.
The speech made him a 'hero' in the US. The opening lines of his speech "Sisters and brothers of America" earned him a two-minute long standing ovation from the audience.
4 Terrorists Killed As Army Foils Infiltration Attempt In Kashmir's Nowgam
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SHRINAGAR : Four terrorists were killed in a counter-infiltration operation today by the Army along the Line of Control in Nowgam sector in north Kashmir.
The encounter started after the Army intercepted a group of heavily-armed terrorists trying to infiltrate.
In the encounter that followed, four terrorists believed to be Pakistanis were killed. Four AK-47 rifles and a large cache of ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter.
Meanwhile, dozens of people were arrested after a joint team of security forces carried out raids at Karimabaf village in Pulwama district.
Villagers say a large number of residential houses were ransacked during the raids. Army, CRPF and police have jointly conducted the raids.
Police confirmed that 25 villagers injured during clashes with the forces have been shifted to hospitals.
SHRINAGAR : Four terrorists were killed in a counter-infiltration operation today by the Army along the Line of Control in Nowgam sector in north Kashmir.The encounter started after the Army intercepted a group of heavily-armed terrorists trying to infiltrate.
In the encounter that followed, four terrorists believed to be Pakistanis were killed. Four AK-47 rifles and a large cache of ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter.
Meanwhile, dozens of people were arrested after a joint team of security forces carried out raids at Karimabaf village in Pulwama district.
Villagers say a large number of residential houses were ransacked during the raids. Army, CRPF and police have jointly conducted the raids.
Police confirmed that 25 villagers injured during clashes with the forces have been shifted to hospitals.
Super-Fast Talgo Train Successfully Completes Delhi-Mumbai Trial Run In Under 12 Hours
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MUMBAI : The Spanish Talgo train completed its final trial run between Delhi and Mumbai today. It was successful in achieving its targeted time of completing the journey in just under 12 hours.
The train left Delhi at 2:45 pm yesterday and reached Mumbai this morning at 2:34 am.
Indian Railways has been aiming to reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai by over 4 hours. The super-fast Talgo trains were under trial runs for this reason. Nine super light-weight coaches manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo, which can hit 200 km per hour, were imported to Mumbai in April.
The tracks between Delhi and Mumbai cover about 1,400 km. Currently, the Rajdhani Express makes the journey in 16 hours.
The nine-coach Talgo train consists of two Executive Class cars, four Chair Cars, a cafeteria, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment.
Indian Railways had conducted the first trial run of Talgo trains on the Bareilly-Moradabad stretch in Uttar Pradesh, following which, the second trial run was conducted on the Palwal-Mathura section of the North-Central Railway.
The railways will collate the results of technical and speed tests to determine whether to buy the Talgo coaches.
Railway officials say bids will also be sought from other manufacturers for similar high-speed light-weight coaches.
The train left Delhi at 2:45 pm yesterday and reached Mumbai this morning at 2:34 am.
Indian Railways has been aiming to reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai by over 4 hours. The super-fast Talgo trains were under trial runs for this reason. Nine super light-weight coaches manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo, which can hit 200 km per hour, were imported to Mumbai in April.
The nine-coach Talgo train consists of two Executive Class cars, four Chair Cars, a cafeteria, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment.
Indian Railways had conducted the first trial run of Talgo trains on the Bareilly-Moradabad stretch in Uttar Pradesh, following which, the second trial run was conducted on the Palwal-Mathura section of the North-Central Railway.
The railways will collate the results of technical and speed tests to determine whether to buy the Talgo coaches.
Railway officials say bids will also be sought from other manufacturers for similar high-speed light-weight coaches.
Karnataka Petitions Against Supreme Court Decision On Cauvery Dispute
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The Karnataka government has filed a petition against the Supreme Court's order of releasing 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days. Massive protests are being held in the state which argues it has just enough water for drinking purposes.
A state-wide bandh that shut schools and offices - including tech giants like Wipro and Infosys - was observed on Thursday which was enforced by political parties and volunteers.
Massive protests are being held in Madya which largely depends on water from the KRS dam for irrigation. Schools in the district have been shut since Tuesday.
Karnataka has argued that it has just enough water in its Cauvery reservoirs for its own drinking and irrigation needs and that Tamil Nadu has water stored in its Mettur Reservoir, and is also still to get rainfall as part of the north easy monsoon. A hearing of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee on the issue is scheduled for Monday.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress has also has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting a meeting with J Jayalalithaa, his counterpart in Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka government also welcomed a reported statement from Union Minister Uma Bharti about intervening in the Cauvery river water dispute.
"If she has given the gesture that she will intervene (to resolve the Cauvery dispute), we welcome it. It will be a step towards solving the problem," Karnataka Law Minister TB Jayachandra told reporters Bengaluru.
A state-wide bandh that shut schools and offices - including tech giants like Wipro and Infosys - was observed on Thursday which was enforced by political parties and volunteers.
Karnataka has argued that it has just enough water in its Cauvery reservoirs for its own drinking and irrigation needs and that Tamil Nadu has water stored in its Mettur Reservoir, and is also still to get rainfall as part of the north easy monsoon. A hearing of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee on the issue is scheduled for Monday.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress has also has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting a meeting with J Jayalalithaa, his counterpart in Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka government also welcomed a reported statement from Union Minister Uma Bharti about intervening in the Cauvery river water dispute.
"If she has given the gesture that she will intervene (to resolve the Cauvery dispute), we welcome it. It will be a step towards solving the problem," Karnataka Law Minister TB Jayachandra told reporters Bengaluru.
Empowering Backward Sections Part Of Good Governance: Chief Justice
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RAIPUR: Asserting that empowering the backward and downtrodden sections of society is part of good governance, Chief Justice TS Thakur on Saturday said tribal people should get the benefits of government schemes.
The CJI was addressing a workshop on 'Protection and Enforcement of Tribal Rights', organised by State Legal Services Authority at the campus of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur.
Chief objective of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) is to end discrimination between rich and poor, to make backward, weaker and uneducated people aware of their rights and provide them necessary legal aid for ensuring justice, he said.
"For this, NALSA has laid seven rules, which include protection and enforcement of rights of tribals and provision of legal services to workers of unorganised sectors, children, mentally ill people, addicts, victims of trafficking and commercial sex exploitation," Mr Thakur said.
The CJI said tribal people are dwelling right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and constitute nearly 33 per cent population of Chhattisgarh.
"There are various rules including Schedule 5 and 6 of Constitution along with a number of schemes of Central and state governments for protection and enforcement of rights of tribal people.
"Objective of this workshop is to ensure that tribal people should get the benefits of these rules and schemes and any loopholes in this regard should be eliminated. Empowering backward, weak and poor people is part of good governance," he added.
The CJI said, "the way Chhattisgarh government is recruiting local people on posts of Grade-III and Grade-IV category, appointment of para-legal volunteers and panel lawyers (under NALSA) should also be done from among tribals so that they may create awareness among their communities regarding their rights in a better way."
Hailing the development of the state, the CJI said that people from other states look at Chhattisgarh as a poor and backward state, "but when you actually visit and see the smooth roads, tall buildings and national institutions taking shape, (it) will convince you that the state is marching ahead on the path of progress at an accelerated pace."
Supreme Court Judge Abhay Manohar Sapre, Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Deepak Gupta, State Legal Service Authority chairman Preetinkar Diwakar and other dignitaries were present in the function.
Later, the CJI and Chief Minister Raman Singh laid the foundation stone of the nation's first commercial court building in Naya Raipur.
The first commercial court, inaugurated in Naya Raipur by Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur and Singh on July 2, is currently functioning in the building of Chhattisgarh State Planning Commission.
The CJI was addressing a workshop on 'Protection and Enforcement of Tribal Rights', organised by State Legal Services Authority at the campus of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur.
"For this, NALSA has laid seven rules, which include protection and enforcement of rights of tribals and provision of legal services to workers of unorganised sectors, children, mentally ill people, addicts, victims of trafficking and commercial sex exploitation," Mr Thakur said.
The CJI said tribal people are dwelling right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and constitute nearly 33 per cent population of Chhattisgarh.
"There are various rules including Schedule 5 and 6 of Constitution along with a number of schemes of Central and state governments for protection and enforcement of rights of tribal people.
"Objective of this workshop is to ensure that tribal people should get the benefits of these rules and schemes and any loopholes in this regard should be eliminated. Empowering backward, weak and poor people is part of good governance," he added.
The CJI said, "the way Chhattisgarh government is recruiting local people on posts of Grade-III and Grade-IV category, appointment of para-legal volunteers and panel lawyers (under NALSA) should also be done from among tribals so that they may create awareness among their communities regarding their rights in a better way."
Hailing the development of the state, the CJI said that people from other states look at Chhattisgarh as a poor and backward state, "but when you actually visit and see the smooth roads, tall buildings and national institutions taking shape, (it) will convince you that the state is marching ahead on the path of progress at an accelerated pace."
Supreme Court Judge Abhay Manohar Sapre, Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Deepak Gupta, State Legal Service Authority chairman Preetinkar Diwakar and other dignitaries were present in the function.
Later, the CJI and Chief Minister Raman Singh laid the foundation stone of the nation's first commercial court building in Naya Raipur.
The first commercial court, inaugurated in Naya Raipur by Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur and Singh on July 2, is currently functioning in the building of Chhattisgarh State Planning Commission.
Business Affairs
COAI keen to resolve issues with trai on Reliance Jio controversy
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Terming its recent confrontation with regulator TRAI in the wake of Reliance Jio controversy as unfortunate misunderstanding, the cellular operators' body has said it has no intention to disparage anyone and is keen to move forward and resolve issues.
The telecom regulator had convened a meeting of telcos to resolve the ongoing dispute between the incumbent operators and the new entrant Reliance JIO over interconnecting joints.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Friday alleged that TRAI in an unprecedented manner had acquiesced to Reliance Jio's demand to keep the association out of the crucial interconnect meeting between the operators.
Taking a stern view of allegations, the telecom watchdog thereafter asked the cellular operators' body to take back its words and apologise for malafide and patently wrong statement.
When contacted, COAI director-general, Rajan S Mathews said, "There is no intention to disparage anyone... We said that our association respects TRAI and its work...This was an unfortunate incident."
Mathews emphasised the association is keen to move forward and resolve, not create, issues. "It is an unfortunate misunderstanding...we want to proceed forward on real issues that impact consumers...the matter has been resolved," Mathews claimed.
Asked if he would tender an apology as demanded by the regulator, Mathews said, "No apology is required...it was a misunderstanding."
As TRAI's letter was addressed to Gopal Vittal, Chairman of COAI, it was Vittal who spoke to TRAI, Mathews added.
Mathews drew flak from the regulator on Friday over his statement that he was kept out of the Trai meeting at the insistence of Reliance Jio and Trai acquiesced to their demand, in an unprecedented manner.
Soon thereafter, TRAI shot off a letter to COAI chairman, Vittal saying that "the statement of Director General, COAI...alleging that he was not allowed by Trai to participate in the said meeting at the behest of Reliance Jio is to say the least patently wrong, mischievous and perhaps with malafide intention.
In order to set the record straight, the Director General COAI may be directed to retract his false statement made in the media and issue apologies for the same," the letter had said.
Terming its recent confrontation with regulator TRAI in the wake of Reliance Jio controversy as unfortunate misunderstanding, the cellular operators' body has said it has no intention to disparage anyone and is keen to move forward and resolve issues.
The telecom regulator had convened a meeting of telcos to resolve the ongoing dispute between the incumbent operators and the new entrant Reliance JIO over interconnecting joints.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Friday alleged that TRAI in an unprecedented manner had acquiesced to Reliance Jio's demand to keep the association out of the crucial interconnect meeting between the operators.
Taking a stern view of allegations, the telecom watchdog thereafter asked the cellular operators' body to take back its words and apologise for malafide and patently wrong statement.
When contacted, COAI director-general, Rajan S Mathews said, "There is no intention to disparage anyone... We said that our association respects TRAI and its work...This was an unfortunate incident."
Mathews emphasised the association is keen to move forward and resolve, not create, issues. "It is an unfortunate misunderstanding...we want to proceed forward on real issues that impact consumers...the matter has been resolved," Mathews claimed.
Asked if he would tender an apology as demanded by the regulator, Mathews said, "No apology is required...it was a misunderstanding."
As TRAI's letter was addressed to Gopal Vittal, Chairman of COAI, it was Vittal who spoke to TRAI, Mathews added.
Mathews drew flak from the regulator on Friday over his statement that he was kept out of the Trai meeting at the insistence of Reliance Jio and Trai acquiesced to their demand, in an unprecedented manner.
Soon thereafter, TRAI shot off a letter to COAI chairman, Vittal saying that "the statement of Director General, COAI...alleging that he was not allowed by Trai to participate in the said meeting at the behest of Reliance Jio is to say the least patently wrong, mischievous and perhaps with malafide intention.
In order to set the record straight, the Director General COAI may be directed to retract his false statement made in the media and issue apologies for the same," the letter had said.
Manoj Sinha rejects criticism of PM Modi's image featuring in Reliance Jio ads
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Dismissing criticism over the Reliance Jio ads featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha has said there is nothing wrong in someone fulfiling Prime Minister's dream to provide digital connectivity.
He also said the tariff war unleashed by Reliance Jio by offering free voice calls and data at low price is "healthy competition" that will ultimately benefit users.
Sinha, 55, who replaced Ravi Shankar Prasad at the high-profile ministry in the last Cabinet reshuffle three months ago, also countered charges by COAI, the association of incumbent telecom operators, that sector regulator Trai is biased, saying "show me a decision taken by Trai favouring anyone".
In an interview to PTI, he said the intention of Prime Minister's Digital India campaign is to bridge the digital divide and use the Internet as a growth enabler.
"I think when the Prime Minister launched Digital India campaign, the intention was to end the digital divide in the country. If anyone is giving digital connectivity to people on a large scale, then in a way, he is fulfiling the dream of the Prime Minister... then I do not see any objection," he said.
He was responding to the criticism by political parties, particularly the Congress and the AAP, over the Prime Minister featuring in a full-page newspaper advertisement issued by Reliance Jio immediately after billionaire Mukesh Ambani announced the launch plan at the RIL AGM.
He hit out at the Congress for "doublespeak", saying, "I have received letters from 10-20 senior Congress leaders complaining that Reliance Jio is not getting points of inter-connect (from other operators) and that immediate action should be taken... It is doublespeak."
Refusing to be drawn into the debate on whether or not requisite permission was taken from the PMO for use of the photograph to promote a commercial service, Sinha said, "It will be better if you ask this question to the Prime Minister... whether there was permission or not. I cannot give my opinion on this."
On the price war unleashed by Jio, he said: "Healthy competition in the sector is good for consumers and as a minister, I feel consumer is God."
Dismissing criticism over the Reliance Jio ads featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha has said there is nothing wrong in someone fulfiling Prime Minister's dream to provide digital connectivity.
He also said the tariff war unleashed by Reliance Jio by offering free voice calls and data at low price is "healthy competition" that will ultimately benefit users.
Sinha, 55, who replaced Ravi Shankar Prasad at the high-profile ministry in the last Cabinet reshuffle three months ago, also countered charges by COAI, the association of incumbent telecom operators, that sector regulator Trai is biased, saying "show me a decision taken by Trai favouring anyone".
In an interview to PTI, he said the intention of Prime Minister's Digital India campaign is to bridge the digital divide and use the Internet as a growth enabler.
"I think when the Prime Minister launched Digital India campaign, the intention was to end the digital divide in the country. If anyone is giving digital connectivity to people on a large scale, then in a way, he is fulfiling the dream of the Prime Minister... then I do not see any objection," he said.
He was responding to the criticism by political parties, particularly the Congress and the AAP, over the Prime Minister featuring in a full-page newspaper advertisement issued by Reliance Jio immediately after billionaire Mukesh Ambani announced the launch plan at the RIL AGM.
He hit out at the Congress for "doublespeak", saying, "I have received letters from 10-20 senior Congress leaders complaining that Reliance Jio is not getting points of inter-connect (from other operators) and that immediate action should be taken... It is doublespeak."
Refusing to be drawn into the debate on whether or not requisite permission was taken from the PMO for use of the photograph to promote a commercial service, Sinha said, "It will be better if you ask this question to the Prime Minister... whether there was permission or not. I cannot give my opinion on this."
On the price war unleashed by Jio, he said: "Healthy competition in the sector is good for consumers and as a minister, I feel consumer is God."
I-T dept asks declarants to hurry as black money window nears end
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The Income Tax department has said those holding potential black money should hurry up and declare their stash funds under the one-time domestic compliance window as only 20 days are left for the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) to close.
"The Income Declaration Scheme closes on 30.09.2016. Only 20 days left. Hurry, declare now!," the department said on its official Twitter handle.
It said that a facility to declare such assets by the internet-based e-filing portal of the department has also been activated which ensures secrecy of the declarations.
"IDS,Cir.31 dt 30.08.16 clarifies that info. of declarant filing electronically with digital sign will not be shared with jurisdictional PCIT," another tweet said.
The CBDT, while issuing its sixth clarification on the IDS, had ruled out any extension of the four month window that ends on September 30.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes, the policy-making body of the I-T department, has issued multiple sets of frequently asked questions (FAQs) containing answers to various questions on the implementation of the IDS.
The government had also extended the deadline for payment of tax and penalty under IDS and allowed declarants to pay the amount in three instalments by September 30 next year.
The first instalment of 25 per cent under the IDS 2016 will have to be paid by November 2016, followed by another 25 per cent by March 31, 2017.
The remaining amount will have to be paid to the exchequer by September 30, 2017.
Earlier the tax, surcharge and penalty under the black money disclosure window were required to be paid by November 30.
The scheme was announced by the government with an aim to bring out black money from the domestic economy.
The government had come out with a similar scheme for Indians holding undisclosed income abroad.
The scheme will apply to undisclosed income whether in the form of investment in assets or otherwise, pertaining to financial year 2015-16 or earlier.
The Income Tax department has said those holding potential black money should hurry up and declare their stash funds under the one-time domestic compliance window as only 20 days are left for the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) to close.
"The Income Declaration Scheme closes on 30.09.2016. Only 20 days left. Hurry, declare now!," the department said on its official Twitter handle.
It said that a facility to declare such assets by the internet-based e-filing portal of the department has also been activated which ensures secrecy of the declarations.
"IDS,Cir.31 dt 30.08.16 clarifies that info. of declarant filing electronically with digital sign will not be shared with jurisdictional PCIT," another tweet said.
The CBDT, while issuing its sixth clarification on the IDS, had ruled out any extension of the four month window that ends on September 30.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes, the policy-making body of the I-T department, has issued multiple sets of frequently asked questions (FAQs) containing answers to various questions on the implementation of the IDS.
The government had also extended the deadline for payment of tax and penalty under IDS and allowed declarants to pay the amount in three instalments by September 30 next year.
The first instalment of 25 per cent under the IDS 2016 will have to be paid by November 2016, followed by another 25 per cent by March 31, 2017.
The remaining amount will have to be paid to the exchequer by September 30, 2017.
Earlier the tax, surcharge and penalty under the black money disclosure window were required to be paid by November 30.
The scheme was announced by the government with an aim to bring out black money from the domestic economy.
The government had come out with a similar scheme for Indians holding undisclosed income abroad.
The scheme will apply to undisclosed income whether in the form of investment in assets or otherwise, pertaining to financial year 2015-16 or earlier.
DLF to invest Rs 500 cr on developing IT park in Chennai
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Realty firm DLF will invest about Rs 500 crore to develop an IT Park in Chennai as the commercial real estate market has picked up in major cities.
The country's largest realty firm has exhausted its commercial space stock by leasing out over 32 million sq ft.
It expects to earn about Rs 2,700 crore rental income in the current fiscal from its portfolio.
"Our Cyber Park in Chennai is fully leased to high quality tenants. We have now commenced construction of about 1.6 million sq ft and will bring the best tenant and employee experience in Chennai," DLF CEO (Rental Business) Sriram Khattar said.
The company has an IT SEZ in Chennai, comprising 5.7 million sq ft of area.
"About 4 lakh sq ft of space has been pre-leased," Khattar said, adding that two towers out of three would be completed by the middle of next year.
The construction work is being done by Malaysian firm Eversendai. IT Park would have sports, entertainment and F&B hub in the central pavilion.
DLF had last year started construction of an office complex in Gurgaon comprising over 2 million sq ft area at a cost of about Rs 900 crore.
Unlike housing sector which is having a sluggish sales, the leasing of office space has picked up in the seven major cities of the country.
On the office market, DLF said that the current uptick on rentals continues, but new leasing momentum has been impacted as it has virtually nil inventory at most places.
"The company is following a strategy to aggregate leasing in favour of 'higher value', large and high credit customers," the company said in a presentation.
DLF had announced in October last year that its promoters would sell 40 per cent stake in the rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL).
The company has shortlisted few potential investors to sell promoters' stake in DCCDL and expects the proposed deal, estimated at Rs 12,000 crore, to be signed by early October.
Promoters would be reinvesting a significant part of the amount realised from this deal into DLF.
Earlier, sources had said that Blackstone, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are among shortlisted investors.
"We received multiple bids from sovereign funds and global private equity firms. We have shortlisted few," DLF Senior Executive Director (Finance) Saurabh Chawla had said recently.
"By the end of September or early October, we should be able to guide the market about the culmination of this transaction," Chawla had said.
DLF posted over two-fold jump in net profit to Rs 261.42 crore for the quarter ended June from Rs 125.87 crore in the year-ago period.
Income from operations fell 22 per cent to Rs 1,867.46 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal as against Rs 2,388.72 crore in the year-ago period.
Realty firm DLF will invest about Rs 500 crore to develop an IT Park in Chennai as the commercial real estate market has picked up in major cities.
The country's largest realty firm has exhausted its commercial space stock by leasing out over 32 million sq ft.
It expects to earn about Rs 2,700 crore rental income in the current fiscal from its portfolio.
"Our Cyber Park in Chennai is fully leased to high quality tenants. We have now commenced construction of about 1.6 million sq ft and will bring the best tenant and employee experience in Chennai," DLF CEO (Rental Business) Sriram Khattar said.
The company has an IT SEZ in Chennai, comprising 5.7 million sq ft of area.
"About 4 lakh sq ft of space has been pre-leased," Khattar said, adding that two towers out of three would be completed by the middle of next year.
The construction work is being done by Malaysian firm Eversendai. IT Park would have sports, entertainment and F&B hub in the central pavilion.
DLF had last year started construction of an office complex in Gurgaon comprising over 2 million sq ft area at a cost of about Rs 900 crore.
Unlike housing sector which is having a sluggish sales, the leasing of office space has picked up in the seven major cities of the country.
On the office market, DLF said that the current uptick on rentals continues, but new leasing momentum has been impacted as it has virtually nil inventory at most places.
"The company is following a strategy to aggregate leasing in favour of 'higher value', large and high credit customers," the company said in a presentation.
DLF had announced in October last year that its promoters would sell 40 per cent stake in the rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL).
The company has shortlisted few potential investors to sell promoters' stake in DCCDL and expects the proposed deal, estimated at Rs 12,000 crore, to be signed by early October.
Promoters would be reinvesting a significant part of the amount realised from this deal into DLF.
Earlier, sources had said that Blackstone, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are among shortlisted investors.
"We received multiple bids from sovereign funds and global private equity firms. We have shortlisted few," DLF Senior Executive Director (Finance) Saurabh Chawla had said recently.
"By the end of September or early October, we should be able to guide the market about the culmination of this transaction," Chawla had said.
DLF posted over two-fold jump in net profit to Rs 261.42 crore for the quarter ended June from Rs 125.87 crore in the year-ago period.
Income from operations fell 22 per cent to Rs 1,867.46 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal as against Rs 2,388.72 crore in the year-ago period.
Vodafone-BSNL 2G intra-circle roaming pact to tackle call drops
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Private operator Vodafone and state-owned BSNL on Sunday announced a 2G intra-circle roaming agreement (ICR) that is designed to benefit their customers and help reduce call drops.
"The agreement will enhance coverage for both Vodafone and BSNL customers. Next month, we will jointly provide seamless connectivity at the BRICS summit, which is to be held in Goa," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.
The state-run firm, which regained its 5th position in terms of mobile subscribers in June, has nearly 1,14,000 sites across the country with a wide reach in rural areas.
Shrivastava added: "This partnership with Vodafone will help us make our network coverage better, especially in urban areas."
The availability of additional towers is expected to help both the companies address the coverage gap, thereby minimise chances of call drops.
Vodafone India has over 1,37,000 mobile sites across the country. The agreement will allow Vodafone to expand its 2G network further, especially in rural areas, and strengthens BSNL's network reach in urban localities.
"We made significant investments to expand, enhance and upgrade our network, making Vodafone SuperNet our best network ever, world-class and future-fit. This partnership with BSNL will further strengthen the reach of our network, especially in the hinterland and surrounding rural areas," Vodafone India MD and CEO Sunil Sood said in a statement.
Additionally, the agreement will support Vodafone's coverage plans in Tamil Nadu where it failed to win back 900 Mhz spectrum that it used for 2G services in the 2015 auction.
Vodafone India, the fully-owned subsidiary of the UK's Vodafone Group, has operations across India serving over 199 million customers.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) had a user base of 89.54 million at the end of June this year.
Private operator Vodafone and state-owned BSNL on Sunday announced a 2G intra-circle roaming agreement (ICR) that is designed to benefit their customers and help reduce call drops.
"The agreement will enhance coverage for both Vodafone and BSNL customers. Next month, we will jointly provide seamless connectivity at the BRICS summit, which is to be held in Goa," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.
The state-run firm, which regained its 5th position in terms of mobile subscribers in June, has nearly 1,14,000 sites across the country with a wide reach in rural areas.
Shrivastava added: "This partnership with Vodafone will help us make our network coverage better, especially in urban areas."
The availability of additional towers is expected to help both the companies address the coverage gap, thereby minimise chances of call drops.
Vodafone India has over 1,37,000 mobile sites across the country. The agreement will allow Vodafone to expand its 2G network further, especially in rural areas, and strengthens BSNL's network reach in urban localities.
"We made significant investments to expand, enhance and upgrade our network, making Vodafone SuperNet our best network ever, world-class and future-fit. This partnership with BSNL will further strengthen the reach of our network, especially in the hinterland and surrounding rural areas," Vodafone India MD and CEO Sunil Sood said in a statement.
Additionally, the agreement will support Vodafone's coverage plans in Tamil Nadu where it failed to win back 900 Mhz spectrum that it used for 2G services in the 2015 auction.
Vodafone India, the fully-owned subsidiary of the UK's Vodafone Group, has operations across India serving over 199 million customers.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) had a user base of 89.54 million at the end of June this year.
General Awareness
Swachh Surveshshan Cleanliness Index – Mandi & Sindhudurg tops the list
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Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is the cleanest district in the hilly areas of rural India whereas Sindhudurg in Maharashtra is the cleanest among districts situated in the plains; according to ‘Swachh Survekshan’ or the Cleanliness Index for Rural India released by rural development minister Narendra Tomar.
About Swachh Surveskshan Rankings :
A total of 22 hill districts and 53 plain areas were assessed under the Gramin Swachh Survekshan launched in May 2016. Mandi was judged as the cleanest district in “Hills” category and Sindhudurg as the cleanest in the “Plains” category, with districts of Sikkim, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Nadia (West Bengal) and Satara (Maharashtra) featuring at the top of the index.
Overall Ranking – Swachh Survekshan Gramin Category Rank District State Cleanliness Score Hills 1 Mandi Himachal Pradesh 98.4 Hills 2 West Sikkim Sikkim 96.4 Hills 3 Shimla Himachal Pradesh 94.1 Plains 1 Sindhudurg Maharashtra 96.8 Plains 2 Nadia West Bengal 95.0 Plains 3 Satara Maharashtra 92.9
On the other hand Bikaner, Ajmer, Pali and Dungarpur in Rajasthan; Ahmedabad, Anand and Panchmahal in Gujarat; Gadag in Karnataka; Sirsa in Haryana and Perambaluru in Tamil Nadu make up the 10 worst performing in cleanliness rankings among the districts in plains.
- Each district has been judged on four distinct parameters. Maximum weightage was placed on accessibility to safe toilets and water.
- The parameters to judge sanitation status include households having access to safe toilets, households having no litter around, public places with no litter in the surrounding and households having no stagnant waste water.
About Mandi :
Mandi,formerly known as Mandav Nagar, also known as Sahor, is a major town and a municipal council in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated 153 kilometres north of state capital, Shimla.
- Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 1,044 metres (3,425 ft), the city of Mandi, experiences pleasant summers and cold winters.
- Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through National Highway 20 which is almost 220 km long and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 21 which is 323 km long.
- Mandi is approximately 184.6 km from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and9 km from New Delhi, the national capital.
- According to the 2011 Indian census, Mandi city has a population of 26,422. Mandi district is currently the 2nd largest economy in the state next to Kangra. Mandi, in the state is having second highest sex ratio of 1013 females per thousand males.
- Each district has been judged on four distinct parameters. Maximum weightage was placed on accessibility to safe toilets and water.
- The parameters to judge sanitation status include households having access to safe toilets, households having no litter around, public places with no litter in the surrounding and households having no stagnant waste water.
- Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 1,044 metres (3,425 ft), the city of Mandi, experiences pleasant summers and cold winters.
- Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through National Highway 20 which is almost 220 km long and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 21 which is 323 km long.
- Mandi is approximately 184.6 km from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and9 km from New Delhi, the national capital.
- According to the 2011 Indian census, Mandi city has a population of 26,422. Mandi district is currently the 2nd largest economy in the state next to Kangra. Mandi, in the state is having second highest sex ratio of 1013 females per thousand males.
Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is the cleanest district in the hilly areas of rural India whereas Sindhudurg in Maharashtra is the cleanest among districts situated in the plains; according to ‘Swachh Survekshan’ or the Cleanliness Index for Rural India released by rural development minister Narendra Tomar.
About Swachh Surveskshan Rankings :
A total of 22 hill districts and 53 plain areas were assessed under the Gramin Swachh Survekshan launched in May 2016. Mandi was judged as the cleanest district in “Hills” category and Sindhudurg as the cleanest in the “Plains” category, with districts of Sikkim, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Nadia (West Bengal) and Satara (Maharashtra) featuring at the top of the index.
| Overall Ranking – Swachh Survekshan Gramin | ||||
| Category | Rank | District | State | Cleanliness Score |
| Hills | 1 | Mandi | Himachal Pradesh | 98.4 |
| Hills | 2 | West Sikkim | Sikkim | 96.4 |
| Hills | 3 | Shimla | Himachal Pradesh | 94.1 |
| Plains | 1 | Sindhudurg | Maharashtra | 96.8 |
| Plains | 2 | Nadia | West Bengal | 95.0 |
| Plains | 3 | Satara | Maharashtra | 92.9 |
On the other hand Bikaner, Ajmer, Pali and Dungarpur in Rajasthan; Ahmedabad, Anand and Panchmahal in Gujarat; Gadag in Karnataka; Sirsa in Haryana and Perambaluru in Tamil Nadu make up the 10 worst performing in cleanliness rankings among the districts in plains.
About Mandi :
Mandi,formerly known as Mandav Nagar, also known as Sahor, is a major town and a municipal council in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated 153 kilometres north of state capital, Shimla.
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